September is National Hunger Action Month.  This month we are highlighting organizations in Orange County that are taking action to feed people, empower communities, and solve food insecurity.  Our first story highlights the critical work of PORCH Hillsborough. --

A Story of Neighbors Helping Neighbors The mission of PORCH Hillsborough is to fight hunger in northern Orange County by mobilizing neighbors, building community, and providing fresh, healthy food. They achieve their mission through simple, sustainable programs including food drives to support local pantries, produce deliveries to at-risk families, mobile food distributions within underserved communities, and the purchase of healthy snacks for the Orange County School District. The mobile food distributions are where they see the faces of the over 600 households they serve monthly—families with children, seniors, and individuals who experience the overall financial strain of rising food costs.

Each month, neighborhood coordinators collect non-perishable items from the porches of dedicated community donors and deliver those donations to the Orange County Schools Central Pantry at Orange Middle School as well as the Orange Congregations in Mission pantry, ensuring local shelves are stocked and ready to help.

PORCH Hillsborough understands that the fight against hunger requires more than just a box of food. They recognize the barriers many families face, from a lack of transportation to living in a "food desert" where nutritious food is scarce. Their mobile food distributions (in partnership with the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina and Farmer Foodshare) held at schools, churches, and community centers, are a testament to their commitment to meeting people where they are. Through their actions, PORCH Hilsborough eases the financial burden on households facing economic insecurity. The story of hunger is deeply personal, and so is the solution. That’s why they also offer grocery store gift cards at many of their distributions. This simple act gives families the dignity and flexibility to choose what they need most for their own kitchens—a powerful step in easing the burden of economic insecurity.

As the cost of living continues to rise and food security resources shrink, the need for PORCH Hillsborough's services is more critical than ever. The organization is a powerful example of how a community can come together to address a fundamental human need, one porch, one family, and one story at a time.  Learn more at porchcommunities.org/hillsborough.