Between the 2000 and 2010 census, the population of Graham more than doubled, and since then thousands more residents have moved in, much to the dismay of drivers trying to get anywhere on Meridian Highway.  

Graham/South Hill Nourish Food Bank is located just across the street from one of the many new housing developments, where hundreds of new homes replaced an old golf course in 2018. The food bank’s two aluminum-sided buildings are located directly behind Holy Disciples Catholic Church. This unassuming community institution is helping to feed 11,000 families in Graham and South Hill each year. 

Food Bank Manager, Julie Wiesen, says their ability to serve this many people, and distribute 60,000 pounds of food each month truly relies on the efforts of another hidden force in the community: volunteers. “They do everything from picking up donated product to sorting, stocking and distributing that food,” she says. Julie herself started out as a volunteer at the food bank after hearing about the opportunity through church. She moved into the position of manager after years of donating her own time. 

Emergency Food Network (EFN) is proud to be another supportive resource for the food bank, providing them with over half of the food they need to stock their shelves. They receive staples such as canned goods, dairy, meat, pasta and rice from EFN. Much of the rest of their stock comes through donations from local stores and restaurants. 

All of EFN’s food pantries have their unique hurdles in getting their work done. For Graham/South Hill, access to transportation is an issue that Julie considers often. The food bank isn’t located on a bus route, and she thinks that might be one of the reasons client numbers haven’t increased quite as much as expected given the rapid population growth in the area. “Our biggest challenge is awareness. Many do not know we are located here because we are not visible from the road and we do not get a lot of publicity.”  

As it has for almost everyone in one way or another, the pandemic has presented lots of additional challenges to serving Graham and South Hill’s food assistance needs. The new pre-boxed distribution to promote physical distancing is much more labor-intensive, and they are working hard to find a balance between getting food out efficiently while ensuring clients’ individual needs are still met. During this time of high need, many former volunteers are staying home because they are at high risk for COVID-19. Like many food pantries, Graham-South Hill has received the indispensable assistance of National Guard service members since early on in the pandemic, but their placement is temporary. The food bank is taking it one day at a time and trusting that help will be there when needed. 

Despite the difficulties, Julie and the food pantry volunteers stay motivated by the satisfying feeling of making a real difference in the everyday lives of clients. More volunteer hands are the food bank’s biggest need right now. If you are able to volunteer safely, Nanci, a long-time volunteer, encourages you to give it a try: “Just do it! We’ve been going for about 10 years, and look forward to it weekly”.  

To sign up to volunteer at Graham/South Hill or another Nourish food pantry, visit https://nourishpc.org/volunteer/ and get started today!