Each week, some of the produce donated to the Durham Community Food Pantry (DCFP) may be old, or not suitable to be distributed to the public. The DCFP works with community partners to dispose of this unusable food in a way that reduces costs for the pantry while having a positive environmental impact. One such […]
CONTINUE READINGIn summer 2020, the produce-packing room at the Durham Community Food Pantry filled with the smells of oregano, cilantro, parsley, thyme, and basil. Local organizations such as the Scrap Exchange and churches such as Holy Cross kindly donated bundles of herbs and vegetables every week fresh from their community gardens. Each Tuesday, volunteers marveled at […]
CONTINUE READINGGenerating Resources and Opportunities for Wellness – that is the mission of the GROW project and how the program got its name. Founded by a group of UNC Chapel Hill undergraduates, GROW is “a social innovation project” aiming to “create resources and opportunities centered around mental, physical, and nutritional wellness for those experiencing food insecurity […]
CONTINUE READINGDebbie Reed moved to Durham in 2014, after a career as a management consultant for both For-Profit and Non-Profit organizations. Her Non-Profit career took her through various parts of the world including India, Tanzania, and Kenya before arriving in New York as the COO of the National Academy Foundation. At the National Academy Foundation, Reed […]
CONTINUE READING*For privacy concerns, names were changed in this story. Eviction is a reality that far too many families face when they struggle to pay their bills each month. This is the situation that Diane Lane found herself in before coming to the Durham Community Food Pantry, a program of Catholic Charities. After suffering job related […]
CONTINUE READINGWhile all food pantries provide clients with groceries, there exist varying pantry operation models, each with their own benefits and accompanying challenges. Over the past several decades, doctors, nutritionists, sociologists, policy analysts, and other social scientists have studied the methods and operations of different food pantry models. Their work has reviewed the effects of operations […]
CONTINUE READINGThe Newman Catholic Student Center Parish at UNC Chapel Hill (NCSCP) is a pivotal and invaluable partner to the Catholic Charities Durham Community Food Pantry (DCFP). Since the inception of the DCFP, the NCSCP has been an ardent supporter in providing food drives, as well as individual donations. This fall, the NCSCP held their annual […]
CONTINUE READINGSuzan Perry started volunteering with the Durham Community Food Pantry in April 2020, right as the food pantry was adapting to distributing groceries during COVID-19. Due to the pandemic, many volunteers had decided to stay home for their safety, leaving a gap in serving the community. Staff conducted outreach efforts to find additional volunteers, which […]
CONTINUE READINGA grand opening, developing a new nutrition program, and adapting all of this to COVID-19. These are all things the Durham Community Food Pantry (DCFP) has accomplished over the past 18 months. The DCFP opened its doors to the community in May 2019, after moving from a small office on University Drive, to a 7,400 […]
CONTINUE READINGCatholic Charities offices have had to face many challenges in 2020 due to COVID-19. One important aspect keeping services running during this time has been volunteer support, but that has not been without it’s own hurdles. Together, staff and volunteers have found a variety of ways to continue providing vital resources to the community in […]
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