Hunger & Health
“We are in the most caring community that I have ever known,” exclaims Elizabeth Young, Exec. Dir of The Hunger and Health Coalition of Boone, “I think people genuinely care for each other and want to make the high country a better place for everyone - they walk the walk here. That's pretty darn special.” And we can’t help but to agree! With a free pharmacy, boxes of healthy food, and year-round food pantry, the Hunger and Health Coalition of Boone is without a doubt “walking the walk”. In fact they do so many amazing things for the high country that we couldn't fit it all into one post! “We are really proud to offer all sorts of things that elevate people's lives. Our goal is to really shift the needle on what health and wellness looks like for our community and increase access to those things holistically,” said Elizabeth. “We are the only free pharmacy for this county and many counties far beyond that and we also look to food as medicine for the model of everything we do.”
H&H couldn’t be what it is without the strong support of a community of partners. 6 years ago they began a local food purchasing program with regional farmers and growers, intentionally to keep $ here in our community. As Elizabeth heard the resounding need for more fresh produce growing from clients, H&H launched the fresh market so that clients had increased access to a variety of fruits and vegetables, becoming the largest local Food Hub customer.
But back in March as individuals saw the pandemic disrupting food distribution nationwide, H&H saw this impact on a much grander scale. With an increase of about 1,000 new clients displaced due to the impact on the tourism and hospitality industry PLUS a drop off in volunteers/donations, H&H needs the help of boonies more than ever. “We had to amp up what we purchased from local farmers to continue the volume of food we needed and had to lean heavily on local and regional growers and distributors.”
Which is where YOU come in!
Did you know with every $1 donated, H&H can purchase up to $5 of food or life saving medicine? With ways to donate online and social-distanced volunteering there are plenty of safe ways to help!
Go give them a follow @hungerhealthcoalition!