Five Years Forward: A Community Investment Continuing to Grow

Five years ago, our community made a forward-looking investment — not just in food, but in access, partnership, and the belief that stronger systems help create stronger communities.

On Wednesday, May 6, 2026, community leaders, partners, supporters, volunteers, and staff gathered at Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC’s Greensboro Distribution and Nutrition Education Center to celebrate five years of impact across Guilford, Alamance, Caswell, Randolph, and Rockingham Counties.

What began as a vision to bring food and resources closer to community partners has grown into an important regional hub helping strengthen food access across the eastern portion of Second Harvest’s 18-county service area.

Since opening, the Greensboro Center has:

• Distributed more than 26.9 million pounds of food

• Supported nearly 100 partner agencies and 178 programs

• Become a key access point through which 16% of all food distributed across the network now flows. (25% of all the food and meals provided by Second Harvest support neighbors across Guilford County.)
  

But the story behind those numbers is ultimately about people, partnerships, and what becomes possible when communities work together.

“This center represents what’s possible when a community invests not just in addressing today’s needs, but in building stronger systems for the future,” said Eric Aft, CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC. “Over the past five years, this facility has helped reduce barriers, strengthen partnerships, and expand access in ways that allow our network to reach more people, more consistently.”

For many community partners, the impact has been immediate and practical: reduced travel time, lower fuel costs, increased efficiency, and more resources that can be directed back into serving local communities.

The celebration also marked the ribbon-cutting of the Phillips Community Market, expanding direct access to food while continuing to strengthen the Greensboro Center’s role as a place for connection, nutrition education, and collaboration.

“What we’ve seen is not just increased access, but stronger connection,” shared community partner Ella Faison during the event. “This work is about meeting people where they are and ensuring that access to food is paired with the knowledge, dignity, and support that help communities thrive.”

Throughout the morning, speakers reflected not only on the impact of the past five years, but on the partnerships that continue moving the work forward — from volunteers and donors to agency partners, healthcare collaborations, educators, farmers, and community leaders.

The event also served as the launch of Second Harvest’s summer campaign, Keep the Lunch Bell Ringing, focused on helping ensure children and families continue to have access to food during the summer months, when school meals are unavailable.

During the school year, nearly 247,000 children across Second Harvest’s service area — 87% of all K-12 students — rely on the consistency of free or reduced-price school meals. When summer arrives, the need does not disappear. Access changes. Through partnerships across the region, Second Harvest and its network are working to help close that gap.

The Greensboro Center itself was born from community collaboration — and five years later, that same spirit continues to shape its impact.

“Five years ago, this community invested in access,” Aft said. “Today, we see the impact. And together, we’re continuing to build forward — because access, consistency, and community are what make this work possible.”

Want to explore the Greensboro Center’s five-year impact? Visit: secondharvestnwnc.org/gso-impact

Want to help Keep the Lunch Bell Ringing this summer? Learn more and support the campaign here: https://secure.qgiv.com/event/summer2026/