April 4, 2024
Business Reporting
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Hunger relief nonprofit TABLE will feed more kids this year than ever before due to its move to a larger Carrboro location in January.
TABLE, a nonprofit organization that delivers healthy food to children suffering from food insecurity in Orange County moved to a new location at 311 E. Main St. in Carrboro in January. TABLE raised $3.25 million through its Room to Grow Capital Campaign in August to purchase and renovate the new space.
Suzanne Tormollen, Director of Marketing at TABLE, said the organization's focus after the move was to ensure its infrastructure was in place to feed the kids.
“When we moved, we were feeding 850 kids with a waitlist of over 250 kids because we could not physically feed anymore in our old space,” Tormollen said. “And now, just within four months, we are up to 1,000 kids and our waitlist is under 200. So we're really focused right now on being able to provide food to the kids that are on our waitlist.”
She said TABLE’s old location on Weaver Street was 1,900 square feet and the new location is 8,000 square feet. She said TABLE’s long-term goal is to feed up to 3,000 kids in the new space over the next three to five years.
Tormollen has worked at TABLE for nine years and said TABLE has grown immensely since its opening in 2008. She said TABLE started delivering to 12 kids in one elementary school 16 years ago and is now feeding 1,000 kids every week.
According to TABLE’s 2022-23 annual report, TABLE served over 430 households per week and delivered over 570,000 pounds of nonperishables and fresh foods to local kids.
In 2020-2021, TABLE served 712 kids per week and distributed 40,000 pounds of local produce to families. In 2021-2022, TABLE served 808 kids per week and distributed 60,000 pounds of fresh produce to families, according to annual reports.
Tormollen said TABLE has volunteers who package food and others who deliver food to the families’ homes every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
Sarah Roane, volunteer shift leader at TABLE, said TABLE is a great nonprofit because it provides food to many kids around the area and makes her feel more involved in the community.
“I would be driving and [a neighborhood TABLE serves] would be less than a two-minute drive to where I am dropping off food, which is crazy, but it just shows how much this community needs help and how much outreach it’s able to serve,” Roane said.
The bags of food contain 50% fresh produce, mostly grown from farms in the area, and 50% healthy nonperishables. The children served are between ages 0 and 20, and 950 children are served every week, according to tablenc.org, a website about TABLE.
Tormollen said they get some of their fresh food from farms in the area they are partnered with and purchase food from other vendors. TABLE is partnered with Sankofa Farms, Wildflower Lane Farm, Gabor Farms, Farmer Foodshare, and Elysian Fields Farm.
Darcy Tyndall, delivery driver volunteer, volunteers at TABLE for two hours every week.
“It’s two hours out of my day where I can give back to the community and help people who aren’t as fortunate as I am,” Tyndall said. She said it is rewarding to be able to use her abilities to help others.
TABLE plans on participating in the annual Carrboro Open Streets Event this Sunday, April 7. The event is taking place on East and West Weaver Street from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Tormollen said community events like Carrboro Open Streets help TABLE attract more volunteers, donors, and people in need to the nonprofit. The free event was started in 2013.
Galen Poythress, recreation supervisor for the Town of Carrboro, said Carrboro Open Streets encourages people to use the streets for recreation purposes and said many nonprofits are involved.
“People are being active and they’re speaking to each other and interacting,” Poythress said. “I think the more community interaction we have with each other, the better we’ll be.”