2024 Food Coalition Discretionary Funds
In 2023 we surveyed the NC Food Coalition Network and heard that nearly 75% of our network members were most interested in Community Food Strategies offering discretionary funds, of $500 or less, in the future.
Discretionary Funds are a small funding opportunity for up to $500 per group for small projects, such as logo development, flier printing, meeting interpretation, translation services, conference registration for a council member, etc.
In 2024, Community Food Strategies is happy to announce that we have provided funds to nine food coalitions. These funds have been categorized into three key themes:
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Sustain Food Coalitions Development
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Local Foods
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Build Educational Resources
Sustain Food Coalitions Development
(Total Funds Allocated: $2000)
- Macon Food Council ($500) & Jackson County Food Council ($500) plan to use their funds to advance their Food Policy Action Plan by hosting community meetings. Macon also used funds to help hire a part-time manager to provide marketing for the Macon County Farmers Market.
- Cabarrus County Farm & Food Council ($500) will use part of their funds to renew their non-profit status. Any remaining funds will be used for their Fruitful Conversations networking events, which brings together local stakeholders to discuss supporting farmers, local food, and hunger initiatives.
- Nourishment and Healing Center of Forsyth County ($500) plan to use the funds to celebrate the grand opening of their new site. This event will also feature their first Community Nourishment Event.
Local Foods
(Total Funds Allocated: $1000)
- Root Cause Farm ($500) Will purchase 5,000 vegetable plant starts from Banner Greenhouse. These starts will be planted by service-learning students, maintained by their farm manager, and once grown will go on to feed approximately 300 households per week from September 2024 through February 2025.
- The Bread Riot ($500) plans to produce brochures to inform the community about their local farm-fresh produce program for Head Start Families. Additionally, the funds will help provide larger boxes of vegetables, such as squash, tomatoes, peppers, sweet corn, and cucumbers, distributed once a week for four weeks. This initiative aligns with The Bread Riot’s mission of purchasing local produce for distribution to families in need.
Build Educational Resources
(Total Funds Allocated: $1500)
- SLICE 325 ($500) will allocate funds to print materials promoting health information about diverse food options for the elderly residents in rural areasThey also plan to provide diabetes workbooks for children.
- Carteret Food and Health Council ($500) will use the funds to rent a booth at their local farmers market in November to celebrate and educate the community about North Carolina’s state vegetable, the sweet potato. The funds will cover the cost of printing recipe cards and purchasing sweet potatoes from local farmers to distribute, along with recipes, to booth visitors.
- The Help Center NC ($500) will use their funds to develop and distribute health-focused resources for families facing hunger and health challenges in communities of color. These resources include healthy recipes tailored to specific health conditions.
Thank you to 2024 Blue Cross Blue Shield
