The following is a guest blog post by Stefanie Lee of the CAHEC Foundation, first published in the CAHEC Foundation Newsletter. Created in 1992, CAHEC ranks as one of the largest nonprofit regional equity syndicators in the United States. They specialize in tax credit syndication by raising equity capital and investing in affordable housing and community revitalization opportunities throughout the Southeast and mid-Atlantic. With this collaborative partnership and others, Second Harvest recognizes the many barriers struggling families face, including accessing food and affordable housing. Many of the residents in our footprint rely on food assistance programs throughout the year to help feed their families. While the CAHEC Foundation’s Nutrition Assistance Initiative originally focused on implementing Summer Feeding Programs on CAHEC-sponsored properties, we believed there was more we could do to feed families during the school year.
In collaboration with various organizations in our footprint, the CAHEC Foundation now supports school food pantries which provide meat, produce, and non-perishable items to low-income students during the school year. Students are able to select items from the pantry for their nightly meals, and also take items home on the weekend to feed their family. Ensuring students have consistent and healthy meals throughout the school year is proven to be beneficial to their mental and physical well-being.
The Second Harvest Food Bank in Winston-Salem, NC, is one organization the CAHEC Foundation collaborates with to support school pantries in the western part of the state. Our donation of $11,000 is expected to produce over 27,000 meals for more than 3,000 individuals during the 2017-2018 school year. “The CAHEC Foundation’s very generous support is truly a blessing to our food bank and those we serve,” Clyde Fitzgerald, Jr., CEO of the Second Harvest Food Bank said. “We are deeply grateful for all the CAHEC Foundation does to help us end hunger in our community.”
The CAHEC Foundation is proud to be part of this wellness initiative, and we look forward to following the success of each of the school food pantries we support.
You can learn more about the CAHEC Foundation here.
You can learn more about Second Harvest’s Childhood Hunger Programs here.
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