Volunteer

Merck volunteer team breaks record at Child Food Hub

Ending hunger in our community is a group effort, but that doesn’t mean our volunteers can’t engage in a little friendly competition!

On July 20th, a team of fifteen volunteers from Merck pharmaceutical company arrived at the Child Food Hub in Durham to pack family meal boxes. These boxes provide meals to hungry families across seven counties in North Carolina. Learn more about volunteering at our Child Food Hub here.  

When the volunteer team learned from staff that the record for family meal box packing was 421 boxes in one shift, they were immediately determined to break this record. They worked hard through the morning, filling box after box with nutritious food. At the end of their shift, they were proud to learn that they had packed 493 family meal boxes, beating the previous record by 72 boxes!

“The Merck volunteers were so efficient and kind,” shares Candace Burch, warehouse associate at the Child Food Hub. “We loved them and welcome them back any time!”

Thank you to the Merck team for a wonderful group packing event! We truly appreciate your enthusiasm and dedication and look forward to continuing this wonderful partnership.

Do you think your team has what it takes to break Merck’s record? Group volunteering events like this serve as wonderful team-building activities while also making a positive impact on our community.  Learn more about similar group volunteering opportunities here. Please contact Marc Holaday, volunteer services manager, at Marc@foodshuttle.org with any further questions.

A Beautiful Day for a Garden Party at Geer Street Learning Garden

A Beautiful Day for a Garden Party at Geer Street Learning Garden

It was one of those perfect North Carolina spring days: the sun was shining, the temperature was in the mid 70s, a nice breeze was blowing, the rain from the day before had cleared out and folks were eager to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather. You couldn’t ask for a better setting for the Geer Street Learning Garden’s first annual Garden Party and Compost Giveaway.

Volunteer Appreciation Month: We Love Our Volunteers!

Volunteer Appreciation Month: We Love Our Volunteers!

In short, we love our volunteers! April is Volunteer Appreciation Month, and we take appreciating our volunteers pretty seriously. 

Mobile Market Provides Food and Hope to Neighbors in Johnston County

Mobile Market Provides Food and Hope to Neighbors in Johnston County

The need for healthy food brings neighbors back to the Johnston County Mobile Market each month, and they are not alone. Nearly 80,000 people across the Food Shuttle’s service area lost monthly benefits of at least $95 per family when the SNAP Emergency Allotments were rolled back in March. Over 9,000 of them live in Johnston County, including Sarah, Jim and Luther.

Gardens For Everyone Expands Options for Food Access With Healthy Harvest

Gardens For Everyone Expands Options for Food Access With Healthy Harvest

Gardens For Everyone takes the Food Shuttle’s well-established community gardening program on the road by building 8’ x 4’ x 20” raised garden boxes at individuals’ homes or for community organizations. This is a pay-what-you-can effort, asking for a minimum $25 from individuals and the full cost of $200 per bed from organizations.

Food Shuttle Certified as Service Enterprise by Points of Light

Food Shuttle Certified as Service Enterprise by Points of Light

Inter-Faith Food Shuttle has been certified as a Service Enterprise by Points of Light - the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service. With this certification, the Food Shuttle joins a prestigious group of nonprofits committed to effectively delivering on our mission by strategically engaging volunteer time and talent.

Adding Spice to Life for Our Seniors

Adding Spice to Life for Our Seniors

So, if you cut salt from your diet, how do you flavor your food? Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s Community Health Education program is tackling that question head on by beginning to include a flavorful variety of spices and oils in monthly distributions of Grocery Bags for Seniors.

Rachel Ayers Honored by Food Lion for Outstanding Service to Community

Rachel Ayers Honored by Food Lion for Outstanding Service to Community

Rachel’s passion for serving her community made her the perfect choice to nominate for 7th Annual Food Lion Feedys Awards, which honor people who go above and beyond to fight hunger. She received the Lion Heart Award in recognition of her outstanding skills in coordinating and motivating volunteers.

Grocery Bags for Seniors Provide Nutrition and Sense of Community

Grocery Bags for Seniors Provide Nutrition and Sense of Community

Peggy and Faye are two community members who receive grocery bags from Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s Grocery Bags for Seniors program. Through this program, volunteers come together to pack over 2,000 grocery bags a month with fresh produce and non-perishable groceries and deliver them to local seniors who many be at risk of hunger.