Valerie Hocutt wears a lot of hats as property manager at Creekridge Apartments and Middlesex Manor in Middlesex, NC. Both complexes provide housing for low-income communities, and Valerie works hard to look after the families who reside there. When the pandemic hit, Valerie saw her community take on additional struggles, including job loss, health scares, and food shortages. That’s why it was such a blessing when Jill McKeel and Midpoint Church, through partnership with Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, stepped forward with monthly distributions of food boxes for the families under Valerie’s watch.
“It’s been a year now,” says Valerie about the food donations. “I’ve seen the impact, especially on the seniors. They’ll plan meals together to make the food go even further,” she says of the community living at Creekridge Apartments.
One of those seniors is Miss Cricket, otherwise known as Edna Mount, 83 years young, who has lived in Nash County her entire life. Miss Cricket is deeply appreciative of the food she receives in the boxes, and through occasional meal distributions from the Food Shuttle’s Spinning Plate food truck, as well. “It is really good, what they do for this community,” she says. She uses what she needs that comes in the distribution box, and shares what she can with her neighbors. “Anytime I have food, I don’t mind fixing up a bag and giving it to someone who needs it,” she adds.
Miss Cricket
According to Feeding America, Nash County has a projected overall food insecurity rate for 2021 of 15.6% (up from 13.7% in 2019), and a projected child food insecurity rate of 24.2% (up from 21.3% in 2019). Inter-Faith Food Shuttle is addressing this increase in need with targeted programming directed at those living in rural counties like Nash. This expansion is not only providing immediate relief but also focusing on long-term solutions that go beyond food on the table, providing a pathway to self-sufficiency that will break the cycles of poverty and hunger. As the Food Shuttle continues to listen and engage with its neighbors and partners facing hunger, additional support will include initiatives such as installing Gardens for Everyone boxes in communities or expanding nutrition education.
Valerie Hocutt goes about her day, tending those in her charge, ensuring that they have what they need. “I love being able to get out to the community, to see to other’s needs—for folks to tell me what they’re feeling, what their needs are. Just to have those conversations: ‘How are you doing?’” Valerie’s community is in good hands, and with the help of Jill McKeel, Midpoint Church, and Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, it’ll stay that way.