Because of you, more children will start the school day ready to learn, without the pang of hunger as a distraction. Our Back-to-School campaign reminds us that along with pencils and paper, children need a daily supply of food to take on new concepts, run on playgrounds, and socialize more successfully.
Our Community Health and Agriculture Education teams have collaborated to develop the new Food Shuttle Academy, an online learning platform with free, self-paced lessons on health, nutrition, agriculture, and more!
Our Spring Match challenge, made possible by generous funders, including SOLV Energy and the Mead Family Foundation, exceeded the $105,000 goal, raising an additional $70,000 to erase hunger!
Love, Tito’s has a heart for community gardens and increasing access to fresh, healthy foods. Their philanthropic Love, Tito’s Block to Block program, reconnects neighborhoods and creates community gardens and farms throughout the United States. Our hearts are in full bloom knowing that our Camden Street Garden will be the next beneficiary of Block to Block, allowing neighbors with mobility challenges to access our many activities more easily.
Every once in a while, an idea comes along that is so simple in concept and makes so much sense that you wonder why things haven’t been running that way all along. That’s what happened with the produce initiative at Inter-Faith Food Shuttle. The idea was to buy produce at wholesale prices from limited-resourced local farmers and connect those farmers to partner agencies in their area who are distributing to neighbors in need.
Inter-Faith Food Shuttle has been awarded an $800,000 Feeding America Retail Agency Capacity Building Grant. This significant funding will assist in growing the Food Shuttle’s retail rescue program by building capacity of agency partners to improve equitable access to nutritious food, with a focus on strengthening rural and/or communities of color. The grant is funded by Feeding America and the Walmart Foundation
Brighten your holiday season with WRAL Nights of Lights Drive-Thru Light Show at Dorothea Dix Park, brought to you by WRAL/Capitol Broadcasting Company in partnership with the City of Raleigh. On Saturday, December 10, visitors to Nights of Lights will have the opportunity to help create a hunger free community during Food Lion Feeds Night in support of Inter-Faith Food Shuttle.
The American Heart Association (AHA) has long been a partner with Inter-Faith Food Shuttle in addressing the ongoing health of our community through ensuring that all our neighbors receive the nutrition they need to lead healthy, active lives. Recently, the AHA activated funding for the Food Shuttle by leveraging a network of funders for a project outlined in a grant that had been submitted to them last fall.
Brand new crops are popping up at the Food Shuttle Farm this year include poblano and cayenne peppers, tomatillos, and chayote squash. These crops are grown specifically for the Latinx community served through Food Shuttle distribution outlets.
Nearly one year ago, I wrote my first newsletter to you and thanked you for your warm welcome and your continued commitment to our mission here at Inter-Faith Food Shuttle. At that time, we were at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, witnessing the pain and sadness in the aftermath of the events in Minneapolis, where thousands of our neighbors found themselves in a very dark situation. One year ago, I embraced that challenge knowing we had your continued support, and today, I continue to be grateful.
Acknowledging that the crisis our communities are facing will in fact continue, even as we begin to step out of the darkness of 2020, is half of the battle. Recognizing our efforts, programs, and resources offer a path to self sufficiency for those facing hunger is crucial in continuing our mission. Only through community taking care of community can we survive the dark times of 2020 and meet the challenges that come our way as we maintain hope for a brighter tomorrow.
