A Seat at the Table

TABLE Chapel Hill

By Erica Rascón on Jan 28, 2019 in Giving

Food is essential. For children, it can make the difference between growing strong and capable or struggling much of their lives. TABLE is a nonprofit organization that provides healthy emergency food aid each week to children in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, NC. Their work changes lives, and Yardi is proud to help.

Addressing the Problem

Food insecurity hits hard in North Carolina. It is ranked among the top eight states that have statistically higher food insecurity rates than the US national average. In the state, 80 percent of households with kids that are receiving food assistance don’t know where their next meal is coming from.

Families make tough choices to survive. About 35 percent of families in need must choose between paying for food and housing costs. More than 40 percent must decide between buying food and heating their homes. Children are among the most vulnerable populations. In North Carolina, 30 percent of people receiving emergency food aid are under the age of 18. Nearly 25 percent of those kids are under the age of five.

It’s a lot of data to swallow. The repercussions on hunger linger under the data. As children repeatedly lack access to nutritious food, their physical and mental well-being suffer. The consequences of hunger include an inability to focus, low academic performance, and chronic headaches and belly aches.

TABLE steps in to fill the voids. Thoughtful and effective programming helps kids feel their best and fulfill their potential.

Education at Work

Providing nourishment is only a part of TABLE programming. The organization offers educational classes and activities to help kids sustain a healthy lifestyle.

The Weekend Meal Backpack and Summer TABLE programs provide food for kids when they are not in school to receive free or reduced meals. Kids love field trips through TABLE On The Go! They visit farms to learn how food is grown, the essentials of livestock management, and how to create balanced meals.

SnackChef, TABLE’s primary nutrition education program, teaches kids how to make healthy eating easy and fun. The cumulative lessons expand children’s knowledge each week. Games and activities improve their engagement and comprehension. Of course, each session ends with a healthy snack!

In addition to nourishing little bodies, snack time is an opportunity to explore new foods. Children are motivated try at least two bites of each snack. Research suggests that children accept new foods after about three to six tries.

SnackChef yields demonstrable benefits for participants. In Fall 2018, only 7.5 percent of kids could correctly label the MyPlate diagram before the program. After eight 30-minute sessions, 14.1 percent of kids could correctly label the diagram. The knowledge helps kids identify healthy food options and recommended portion sizes.

Community Contributions

TABLE could not complete its important work without the support of the community. Donations help to fund meals, supplies, and transportation. Yardi Raleigh is a proud sponsor of TABLE.

Jennifer Davis, Project Manager, Global Solutions, CSD at Yardi organized the recent donation to TABLE. “The teams at Yardi Raleigh have a good attitude towards corporate philanthropy,” she said. 

Results from a recent survey revealed that more than 79 percent of Yardi Raleigh respondents were “most interested” in contributing towards human services. Contributing to TABLE fit well with the office’s sense of purpose. 

Yardi is energized for good! Read more about Yardi’s corporate outreach on the Giving Page.