Imagine not being able to feed yourself or your family. This is a reality for over 12,000 residents in Watauga, Ashe and Avery counties. Whether chronic or episodic, people in our community are struggling with food insecurity – the uncertainty or inability to have or acquire enough food to feed all family members due to lack of resources (www.ers.usda.gov)

Households struggling with food insecurity and hunger frequently skip meals and reduce the quantity and quality of food in order to feed household members. The negative impacts of these coping strategies are felt most by vulnerable population such as children and the elderly.

Over 45% of food insecure households have incomes above the poverty level, which in most cases would make these households ineligible for food stamps. (USDA's Economic Research Service, Household Food Security in the United States, 2003)

Food assistance programs, like those at the Hunger and Health Coalition, are an important part in the food safety net.

HOW THE HUNGER AND HEALTH COALITION CAN HELP

Food Pantry Program
This program provides fresh and non-perishable food items to eligible residents of Watauga, Ashe and Avery counties. Examples include meat, cereal, canned vegetables, fruit, pastas, beans, jelly, peanut butter, dressings, crackers, grains, and condiments.

Food Recovery Program
This program provides individual frozen meals made from prepared foods that have been collected and repackaged from local businesses and individuals.
Recovered produce and bread are sorted and put in The Market.

The Market
The Market provides fresh produce, bread, and deli items in a “shopping environment”. Items are available on a daily basis.

Through these efforts, over 1,800 meals go into people's hands each month, amounting to over 8,000 pounds of food per month!

HOW YOU CAN HELP

If you would like to donate food to The Hunger and Health Coalition, you may drop it off anytime we're open. Pick-up can be arraged for local businesses that would like to make frequent donations.

Also, know that you are protected from litigation when you dontate to us.

On October 1, 1996 , President Clinton signed the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act to encourage the donation of food and grocery products to non-profit organizations for distribution to needy individuals. This new law makes it easier to donate. Here's how:

• It protects donors from liability when donating to a non-profit organization.
• It protects donors from civil and criminal liability should the product donated in good faith later cause harm to the needy recipient.
• It standardizes donor liability exposure. Donors and their legal counsel no longer have to investigate liability laws in 50 states.
• It sets a liability floor of "gross negligence" or intentional misconduct for persons who donate grocery products. (See Act text for further definitions.)
• Congress recognized that the provision of food close to recommended date of sale is, in and of itself, not grounds for finding gross negligence. For example, cereal can be donated if it is marked close to code date for retail sale.

As of July 1st, 2007, clients may now get a food voucher every 30 days. Previously, clients could only get a food voucher every 60 days. As part of this change, all clients, new and existing, are required to show proof of income.
In order to qualify, a family's income must not exceed 130% of the Federal Poverty Level, based on family size.

To see if your family's income qualifies, you may refer to this income chart.

Additionally, we can no longer issue "emergency boxes".