May Newsletter

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May 1, 2022

TAPRoots Plant Sale | Saturday, May 7, 9 a.m.-Noon

Drop by the Holly Springs Food Cupboard this Saturday, May 7, anytime between 9 a.m. and noon to shop the annual TAPRoots Plant Sale!

Proceeds from this annual sale go to TAPRoots, a group of volunteers who work in the Holly Springs Food Cupboard garden and refuse to let a brain injury condition called Aphasia to define them
This year’s sale is in person / no online preorders. Drop by any time during the sale to select the plants you would like.

To allow everyone an opportunity to enjoy the plant sale, no garden volunteer work is scheduled for Saturday, May 7. Garden volunteer opportunities will be held as scheduled the following Saturday, May 14.

Thank You, Volunteers!

Thank you to all the volunteers who keep the Food Cupboard running. We appreciate you! The Cupboard honored volunteers at a reception yesterday. As a 100% volunteer organization, we depend on volunteers for everything we do – our service would not be possible without you. Thank you!

The Block on Main hosted the event in the Coworking Station area, and Beau Monde donated gift certificates for a couple of lucky winners. A special thanks also to the mothers and daughters of the National Charity League Lily Chapter for helping set up and serve, and for providing event supplies. Thank you for helping celebrate our amazing volunteers!

Also at the event, board members who recently retired were recognized. These include former Treasurer Jimmy Cobb, former Property Director Chuck Johnson, and former Cupboard Manager Susan Little (pictured, below). Retiring Fundraising and Scout Director Sam Mathis also was recognized at the event. Thank you for your years of service!

WOULD YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, BUSINESS, OR GROUP HOST A FOOD DRIVE THIS SUMMER?

Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation

No one wants to think that their neighbors are suffering from food insecurity. This is especially true during the holidays when we give thanks for our own blessings and celebrate with our friends and family. Traditionally, during the months November and December alone, the Holly Springs Food Cupboard receives 46% of its food donations for the year. We are incredibly grateful for our community’s generosity.

Since the holidays, food donations to the Holly Springs Food Cupboard have dropped significantly while the continuing increase in food and energy costs is bringing more clients to our doors. To help us provide a steady stream of food assistance, we are asking for your help as we launch a summer food drive campaign: Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation.

Would your neighborhood, school, business, church, or other group adopt a summer month and hold a food drive? By hosting a food donation drive in the months of June, July, or August, you will help ensure a reliable food source for those in our community who suffer from food insecurity.

How to help:
  1. Thank you for hosting a food drive! Please contact the Cupboard’s Food Drive Director Lesa O’Neal at [email protected]. Or, express your interest via our online form.
  2. Let us know your group’s name and what month you’d like to adopt for hosting your food drive. We’ll be in touch to answer any questions you have and to arrange a time for you to drop off donations.
  3. Visit our website to learn more tips about how to organize a food drive, pack donations for expedited sorting, and more.

We know summer is a busy season and that you have many demands on your time, energy, and generosity. But we hope you will consider joining our Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation campaign. We are grateful for all you do to support the Food Cupboard – we couldn’t operate the Cupboard without you.

Thank You, Chick-Fil-A!

We are so grateful for Chick-Fil-A Holly Springs! Chick-fil-A Holly Springs and other Chick-fil-A restaurants around the Triangle area raised and donated more than $18,403 to the Holly Springs Food Cupboard as part of their Share the Love campaign! The Holly Springs Store on Village Walk Drive recently opened after completing rennovations.

Matt from Alternate Current Solutions prepares to install a doorbell inside the Food Cupboard. We are so grateful for all the upgrades they have provided.
Many thanks to The Block on Main! Not only did they host our volunteer appreciation event, but the Cupboard was invited to take part in their 1-Year Anniversary Celebration! Food donations were encouraged. Anyone who donated five items received a raffle ticket, and The Block on Main is awarding a prize to a winner. The Block also serves as a Community Food Drop-Off Site throughout the year. Thank you to The Block on Main!

Can You Volunteer Once or Twice a Month on a Saturday Afternoon?

