The Food Effect

The facts, though distasteful, speak for themselves. One in five North Carolina kids under 18 is hungry. For children younger than five, the number jumps to 25 percent — the littlest ones easily fall through the cracks without school food programs to help sustain them. In North Carolina, where unemployment is high, the number of hungry people is increasing drastically; ongoing economic hardships have forced many families to choose between grocery shopping, paying mortgages and utility bills, buying gasoline or going to the doctor.

WHAT CAUSES FOOD HARDSHIP?

Two major factors create food insecurity:

• Lack of Income 
• Lack of Access 

There are many symptomatic effects of food hardship including:

FEEDING THE TRIANGLE

Inter-Faith Food Shuttle pioneers innovative, transformative solutions designed to end hunger in our community. Inter-Faith Food Shuttle has been serving the greater Triangle alleviating the growing problem of hunger since 1989. 

Inter-Faith Food Shuttle serves children, adults, families and the elderly through proactive programs; moving beyond emergency food provision to sustainable, local solutions to food hardships.

INCOME & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SOLUTIONS

IFFS provides training and employment opportunities to individuals living with food hardships through:

Culinary Job Training Program

• Teaches culinary skills in an 11 week program. 
• Gives an opportunity for people to break the cycle of poverty.
• 55 sessions have been held with 316 graduating students since inception in 1998.

Young Farmer Training Program

• Provides farming education for teens.
• Teaches students how to implement profitable crop plans and manage a small business. 

Catering with a Cause

• Hires graduates from our Culinary Job Training Program.  
• Generates revenue funding our hunger-relief programs.

  Second Chances 

     Inter-Faith Food Shuttle actively hires people who have faced adversity.

ACCESS SOLUTIONS               

IFFS breaks down access barriers by bringing healthy, fresh produce and food directly to the community through:

Food Recovery

• Safely collects and delivers healthy perishable food from over 300 donors on 13 refrigerated trucks.
• Annually recovers more than 6.5 million pounds of food.  

Agency Distribution  

     We distribute to 212 programs and agencies.   

Community Gardens

     Create local sources of fresh fruits and vegetables for underserved communities.

Grocery Bag Distribution

     Weekly distribution of produce bags directly to low-income seniors and families.

Mobile Markets

     Directly distributes fresh produce through free mobile markets at health centers (prescription produce), community centers and neighborhoods in need.

Children’s Hunger-Relief Programs

• After-school tutoring program provides children with healthy snacks and nutritious meals at Kids Cafes.
• Summer lunch program gives children from low-income families a balanced meal and snacks.
• BackPack Buddies provides low-income school children with nutritious food for the weekend.

HEALTH SOLUTIONS

IFFS Nutrition Programs help build community health, wealth, and security by bringing our community together to EAT, GROW, COOK, SHARE, AND MOVE, including:

Nutrition Programs

• Teaches cooking, nutrition, food safety, and healthy shopping on a budget to low-income children, adults and families through Cooking Matters, Shopping Matters, and Single Serving workshops. 
• Provides healthy samples, recipes, and nutrition information at Mobile Markets.

Children’s Hunger-Relief Programs

• Provides children at after-school tutoring programs with healthy snacks and nutritious meals at Kids Cafes.
• Gives children from low-income families a balanced meal and snacks in the summer.
• BackPack Buddies provides low-income school children with nutritious food for the weekend.

Farms and Community Gardens    

• Grows nutritious local, organic food for residents in need.
• Teaches children, teens, and families the importance of fresh fruits and vegetables and how to grown their own.

Agency Distribution     

     Food is distributed to 212 programs and agencies that are trained and monitored.   

Grocery Bag Distribution

     Weekly distribution of produce bags directly to low-income seniors and families.

Mobile Markets

     Directly distributes fresh produce through free mobile markets at health centers (prescription produce), community centers and neighborhoods in need.