Editor’s note: As part of the News + Record’s commitment to the community, we’re partnering with the United Way of Chatham County to help provide insight into the work of the agencies the program helps fund with a series of local agency profiles; information is provided by the agencies in conjunction with the United Way. The United Way relies on donations from individuals and businesses to meet the needs of its member agencies. Please consider a generous gift.
Focus Area: Basic Needs (financial stability)
Name of United Way Supported Programs: Food Pantry/Fuel-Up program
How will Fuel-Up and West Chatham Food Pantry use United Way dollars?
The Fuel-Up program has been able to purchase nutritious food for weekend food supplements for those elementary school age children who qualify. The teachers at these schools refer the students who are eligible for the program. The majority of these children rely on free or reduced lunches at school. Fuel-Up is able to provide weekend nutrition for approximately 220 elementary age students.
The West Chatham Food Pantry serves about 240-280 families per month, totaling approximately 600-800 individuals. We are open to clients from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Mondays and 12:30 to 2 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays. We are able to supplement their food at home with meats, vegetables, soup, crackers, rice, peanut butter and jelly, bread and bakery items. Clients may visit the Food Pantry every two weeks. We do provide emergency food and do not turn anyone away.
Why is this program essential to Chatham County?
North Carolina is the 10th hungriest state in the USA, according to the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle. Homes often must make tough choices about the amount and quality of food they are able to provide their families. The West Chatham Food Pantry and Fuel-Up are able to make a huge impact on these families (as of 2015, almost 32 percent of seniors in North Carolina live in or near poverty levels). A large percentage of these individuals face the threat of hunger also. Our program recognizes the critical role we play in providing nutrition to these families. Our volunteers are essential to these programs. None of our volunteers are paid and we are strictly volunteer based.
How does the program make a difference in the community?
The food programs offered by the West Chatham Food Pantry provide supplemental nourishment to individuals, families and children. According to the Central and Eastern North Carolina Food Bank, 600,000 individuals (in 7 counties) were unable to consistently access enough nutritious food to live a healthy, active lifestyle or went hungry because they had to skip meals. Hunger has grown into an epidemic. We are committed to feeding the hungry in Chatham County more than ever in an effort to reduce hunger in Chatham County. Nearly a third of our seniors live in poverty, and a large percentage of these individuals face the threat of hunger.
Please share a story about a Chatham resident this program helped and the impact it made...
Imagine a single mother who works fulltime at minimum wage, has to provide food, rent, clothes, child care and medical care. At just above the federal poverty level, she makes too much to qualify for food assistance. This is when the West Chatham Food Pantry and Fuel-Up Program make a huge impact on these families. By participating in these programs, this individual is able to provide additional nutritious food for her children leading to a healthier lifestyle which affects their academic performance and their health.