Press release from Carolina Public Press
If you are struggling with – or concerned about – hunger and food insecurity in Yancey, Mitchell and Avery counties, you are invited to attend a community discussion and resource fair on Thursday, Sept. 26, at Burnsville Town Center.
The forum and resource fair is part of a yearlong reporting and community conversation series focused on issues of hunger and food insecurity in North Carolina, from by the nonprofit news organization Carolina Public Press. This is the first of five hunger-related events Carolina Public Press will hold across the state this year. Residents in Yancey, Mitchell and Avery counties are invited to attend.
The Newsmakers forum will be held from 12:30 – 2 p.m. and will highlight local, regional and statewide challenges of and solutions to hunger and food insecurity. We’ll also take a look at what Carolina Public Press uncovered in reporting the Faces of Hunger series.
Forum panelists will be Tamara Cox Baker, project and communications director at No Kid Hungry; Jordan Efird, resource coordination specialist with Blue Ridge Medical Center; Michael Graf, operations manager at TRACTOR Food and Farms; John Miller, director of Reconciliation House; Hannah Randall, CEO at MANNA FoodBank; and Kathleen Wood, executive director of Dig In! Yancey. Carolina Public Press will moderate the event, which includes networking, a panel discussion and audience Q&A. This will also be a “give and take” event; attendees are welcome to “give” food to donate or “take” food they may want or need. The forum will be livestreamed for those who are unable to attend in person.
The Hunger Resource Fair will follow from 3 – 7 p.m. Organizations will be available to provide food on the spot and to offer childrens’ activities, tips on how to create healthy meals, health screenings and more. Participating organizations include Dig In! Yancey, Feeding Avery Families, MANNA FoodBank, MomsRising, Neighbors Feeding Neighbors Food Ministry, No Kid Hungry, Reconciliation House, Toe River Health District and TRACTOR Food and Farm. Carolina Public Press will also be there to record stories from those wanting to share their experiences.
Both the Newsmakers forum and the Hunger Resource Fair are free and open to the public. Seats to the forum are limited and RSVPs are required. Reserve your spot here. For more information call 828-774-5290 ext. 405.
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