Feeding the Carolinas

Our Executive Director, Mike Darrow, had the opportunity to speak at our Second Annual Nonprofit Issues Forum which brings together expert panels on policy issues in South Carolina and discussions on how to create solutions ahead of the 2025 legislative session. Mike spoke on the topic of accessing basic needs like food, shelter, and education. While these three things are essential for every person to thrive, many in the state of South Carolina face significant barriers to accessing them. In the days ahead, our panel of nonprofit experts will take a deep dive into these specific areas of policy and help shine a light on equitable, sustainable solutions for those in need in the state of South Carolina. #FeedingtheCarolinas #NonprofitIssuesForum #SouthCarolina #Awareness #Advocacy #BasicNeeds #FightHunger

November is National Sweetpotato Awareness Month! Pretty sweet, right? Below are some food for thought sweetpotato facts for you to chew on today: ?? Sweetpotatoes are a vital part of North Carolina's agriculture— producing more sweet potatoes than any other state ?? Most sweetpotato farms are located in central and eastern North Carolina ?? In 1995, the sweetpotato was officially named the state vegetable of North Carolina ?? Sweetpotatoes are in season year-round in North Carolina ?? Sweetpotatoes are a superfood, offering many health benefits, including vitamin A, vitamin C, and fiber ?? Feeding the Carolinas Farm to Foodbank partners with the North Carolina sweetpotato growers and sourced ~25 million pounds of sweetpotatoes last year for our food banks #FeedingtheCarolinas #FoodForThought #SweetPotato #FightHunger #FunFacts

52 days later … we finally have clean water in Asheville! ?? I cannot begin to imagine the work that has made this possible. A HUGE thank you to everyone involved with this mind blowingly big project of repairing our water lines following the devastation of Hurricane Helene. #AshevilleStrong #CleanWater #HurricaneRecovery

Thanks to all who donated! #FeedingHope

What a great story!

Food is Medicine South Carolina met to hear from pioneers in the field, as well as plan for 2025. The speakers included Erin W. Martin, co-founder of FreshRx Oklahoma, and Dr. Alison Gustafson, founder of the Food as Health Alliance in Kentucky. Here are a couple of our key takeaways: 1) The quality of our food – based on how it is grown – is a key contributor to disease 2) Food is Medicine initiatives help decrease disease prevalence We're looking forward to helping the FiM movement gain momentum here in the Carolinas! #FeedingtheCarolinas #FoodisMedicine #AnnualMeeting #Recap #EndHunger

Partnering for Impact: Disaster Relief in Action The Food Bank of Northeast Georgia recently stepped up to support MANNA FoodBank - Asheville NC by providing essential storage space for food supplies. This collaboration is especially critical for North Carolinians affected by Hurricane Helene, who have temporarily moved to North Georgia. Through this partnership, we’re ensuring that families facing hardship receive the food and care they need. This is the Feeding America network in action: Food Banks uniting during times of crisis to uplift communities and deliver relief. Together, MANNA, Northeast Georgia, and Feeding the Carolinas are dedicated to bringing hope and nourishment to those affected. This is what #FeedingHope looks like. Together, we're #HealingFromHelene. #FeedingTheCarolinas #SupportFoodBanks #FightHunger #CommunityImpact #DisasterRelief Erin Barger Claire Neal, Micah Chrisman

??? Taking a quick break from Hurricane updates! Earlier this year, we proudly launched our first-ever Brand Video, highlighting the incredible impact of our Farm to Food Bank (F2FB) program run by Cynthia Stapleton. Through F2FB, local farms deliver fresh, nutritious produce directly to food banks across the Carolinas, ensuring it reaches the families who need it most. Even in the busiest times – and through crises like Hurricane Helene – our commitment to nourishing communities stays strong. Check out this short video and get inspired by stories of resilience and hope from Feeding the Carolinas, including the amazing work of partners like Kornegay Family Farms and Produce that we shared earlier this week! #FarmToFoodBank #FeedingTheCarolinas #FoodWithPurpose #BrandVideo

We're excited to announce that MANNA FoodBank - Asheville NC received a full truckload of fresh, nutritious butternut squash and sweet potatoes, generously donated by our Farm to Food Bank (F2FB) partner, Kornegay Family Farms and Produce! This zero-cost donation through our F2FB program comes at a critical time as MANNA rebuilds from the recent hurricane impacts on their Asheville warehouse. This shipment is the first of many produce deliveries we’re committed to sending to support MANNA's recovery and reinforce our mission to provide in-season, healthy food where it’s needed most. A heartfelt THANK YOU to Kornegay Family Farms for standing with us in the fight against hunger across Western NC. Together, we are Feeding Hope. ?? #FeedingtheCarolinas #FeedingHope #HealingFromHelene #FarmToFoodBank #CommunitySupport #WesternNCLove #SupportYourFoodBank

Yesterday, I had the privilege of visiting the Golden Harvest Food Bank in Augusta, GA to show our support as they, like us at MANNA, are recovering from Hurricane Helene. I was joined by our very own MANNA Banana, who was excited to meet new friends and spread some cheer. I was truly honored to meet Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, the CEO of Feeding America. Her warmth, compassion, and leadership are truly inspiring. Growing up in Louisiana, she deeply understands the impact of natural disasters like Hurricane Helene. Her words of encouragement and hope resonated with me, and her genuine gratitude brought me to tears. While I am still grieving the devastating geographical, social, and economic impacts of the storm on our beloved WNC, Claire’s message of hope gives me strength. We will persevere and emerge stronger than ever. I want to express my sincere gratitude to Amy Breitmann, CEO of Golden Harvest, for inviting us to celebrate their team’s incredible work. Despite the challenges they’ve faced, they continue to make a significant difference in their community. MANNA Banana had a blast posing with some amazing Feeding America, Feeding Georgia, and Feeding Carolinas’ teammates. It’s inspiring to see the power of collaboration and the dedication of these organizations to helping communities in need. I’m humbled to be a part of the Feeding America community. Together, we can overcome adversity and build a brighter future. #HurricaneHelene #FeedingAmerica #GoldenHarvest #WNC #Community #Hope #Resilience #MANNABanana #MANNAFoodBank #FeedingCarolinas #FeedingGeorgia