April 19, 2021 – Don Lee Camp & Retreat Center, partnering with Oriental United Methodist Church, is pleased to announce their award of funding from the Come to the Table program of the Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA (RAFI-USA). This funding supports the purchase of food from local farmers and food businesses for distribution in the community. These grants are made possible by generous funding from The Duke Endowment.
Don Lee Camp & Retreat Center is providing an additional meal to needy seniors through a partnership with the Pamlico County Senior Services Center Meals on Wheels program for a limited time.
Don Lee Camp & Retreat Center has purchased from local food suppliers to prepare the meals each week including Bridgeton Poultry, Endurance Seafood, Tidewater Grain for Carolina Gold rice and Moore’s Produce for local vegetables.. Camp Don Lee staff is preparing the meals each week and delivering them to the Senior Center for distribution throughout the county to food insecure senior citizens.
“We are thankful to receive the grant and provide this ministry to some Pamlico seniors during this challenging time of pandemic,” said Kate Metts, center director. “It is an added benefit to provide some small economic stimulus to local food growers, local fisherman and food businesses.”
For more information on the Pamlico County program, contact Kate Metts, Don Lee Camp & Retreat Center, kate@donleecenter.org or 252.249.1106.
Since March of 2020 and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Come to the Table has granted more than $100,000 to 105 churches and nonprofit organizations throughout North Carolina to purchase food from local vendors to be distributed to food insecure community members. If you are interested in learning more about the Come to the Table Program, contact Michelle Osborne, Program Manager for Faith-based and Community Partnerships at michelle@rafiusa.org or 919-704-6920.
About the Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA (RAFI-USA) and Come to the Table
RAFI-USA challenges the root causes of unjust food systems, supporting and advocating for economically, racially, and ecologically just farm communities. We envision a thriving, sustainable, and equitable food system: where farmers and farmworkers have dignity and agency; where they are supported by just agricultural policies; where corporations and institutions are accountable to their community. RAFI-USA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Pittsboro, North Carolina, and incorporated in 1990.
Come to the Table is a program of RAFI-USA whose goal is to end hunger by developing connections and building power to create a just food system where food is a human right and those who work in the system have ownership and are treated with dignity. We believe that faith communities have a key role to play in this work.
About The Duke Endowment
Based in Charlotte and established in 1924 by industrialist and philanthropist James B. Duke, The Duke Endowment is a private foundation that strengthens communities in North Carolina and South Carolina by nurturing children, promoting health, educating minds and enriching spirits. Since its founding, it has distributed more than $3.6 billion in grants. The Endowment shares a name with Duke University and Duke Energy, but all are separate organizations.