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, Sec

School cancellations, especially when they stretch into several days in a row, can force families to choose between paying utility or medical bills and having enough food. That is because in nearly all of the counties that Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina serves, the majority of school aged children income-qualify for free or reduced priced meals at school. And many families have already factored that help into their monthly budgets. Low income families ca

“I hope you tell all the other kids about it.” That’s what a young boy said to the volunteers at the food pantry located in his school. He had come to the pantry the night before with his family and, he explained, he and his brother both got their own piece of meat on their plates for dinner that night. The volunteers assured him they would. At Second Harvest Food Bank, we believe that every child in Northwest North Carolina should have enough to eat— every meal, every day. T

They are painting flowers. They are painting their favorite foods. They are painting trees and peace symbols and mandalas and cherry blossoms. The Rockingham County Middle School cafeteria is surprisingly quiet as about 60 children from Students of Success (SOS) concentrate on painting pottery bowls. SOS Coordinator Mary Martin has invited these kids here to help paint bowls for Second Harvest’s annual Empty Bowls. “We are in the business of giving back,” she explains. Mary

Last Thanksgiving, Crystal figured out how to cook turkey in a crockpot. The 300 square feet of their motel room was filled with the familiar smells of the holidays and for a moment felt like a home. She and her husband, Tom, enjoyed the meal on the bed, while their baby toddled around the room pushing a wagon of blocks. This was their second month in the motel. After losing an apartment where they lived with another couple, they moved into this motel near downtown Greensboro

The squirming feet and wiggling hands always makes it a little unnerving to unload a plastic tub of knives and cutting boards in an elementary school classroom. But our Nutrition Services team and volunteers are now pros at presenting the knife safety portion of the Cooking Matters for Kids class, and we usually get that out of the way first. Second Harvest’s six-week Cooking Matters for Kids (a partnership with Share Our Strength) teaches children in 3rd through 5th grade ho

“Bye Trenton! See ya’ Myra!” Liberty Drive Elementary School’s halls are buzzing with excitement as the bell rings and another school day draws to an end. Shaylen Brown’s cheerful voice rings out over the children’s heads as they head towards their buses. A mother of four and a former front office employee, Ms. Brown is a familiar and kind face in these hallways, positioning her perfectly for her new role as Student Support Specialist with Communities in Schools (CIS), an on-