SECU grant will benefit NC Association of Food Banks for three years

On Thursday, Sept. 17, at 10 a.m., representatives of the State Employees’ Credit Union Foundation will present a check for the first installment of a three-year grant to the NC Association of Food Banks. The event takes place at Asheville’s MANNA FoodBank, one local organization of many across the state that will receive part of the funds.

“The total grant statewide will provide six million additional meals over three years to North Carolinians in need,” reads a media release. “MANNA will be able to provide 144,000 more meals each year with these funds, procuring and distributing produce and food staples through their 250+ partner agency network.”

Here is the full release:

This Thursday, September 17, 2015, at 10:00 A.M., representatives from the State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) will visit MANNA FoodBank to present a check for the first installment of a grant from SECU to benefit the NC Association of Food Banks. McKinley Wooten, Jr., SECU Foundation Board Chair, and NC Association of Food Banks Executive Director Alan Briggs will be at MANNA to present the funds that are part of a signed agreement between SECU and the NC Association of Food Banks. The total grant statewide will provide six million additional meals over three years to North Carolinians in need; MANNA will be able to provide 144,000 more meals each year with these funds, procuring and distributing produce and food staples through their 250+ partner agency network.

The grant from SECU members, via their foundation, will add two million meals per year to clients served by North Carolina food banks. The SECU has two million members, which works out to each member providing an extra meal every year to NC families facing food insecurity. The NC Association of Food Banks serves as the strategic alliance for the six North Carolina food banks and one food recovery organization, and its affiliated network of 2,500 food pantries, shelters, and community groups will help ensure the additional meals reach neighbors in all 100 North Carolina counties.

“Since 2010, North Carolina has regularly ranked among the top ten states with the highest percentage of citizens experiencing food insecurity, and we have one of the highest percentages in the U,S, of children under 18 who are food insecure on a regular basis, 26.7% or over 1 in 4,” said Briggs. “SECU Foundation’s grant will help us close the meal gap, providing a source of funds to purchase basic necessities and help expand our ability to meet the growing needs in our State. We deeply appreciate the support from SECU members through their generous funding and commitment to this project.”

According to the recent research from the Hunger In America 2014 report, 81% of NC households receiving assistance don’t know where their next meal is coming from, 73% of NC households served have been forced to choose between buying food and paying for housing, and 36% of NC food pantries have had to turn people away due to lack of food.

About MANNA FoodBank
MANNA FoodBank is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization serving Western North Carolina since 1983. As an accredited member of Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief organization, the mission of MANNA FoodBank is to involve, educate, and unite people in the work of ending hunger in Western North Carolina. MANNA serves over 250 community-based non-profit food assistance agencies in 16 Western North Carolina counties and distributed 15 million pounds of food in 2014. To view MANNA’s Annual Report for 2014, or for more information, visit MANNAFoodbank.org, or call 828-299-FOOD.

About North Carolina Association of Food Banks
The North Carolina Association of Feeding America Food Banks is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides a collaborative, collective force for North Carolina Food Banks to provide access to sufficient healthy food to hungry people in North Carolina.