As part of our Social Media Ambassadorship with the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina and in line with our endeavor to raise donations and awareness for their Kids Summer Stock program, our Lisa Sullivan had an opportunity to serve lunch to one of their agencies and tour the Raleigh branch of the Food Bank on Tuesday, July 17th. This is her story.
Lisa Sullivan (left) together with Food Bank CENC Social Media Ambassadors Ilina Ewen and Erin Lane serving lunch at Homework Haven in Raleigh.
We’ve said this before and we’ll say it again -
“Take care of the people and the rest will follow.”
That’s a quote from our own Johnny Morisey, one of the Founders of Fonville Morisey Realty. We instill this philosophy in everything we do. Whether it’s our Agents individually taking good care of their clients in various ways, we as a company doing the same for our Agents and Employees, or it’s what we do for the community in general, the bottom line is we “take care of the people.” So, last year when we embarked on our first ever company-wide food drive for the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina’s Kids Summer Stock program it was a no-brainer to do it again this year.
The Food Bank services 34 counties and each summer approximately 300,000 children go hungry because as school is out, so isn’t the ability to receive at least one nutritious meal a day. These are the children typically on free and reduced lunch programs in their communities, OUR communities.
Yesterday, I had the privilege of being a part of a very special event. It was an opportunity to serve lunch to approximately 50 children at one of the agencies the Food Bank of CENC assists, Homework Haven in downtown Raleigh. Their summer program can see upwards of 50 children per day, and with limited funding, what they receive from the Food Bank of CENC is crucial to the success of the program. For without nutrition children can’t learn, can’t function, and in some instances can’t behave. They’re too busy thinking about the growls in their stomachs to do any of that. So, to be a part of this opportunity yesterday was a rewarding experience. To see the donations that we bring in actually put to use in a program that needs it was extra special. To see the smiles on the kids faces was priceless. It really brought it home.
Our Agents work with families everyday who are in need of a home. They might be downsizing or need more space. They might just need a good plumber or electrician…and some might have even found themselves in a situation where whether it was a recent job loss or a medical circumstance or what have you, they too might need some of the assistance a local food program can provide. THAT’s why we do what we do for the Food Bank because we know every donation raised is going to a family in need.
As we toured the Food Bank’s Raleigh branch, we got to see first hand the inner workings of the elaborate system they have in place in order to service the 34 counties they are charged with. It’s quite an operation! To meet some of their full-time and part-time staff (even a volunteer or two) and to see the smiles on their faces for the work that they do daily was heartwarming and again, hit home.
We thank each one of you who have given generously to our food drive this summer. Please continue to! Any of our 11 branch offices are taking donations. Feel free to visit our announcement post for more information too.
We may not be able to end childhood hunger in our community but we at Fonville Morisey are sure going to do our best to alleviate it.
Thank you.
