Mid-Year Report
7/1/2023-12/31/2023
Building A Community Without Hunger!
Photo by John Michael Simpson, Chatham Magazine
From the Executive Director
In the pages that follow, CORA celebrates the impact of your generosity. Your steadfast commitment has been the cornerstone of CORA’s achievements. Your belief in our mission and vision has fueled our endeavors, enabling us to transform aspirations into tangible change. Thanks to our donors and volunteers, we continue to meet the ever-increasing need for food assistance while expanding and enhancing our Pantry service and creating new programs to better meet the needs of those facing hunger throughout Chatham County.
This report stands as a testament to your invaluable contributions, without which our successes would not have been possible. Thank you for joining us as we strive to create a community without hunger.
Melissa Driver Beard
Executive Director
Chatham Outreach Alliance
About Us
Our ultimate goal at CORA is to build a community without hunger by collecting and purchasing healthy food for distribution through our food pantry, related programs, and network of local partners.
Mission
CORA provides nutritious food to community members facing food insecurity.
Vision
CORA envisions a community without hunger. A healthy, strong, and connected community where all people have equitable access to abundant, safe, nutritious, and culturally relevant food. Through our work, we will help build a healthy Chatham County, a place where families thrive, children do well in school, and seniors do not face the stress of choosing between food and other necessities.
Values
We embrace a culture where all individuals are treated with respect and equity. We are committed to safeguarding their dignity and self-esteem by continuously taking actions that demonstrate genuine care, concern, and support. We operate by following strong ethical and moral standards to ensure that CORA’s mission is achieved with fairness, compassion, and effectiveness.
“This year has been really hard after losing my job. I am so thankful for CORA. The food helps so much and everyone is so nice.” ~Julie
Our Programs
Choice Pantry
CORA is set up like a grocery store for choice shopping, and community members choose the food that matches their preferences and needs. We are open five days a week, Monday through Thursday, from 10 - 2 pm for shopping and Friday from 10 – 12 pm for drive-through service. We also have a satellite pantry in Siler City twice a month.
SNACK!
This program distributes food to more than 1,300 kids who depend upon free or reduced-cost meals at school during the school year but have little or no replacement for this nutrition when school is not in session. SNACK! provides each participating child with 21 healthy meals each week from mid-June through mid-August.
Federal Programs
Additional food is provided monthly to income-eligible clients of CORA through the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina and the United States Department of Agriculture’s The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP).
CORA Packs
Every student receives food on weekends and during school breaks from September through June, when school is not in session. The program delivers a monthly food box to each child's home, which contains three meals and two snacks per day for when a child is not in school.
Mobile Market
We currently distribute food via a drive-through model. Families stay in their cars, and pre-packed groceries are placed in their vehicles. There are assorted options, including local fresh produce, meats, dairy, bakery items, and shelf-stable staples.
Delivery
We deliver food to home-bound older adults in our community once a month.
Thank you for supporting these programs!
Growth
Households Receiving Assistance
4,971
7,721
10,281
We are on track to serve over 12,000 individuals in FY2024.
2017
In 2017, we served families through the pantry and SNACK!
2019
In 2019, we launched our Mobile Markets twice a month.
2022
In September 2022 we kicked off our CORApacks program and satellite pantry in Siler City.
The Numbers -
7/1/2023-12/31/2023
Together we are helping our neighbors in need.
Over the holidays we distributed hundreds of turkeys, hams, and chickens.
Feeding Children
Our innovative food assistance delivery program, CORApacks, provides healthy food to children in Chatham County who face food insecurity. We offer each student food for weekends and during school breaks from September through June. Each child receives a monthly food box delivered to their home, aligning with CORA's values of treating individuals with respect and equity. We are committed to safeguarding student dignity and self-esteem by demonstrating genuine care, concern, and support. By delivering food directly to each child's home, we hope to eliminate some of the embarrassment, anxiety, and stress often associated with childhood food insecurity.
In the program's initial year, FY23, we provided over 19,000 meals to 80 students across six schools in Chatham County. This year we are serving 180 students and hope to expand this program to 250 children in the fall. Currently this program costs approximately $50 a month per student.
Volunteers
279 volunteers gave
8,664 hours of service to CORA!
“Each time I volunteer and spend time at CORA, my faith in humanity is restored.” ~Jamie
The Holidays at CORA
November and December are the busiest months of the year for CORA. During this time, families often face increased expenses related to the holidays, as well as higher utility bills. In 2023, we served over 3,600 families during this time. However, we are also grateful to receive an outpouring of support during these months. The last two months of the year bring many food drives, and we are proud to share that we received over 63,000 pounds of food in November and December last year. We are constantly amazed by the generosity of our neighbors and community members.
We recently received a heartwarming picture from one of our neighbors showcasing their Thanksgiving meal, which we were honored to have played a role in. Together, we are creating a connected community through food and making a positive impact on those facing food insecurity. We are grateful for your support and your essential role in our mission. Thank you!
Help CORA Make a Difference
Your gift will help a neighbor in need. Give today!
VISIT: www.corafoodpantry.org
EMAIL: info@corafoodpantry.org
CALL: 919-542-5020
MAIL: PO Box 1326, Pittsboro, NC 27312
Future Gifts
Help CORA make a difference through a bequest. Contact Rebecca Hankins at 919-542-5020 x2 for information on including CORA in your estate planning.
Volunteer
Volunteers are an integral part of CORA, and their contributions significantly impact those facing hunger in our community. Nearly every day of the year, volunteers play a vital role in the flow of food that comes through our pantry. Volunteers sort donations, inspect produce, stock shelves, bag food, greet families, and ensure families get the nutritious food they need. Please email info@corafoodpantry.org to request more information.
Upcoming
CORA is holding our 12th annual Empty Bowls event on Saturday, March 2, 2024, at Pittsboro United Methodist Church’s Family Life Center. We expect to host more than 300 people at this unifying community event. Learn more here: https://www.corafoodpantry.org/events/empty-bowls/
In the new year, we will pilot cooking demonstrations at CORA! This initiative will provide our neighbors with the skills and tools they may need to better prepare the foods available to them in the Pantry. Each cooking demo will focus on a simple, nutritious recipe that includes items the clients receive from the pantry that week.
Summer is often the hungriest time of year for families with children. Over 4,500 children in our community who rely upon free or low-cost meals at school may go hungry. We hope to serve over 1,350 children this summer and planning is already underway.
PO Box 1326
40 Camp Drive
Pittsboro, NC 27312