By Andrew Brown, head of the NCFST
As the economic impact of the COVID-19 public health emergency continues to be felt, area food pantries are serving nearly 40% more families than before the pandemic. Pantries report an influx of new families. These families recount that they “never thought they would need to turn to a food pantry” or that they “didn’t know how they would feed their children”.
To serve these and other families who have been affected by the COVID-19 public health emergency the Northern Community Food Security Team (NCFST) has established a local Food Hub, funded by a CARES Act grant from Wake County,
Through the end of December, the Food Hub will serve area citizens who are experiencing food insecurity by providing boxes of fresh fruit and vegetables as well as non-perishable groceries.
The NCFST is a consortium of local organizations whose mission is to ensure food security in the North County community. Founded in 2018 in conjunction with the Town of Wake Forest’s adoption of the Wake County’s Comprehensive Food Security Plan, NCFST counts more than a dozen food pantries, faith-based organizations, businesses, concerned citizens among its’ participants, in addition to support from the Town of Wake Forest and Wake County.
The NCFST Food Hub is distributing produce and non-perishables on the 2nd and 3rd Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. at Tri-Area Ministry Food Pantry in Wake Forest.
Produce and non-perishables from the Food Hub are also available at these NCFST member agencies:
- Universal Outreach
- Catherine’s Operation Harvest Ministry
- North Wake Church
- Richland Creek Community Church
- The Giving Garden at Wake Forest Presbyterian Church
- Glory Tabernacle Food Pantry
- Hope House
- New Bethel Baptist church food pantry
- Hope Lutheran Brown Bag Ministry
- John’s Episcopal Church
- Oak Level Christian Church Food Pantry
- Northeast Community Coalition (NECC)
- Christian Life Fellowship Food Pantry
As part of the Food Hub program, our member agencies are also directly providing food in local neighborhoods where food insecurity is most acute.
For information about NCFST and the Food Hub, visit https://www.wakeforestnc.gov/citizen-engagement/get-involved/northern-community-food-security-team.
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