We’re seeking volunteers who can commit to serving for 1-2 hours once or twice a month on a Saturday afternoon. Volunteers would pick up fresh, healthy food for clients purchased through a grant at the Holly Springs Farmers Market in downtown Holly Springs and deliver it to the Cupboard building. Interested in serving? Please reach out to Food Recovery Director Dave Dyer at [email protected].

Busy Bees in the Cupboard Garden

Anya Mcguirk (above) recently donated a nuc of honeybees (a small starter hive) to the Food Cupboard garden plus two full frames of brood (immature bees) to supplement our new bees. These gifts have really strengthened our Food Cupboard apiary. 
Thanks to volunteers from Whole Foods Market of Cary (below) who worked in the garden on the irrigation system, watered, weeded onions and the herb garden, potted plants, and more. They also checked out the two beehives they donated to the Food Cupboard.

Garden Update

Interested in volunteering in the Holly Springs Food Cupboard garden? Consider dropping by Saturdays between 9-11 a.m. and stay as long as you like. All ages are welcome, and we try to find fun tasks for younger children. Bring gloves and a drink; no need to bring any tools. Interested? Feel free to contact Food Cupboard Garden Director Jerry DeWitt at [email protected] to be added to the volunteer list.

To allow everyone an opportunity to enjoy the plant sale, no garden volunteer work is scheduled for Saturday, May 7. Garden volunteer opportunities will be held as scheduled the following Saturday, May 14.

April Garden Activity

When we say we have busy bees in our garden, we mean it… literally! Miles J and troop members installed posts for native bee boxes. Garden volunteer Rebecca worked with Grandma Lynn to build a compost sifter that will help create nice compost/soil for potting small plants. Meanwhile, cabbage is being harvested and a variety of plants and flowers are growing strong. Garden activity this month also included work on irrigation lines, painting colorful murals on raised beds, constructing screen racks for holding flats of transplants, and more – thank you to the many people who make our garden a success by growing and harvesting fresh, organic produce for clients!

Processed with MOLDIV
Processed with MOLDIV

Do You Need Food Assistance? Know Someone Who Does?

Please visit us. The Holly Springs Food Cupboard is here to help. Food distribution is every Thursday, 2-5 p.m. Deliveries are available to senior citizens and persons with compromised health or without transportation. Click here for more information.

Donating food?

How to Get Food to the Cupboard

The Cupboard can receive donated food on:

  • Preferred hours: Mondays 9-11 a.m.
  • Also: Thursdays noon-5 p.m.

Place donations on our delivery dock on the side of our facility and knock to allow for safe distancing. Or, give us a call and we can meet you to pick up food from your neighborhood.

If you have food that you want to deliver at other times, you can take it to one of our community drop-off sites listed below. If necessary, we can arrange a time for a pick-up. Please do not leave food outside the Cupboard.

Community Drop-Off Sites

  • The Block on Main, Corner of Main Street and Rogers Street
  • First Flight Federal Credit Union, Village Walk Drive
  • Holly Springs Farmers Market, West Ballentine Street
  • Holly Springs Town Hall, Main Street
  • Pet Mania, Sunset Lake Road
  • Sunrise United Methodist Church, 5420 Sunset Lake Road
  • Sweet Berry Bowls, 150 W Holly Springs Road
  • Wake FC, Ting Park

More Ways to Give

  • PayPal: Support the Holly Springs Food Cupboard when you shop online with PayPal. Set us as your favorite charity, and you can choose to donate $1 when you checkout with PayPal. Click here visit PayPal and save the Holly Springs Food Cupboard as your favorite charity. This allows you to conveniently support us at checkout and other donation opportunities.
  • Amazon: Enjoy online shopping? Use this link to set up AmazonSmile. Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the Holly Springs Food Cupboard.
  • If you’re using the Amazon app, select the main menu, select “AmazonSmile” within Programs & Features, and select “Holly Springs Food Cupboard as your charity. Follow the on-screen instructions to activate AmazonSmile in the mobile app.

More Information

Thank you, again, to our dedicated volunteers and generous community for making everything we do possible.