Haywood Christian Ministry announces expansion of WNC anti-hunger initiatives
Haywood Christian Ministry’s food infrastructure is moving to a new facility in Bethel.
HCM’s new food plan aims to ensure equitable food distribution across the county, not just in the population centers.
Through partnership with other food pantries, through their own pop-up markets that will take place regularly at their original pantry facility and around the county and through a food ordering and locker delivery system that should be available in the spring, HCM hopes to make food available to everyone who needs it at times and places that are convenient to them.
“Whether or not you go hungry should not be dependent on where you live, your access to transportation, or the hours you are available to visit a pantry on the other side of a mountain,” said Blake Hart, HCM’s Executive Director. “We envision the ability for people to request, access, and consume good food in ways and methods that are convenient, dignified and effective.” HCM is also beginning to work to solve issues not only of individual hunger but of the security of the entire food system in Haywood and surrounding counties.
“If the floods from Hurricane Helene showed us anything, it was how utterly dependent we are on outside sources for our food,” Hart said. “We need a robust local food ecosystem that is resilient, sustainable, and provides equitable access to food for all our communities.”
HCM is launching the Smoky Mountain Harvest Hub, a food hub that purchases and aggregates locally produced food for distribution into the community. Some food will be sold, some will be given away, and everyone will have access to it. Plans are also in the works for a commercial kitchen space that will be available to local farmers, food entrepreneurs and agencies to process food for sale or distribution.
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Haywood Christian Ministry has long been a presence of compassionate care in Haywood and surrounding counties. Founded in 1970, hunger and food insecurity have long been focal points of HCM’s work in the community.
“We established our first ever food pantry in 1975 out of a commitment that no one in our communities should go hungry. That work has grown and evolved over the years and now HCM is the largest food pantry in all of MANNA FoodBank’s 16 county region,” Hart said.
Annually, HCM reports the processing and distribution of over 1.3 million pounds, serving over 2,500 households in Haywood county.
Haywood Christian Ministry is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. You can learn more at hcmnc.org.
