Food For Fairview

Dear Friends,

It will come as no surprise to any of you reading this when I tell you we are so lucky to live where we do. Known far and wide for both its natural beauty and the friendly folks who live here, our area has received accolade after accolade in recent years. After being named as one of the “Best Summer Weekend Escapes” and one of the “Best Places to Rent a Summer Home”, it seems that nothing could be better than spending all or part of the summer in our area. But for many of our residents, summer is NOT the “best” time of year. Why, you may ask? Because NC is also recognized in another, not-so-positive way: our state ranks 11th in the nation in childhood food insecurity. The USDA defines food insecurity as not having consistent access to adequate food.

Right here, where we live, one in four of our children (24%) live in poverty. Half (53%) of the children attending Buncombe County Schools are eligible for free or reduced lunch during the school year. During the summer, even the safety net of school breakfasts and school lunches is stripped away, leaving one of the most vulnerable segments of our society – our children – without enough to eat. Last year at Food for Fairview, we served nearly 300 children throughout the year – a third of the total number of people served.

Each summer at Food for Fairview we create a “kid-friendly” section at the pantry, stocked with soups, pasta, peanut butter, snacks and other items designed specifically to meet the needs of our families during the summer months. In addition, at the end of the summer, we purchase school supplies for each child we serve to get them off to a good start for the coming school year.

We invite you to join us in this important endeavor. For only $12.00, you can provide a week’s worth of summer meals to a child or purchase much-needed items on a child’s school supply list. We also welcome the donation of kid-appropriate food items and school supplies. We know we can count on our wonderful community to make this summer the best one yet for our area’s children.

Sincerely,

Cassia Imholz, Executive Director

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Please select your donation level. Make checks payable to: Food for Fairview
You can also donate online via PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express.

_____ Sponsor 1 child for 1 month: $48
_____ Sponsor 1 child for the entire summer: $144
_____ Sponsor 5 children for 1 month: $240
_____ Sponsor 5 children for the entire summer: $720
_____ Sponsor 10 children for the entire summer: $1,440
_____ Other amount: __________

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Food for Fairview has been the grateful recipient of a bountiful harvest of blessings from our across the street neighbor, Food Lion, for many years and in many different ways, ranging from corporate grants to food donations. This past holiday season, however, found us with particular reason to be thankful for our neighbors.

Food Lion recently revamped – and renamed – their community involvement program, calling it Food Lion Feeds. The name change reflects the company’s commitment to making the elimination of hunger in the communities they serve a priority. According to company community relations spokesperson Courtney James, “At Food Lion we believe no one should have to choose between dinner and paying rent or gasoline and buying groceries. That’s why Food Lion Feeds is so important. Together with our customers, associates, and partners, we believe we can create a better tomorrow by uniting to eliminate the choices families are forced to make when they are hungry.”

This past holiday season, Food Lion partnered with customers from November 19th through December 23rd to help solve hunger through its Food Lion Feeds “Holidays Without Hunger” campaign. Customers were able to purchase and donate a specially-marked “Holidays Without Hunger” food box for $5.00 or make a cash donation at checkout. We are delighted to announce that our Fairview store was recognized as the first place fundraiser winner in their region, out of 23 stores! The store sold 2,142 boxes and $1,423.00 in cash donations were collected, resulting in the equivalent of 24,000 meals being donated directly to Food for Fairview!

According to local store manager Scott Prince, “The associates really took ownership and made it happen.” For each food box sold or donation collected, the individual associate would announce on the store intercom, “Another Fairview family fed!” greatly contributing to the sense of excitement and interest in what became, essentially, a community event.

Many thanks to everyone at Food Lion – and to all their great customers – for their participation in this wonderful and much appreciated program!

 

Courtesy of The Fairview Town Crier