Food Bank CENC

Serving Central and Eastern NC

By Leah Etling on May 4, 2012 in Giving, People

Yardi Systems’ philanthropic efforts take on many forms, from monetary donations to employee-powered efforts to benefit and serve their communities. Sometimes the contributions are a combination of both.

One of the most impressive food drives conducted at Yardi’s offices is the collection made on behalf of the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. Each year, employees in our Raleigh office surpass the amount of donations they collected the year before. In 2011, 4,000 pounds of food were collected. They’re urged on by Rose Heibert, a team member with particular personal passion for the cause. Yardi also contributed a $10,000 general operating fund donation last year.

With food and the grant, Yardi has provided 45,868 meals to the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina to date.  Employees from Yardi’s Raleigh office also donate their free time as Food Bank volunteers.  Volunteer jobs include sorting food, packaging bulk items into distributable packets, administrative tasks and much more.

The Food Bank of CENC has seen large growth in the need for its services over the last three years, and that need exists year round. Last year the organization distributed 42.7 million pounds of food.  Serving 34 counties, donations are distributed from the central food bank to more than 800 partner agencies such as soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, and programs for children and adults through warehouses in Durham, Greenville, New Bern, Raleigh, the Sandhills (Southern Pines) and Wilmington.

Within the Food Bank CENC’s service area, approximately 545,000 people are at risk for hunger, meaning that they “may or may not know where their next meal is coming from,” said Jennifer M. Caslin, coordinator of marketing, public and branch relations for the Food Bank.

Of that population, 34 percent of those who may be going without food are children. As many as 180,000 children in the region are possibly at risk for not eating, while over 350,000 receive free or reduced cost lunches during the school year.

Helping those kids continue to eat meals with some nutritious value each day becomes a focus of the Food Bank’s efforts in the summer months when they are away from school. Distribution of food bank donations is made via partner organizations that also offer enrichment programs for kids when school is out.

Donations to the Food Bank’s efforts are centralized in the winter months, with 50 percent of contributions received between October and December each year. Each summer, they focus on the need for year-round donations through their Kids Summer Stock program.  On June 2, Durham area residents can make a drive-up drop-off donation to Champions for Kids Hunger Relief Day at the Streets at Southpoint.

Yardi Systems encourages you to make a donation to a non-profit of any kind that you believe in this year.