Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.
We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription.
Your current subscription does not provide access to this content. Please use the button below to manage your account.
Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.
Please purchase a subscription to continue reading.
Your current subscription does not provide access to this content.
INDIAN TRAIL, N.C. — Thanks to a $23,000 grant from Tyson Foods, local nonprofit Common Heart will be able to increase the amount of nonperishable foods available to its neighbors in Union County facing food insecurity.
The one-year grant will allow Common Heart to implement a new program, the Food Drive Patrol, to increase the number of food drives held at local grocery stores, as well as those held by local businesses, churches, civic, community and volunteer organizations.
Common Heart currently has 21 food drive partners; these and 10 additional food drives in 2024 brought in 55,000 pounds of nonperishable food. With the help of this grant, the goal is to double the number partners to 42 and the amount of food to 100,000 pounds of nonperishables over the next year.
“We know that hunger relief is the primary way our friends at Tyson Foods give back, and this grant will mean more meals to more people in our community,” said Common Heart Executive Director Keith Adams. “This is a huge boost to our ability to serve more families who need access to free groceries. We’re thrilled to partner with Tyson Foods in this vital way.”
Common Heart is currently the largest food pantry network in Union County and offers delivery for neighbors who have special dietary needs, such as diabetes, heart or kidney care or gluten-free. In 2024, Common Heart provided groceries to 22,093 neighbors an average of six times through 13 pantry outreaches.
“Tyson Foods is committed to making our communities the best they can be,” said Tim Grailer, senior director of social impact with Tyson Foods. “We are grateful for our nonprofit partners that work hard each day to improve our shared communities and are honored to invest in their efforts.”
According to Feeding America, it’s estimated that in Union County, more than 25,000 adults and children are hungry or facing the threat of hunger. That’s about 10.5% of the residents of the county, which is an increase of about 3.5% (7,300 people) since 2023.
Common Heart has seen this increase firsthand at its pantries with a wave of first-time attendees. A staggering 9,372 individuals representing 2,476 households came to one of its food pantries for the very first time last year. Of those individuals, 3,961 were children ages 17 and younger. An estimated one in six children in Union County live in homes facing food insecurity.
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.
Commented
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.