The Orange County Board of Commissioners has approved the transfer of up to $54,000 from the county’s Social Justice Reserve to support local organizations providing food assistance to residents facing food insecurity. The decision was made during a meeting held on Thursday, Nov. 6.
County Manager Travis Myren recommended the budget amendment, which allocates funds to four community partners: Inter-Faith Council for Social Services (IFC) and Orange Congregations in Mission (OCIM) will each receive $15,000, while PORCH Chapel Hill/Carrboro and PORCH Hillsborough will each receive $12,000.
According to the county, these funds are intended to help maintain food service and distribution events for residents throughout Orange County.
Upcoming emergency food distribution events are scheduled in partnership with PORCH Chapel Hill/Carrboro and PORCH Hillsborough. On Saturday, Nov. 8, distributions will take place from 12 to 4 p.m. at McDougle Middle School in Chapel Hill and starting at 10 a.m., while supplies last, at 113 Mayo St., Hillsborough (Orange County DSS parking lot). These drive-through events are open to all residents on a first-come, first-served basis. Those without vehicles will also be served.
Residents seeking transportation information can visit orangecountync.gov/transportation or call 919-245-2008.
The county is encouraging residents to support local efforts by donating to food pantries, volunteering at meal programs, and sharing verified updates. “Together, we can ensure that no one in our community goes hungry during this federal funding interruption.”
Information about supporting local food pantries is available at https://orange.ces.ncsu.edu/foodsecurity/how-to-host-a-food-drive/.
For immediate food assistance needs, residents can contact Orange County DSS at (919) 245-2800 or by email at dssinfo@orangecountync.gov. A comprehensive list of resources is provided at go.ncsu.edu/feedorangecounty.
The additional funding comes as many residents experience delays and reductions in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as Food and Nutrition Services (FNS), due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. Even if federal funding resumes immediately, some recipients are expected to face continued delays because benefits in North Carolina are distributed every other day from the 3rd through the 21st of each month based on social security numbers. Disruptions began affecting some families as early as Monday, Nov. 3.
In related educational data from the area: For the 2022-23 school year in Orange County school districts, just under half of senior students who took the science portion of the ACT were considered ready for college; specifically, out of 1,407 seniors tested in science, only 692 met readiness standards according to state data (source). Junior students performed similarly with just over half considered ready for college-level science work (source). In reading portions of the ACT for seniors and juniors respectively, about 56% and 55% were deemed college-ready (source). Math readiness was lower: only about 46% of seniors and approximately 45% of juniors reached college-ready benchmarks (source).
