Rise and Dine Breakfast Inspires Action to Fight Food Insecurity
On Thursday, September 11, more than 65 supporters gathered at the Harrelson Center in Wilmington for the inaugural Rise and Dine Breakfast, benefitting the Nourishing Our Neighbors Campaign. The event raised over $25,000 to support efforts to expand access to healthy food across the Cape Fear region.
The morning began with fellowship, prayer, and words of gratitude for the many community partners who made the event possible. Guests heard powerful stories from Catholic Charities staff and a neighbor who benefitted from Catholic Charities food pantry services. Their words highlighted both the growing challenges of food insecurity and the life-changing impact of Catholic Charities.
Emilie Hart, Cape Fear Regional Director, shared how Catholic Charities food programs have expanded in response to overwhelming need. “In just the past three years, the number of individuals we’ve assisted has grown by over 450%,” she said. She described the dignity of client choice food pantries, the reach of mobile food pantries, and the critical role of home food deliveries.
Guests also heard directly from Terry Hersher, a local mother whose family has benefited from the home food delivery. She shared her struggles with providing for her children while working long hours and not qualifying for other assistance. The food boxes she received, she said, brought both relief and joy to her household: “Just to see my children’s faces light up when the food arrives makes my heart melt.”
Closing the program, Catholic Charities CEO Lisa Perkins emphasized that the Cape Fear region has been a model of innovation for the entire agency, from piloting the first mobile pantries to launching client choice food pantries that are a priority when opening new food pantries across Central and Eastern North Carolina.
Yet, she reminded guests that the need is greater than ever with more families seeking assistance while available resources are shrinking. “That is why the Nourishing Our Neighbors Campaign is so critical right now,” Perkins said.
The Nourishing Our Neighbors Campaign is a $6 million initiative to make food pantry services more accessible, educational, and sustainable. The campaign will support the growth and enhancement of traditional, choice, and mobile food pantries, nutrition education, community gardens, and innovative solutions like a new food truck business enterprise.
While the campaign goal is ambitious, the success of the first Rise and Dine Breakfast demonstrated the community’s commitment to addressing hunger. Platinum sponsors included St. Mark Catholic Church and School and Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, alongside many other generous partners.
“Catholic Charities has never shied away from a challenge,” Hart said. “Not during a natural disaster. Not during a pandemic. And not now. With your support, we can ensure no child goes to bed hungry, no senior has to choose between groceries and medicine, and no family faces tomorrow without hope.”
For more information about the Nourishing Our Neighbors Campaign or to donate, please visit CatholicCharitiesRaleigh.org/NourishingOurNeighbors.