The impact of a fully stocked pantry is profound — and more critical than ever as government support for food assistance programs declines, and food pantries across the country are seeing an alarming rise in demand.
As always, PORCH is stepping up to the challenge! In this issue, we are excited to highlight amazing volunteers, new communities, exciting partnerships, and opportunities to support kids as they head back to school.
I’m also excited to introduce PORCH Lunch ’n Learn, a 30-minute in-person or virtual session that provides listeners with the information needed to help fight hunger in their community in as little as three hours a month. Ready to host one for your workplace, civic group, or circle of friends? Just email me at Christine@porchcommunities.org and we’ll set it up.
set it up.
Please help us keep momentum going by sharing this newsletter, inviting someone to a Lunch ’n Learn, or launching your PORCH drive. Every conversation and every donation brings us closer to a hunger-free community.
With gratitude, The Rea
Christine M. Cotton
CEO/Founder
Volunteers are at the heart of everything we do. Across 15 states and hundreds of neighborhoods, our volunteers give more than 18,000 hours a year to build sustainable food sources to help their neighbors in need.
This quarter, please join me in recognizing Kim Joyce from PORCH Pender County, NC. Kim and her team have been instrumental in growing PORCH Pender County to 17 neighborhoods, and this year they have already collected more than 6,500 pounds of food to support their local food pantries. Well done, Kim, you’re an inspiration to us all.
We’re thrilled to expand our PORCH Family! Please join us in welcoming two new chapters:
These additions bring us to nine new chapters so far this year. Thank you for sharing our story and inspiring others to get involved — together, we’re creating sustainable, neighborhood-based hunger relief programs!
Cold Spring, MN: Neighbors Helping Neighbors
After learning about PORCH Communities through PORCH Indy, retired professor Kris Vonnegut was inspired to start a PORCH of her own. She officially launched PORCH Cold Spring in May 2025, believing that a simple, neighbor-to-neighbor approach could strengthen her community.
Chapter Highlights:
👍Partnerships have begun with ROCORI Area Food Shelf and St. Joseph Community Food Shelf
👍14 volunteers are already engaged: half from a book group and half from neighboring homes
👍350 lbs+ of food donated across two drives — what a fantastic beginning!
Kris’s dedication is already raising awareness — Catholic Charities St. Cloud has engaged to explore how PORCH Cold Spring can help support its pantry operations.
PORCH Decatur: Combating Food Insecurity at the Front Door
PORCH Decatur, founded in July 2020 by Barbara Hardin, Hope Baker, and the late Dot Moye, was recently featured in City of Decatur Focus, the town’s community newsletter. What began as a neighborhood food drive initiative has grown into a dedicated, volunteer-driven effort to fight hunger in Decatur. The leadership team now includes Ellen Bishop and Sue West, alongside co-founders Barbara and Hope.
Read their story, featured on page 14 of the newsletter. Congrats team PORCH-Decatur, and thank you for all you’re doing to help fight hunger in your community!!
1 in 6 students arrives at school too hungry to learn.
That’s why many teachers quietly buy snacks out of their own pockets — “Snacks are the biggest thing that drains my cash. Sometimes a granola bar provides just enough energy to fuel brains,” says teacher Wendy Fan Skyhawk.
Proper nutrition is crucial for optimal brain development and cognitive function in children. Snacks give kids the fuel they need to learn. As kids head back to school this fall, can you help? A donation to PORCH Communities — or directly to your local PORCH chapter — will help ensure kids have the healthy snacks they need to fuel their bodies and their minds.
Just $25 can help provide a child with a nourishing snack for an entire month.
Donate today to make sure every student has the most important school supply they need — food.
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