25: Carolinas

When Elena discovered alcohol as a teen, she knew she was sliding down a slippery slope. When she drank, she binged. Before long, her body was so broken from the addiction that it could no longer function without elevated levels of alcohol. She was drinking all day just to keep from feeling sick . . . but she knew her body was shutting down.

Food Bank of the Albemarle serves 15 counties in northeastern North Carolina, serving over 8 Million meals annually. In 2022, an amazing 50% of our distribution was fresh, nutritious produce!
The public support has been incredibly generous and contributed greatly in enhancing the Food Bank’s ability to serve these individuals and families. We were fortunate to have a few share their stories with us, and how the Food Bank has helped them:
Tammy

Congratulations to Bob and Tim! After working very hard for three years with his wonderful tutor, Tim, Bob completed the entire 12-book Wilson Reading System. He came into the program in 2019 struggling with his reading and writing, and he graduated this summer with an understanding of advanced concepts in the English language. That is a huge and rare accomplishment. But even more important, Bob now has the skills and experience to become an Adult Literacy tutor!

Novah is one of the amazing children who comes to CDS. When her mom was expecting Novah, through an ultrasound, they discovered that her head was shaped like a lemon and suspected that she would be born with developmental challenges. When she was born, Novah was diagnosed with spina bifida and other developmental disabilities. Her mom said she was hurt and wondered “why her”. She said she did everything right with all her prenatal appointments and did not know why she had a child with a disability.

BackPack Beginnings' mission is to deliver child-centric services to feed, comfort and clothe children in need. We have recently opened a Family Market where families needing resources can come to our warehouse to pick the items they need in a welcoming environment that focuses on dignity of choice. The market provides tangible, basic necessities to local children and families, including food, children's clothing, hygiene products, school supplies, children's books, toys, household goods, diapers, baby accessories and more.