This year marked the 22nd annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive conducted by the National Association of Letter Carriers' (NALC). On Saturday, May 10th families were asked to place non - perishable food donations, such as canned soup, canned vegetables, pasta, rice, and cereal by their mailboxes in a sturdy bag, which was picked up by your letter carrier.

This year we received over 67,000 pounds of food and over 100 volunteers came out to the Food Bank to sort through the donations. 

Thank you to everyone who helped make this possible, but a special thanks to Two Men & A Truck, Nilson Van & Storage, A+ Moving & Storage, Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal Employee Program and AARP.

Thank you to United Way of Cumberland County for the volunteer support.

Second Harvest Food Bank, in partnership with Cumberland County's Cooperative Extension's master gardeners, has started a community teaching garden at the food bank.  The community garden has already been used to teach workshops such as building raised gardening beds, creating recyclable compost bins and square foot 

gardening.   

Kenny Bailey, master gardener who oversees the project says, "Food grown locally can be of better quality and more nutritious than the food you buy in the grocery store.  Produce found at your grocery store is intended to have a long shelf life, which may include immature picking and using chemicals to preserve its longevity." 

The community garden will be used for educating the public, and eventually hands on learning in area schools.  "Our vision is to see a raised bed garden in every school in our community.  Teaching children how to grow their own produce from seeds is a wonderful learning opportunity," says Ron Pringle, food bank director.  "Many children still think that fruits and vegetables come from cans, or simply from the grocery store."

Matthew Stidman,  Boy Scout Troop 40

"Matthew Stidman, Boy Scout Troop 40, and an 8th grader at Seventy First Classical Middle School, built four raised herb garden beds in front of the food bank as part of his Eagle Scout project.  With the help of his troop, he was able to build a garden that will be used to teach others about gardening and herbs in particular. 

"We are excited about the possibilities as we move forward in teaching people how to sustain their families by building small gardens at home," adds Pringle.  "Matthew, at only 14 years old, did an outstanding job of planning and executing this educational project."

Cooking Matters is Coming to Fayetteville

On May 21st CCAP's Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeast North Carolina (SHFB) is partnering with Cooking Matters at the Store to empower families with the skills to stretch their food budgets and cook healthy meals.

Cooking Matters at the Store is a FREE guided grocery tour that helps low-income families make healthy and affordable choices at the supermarket. Participants practice key food shopping skills like buying fruits and vegetables on a budget, comparing unit prices, reading food labels, and identifying whole grain foods.

"One of our initiatives this year has been to promote a healthy lifestyle," states Ron Pringle, Food Bank Director. "Most people know they need to eat healthier, but don't know how to do that on a tight budget. By partnering with Cooking Matters we are aren't just giving the community the tools to shop healthy, but we are actually showing them what to look for and how to get the most out of their budget."

WHAT: Cooking Matters at the Store

WHEN: May 21, 2014, 11 am until 2 pm

WHERE: Food Lion at 342 N. Eastern Blvd, Fayetteville, NC

Cooking Matters and SHFB invites everyone to come out for the FREE guided grocery tour.  No need to sign up prior to, just show up and shop. To learn more about Cooking Matters, please visit cookingmatters.org