The nonprofit’s innovative programs and partnerships tackle food insecurity, ensuring neighbors throughout the county access nutritious meals with dignity
By Chloe Snow | Photography by John Michael Simpson
New to our Best of Chatham issue this year is the honor of presenting Chatham Magazine’s first-ever Social Impact Award to CORA. This distinction recognizes people and organizations doing good in our communities. CORA’s dedicated work to serve our neighbors facing food insecurity, in our view, goes above and beyond in that worthy endeavor. CORA began as a firewood ministry in 1989, but participants quickly realized the real need was food, not firewood. The organization served its first families in 1990 – 253 people in total, according to Development and Communications Director Rebecca Hankins.
Last fiscal year, CORA provided 1.9 million meals, serving 12,604 neighbors and fulfilled 109,429 requests for food assistance – a new record. “CORA has evolved a lot, but I think the one thing that has stayed true is our mission to feed people,” Rebecca says.
CORA Executive Director Melissa Driver Beard says the nonprofit continues to adapt to meet the needs of our community. “One of the big things that has augmented that mission is our focus on nutrition,” she says. “We changed [our mission statement] from feeding people to making sure people get nutritious food,” Melissa says.
CORA’s work relies on a strong collective effort; it depends on a network of volunteers and community partners such as churches, schools, local businesses and PORCH neighborhoods. PORCH Chatham, one of many chapters nationwide, fights food insecurity through food drives and fresh produce distribution. “Collaborating with our partners means we’re not just distributing food; we’re also building a stronger, more connected community,” says Travus Viera, CORA’s transportation warehouse manager. “That’s what makes every early morning, late delivery and long day worth it. It’s not just about moving food, it’s about supporting people.”
Despite its strong volunteer and partnership base, CORA is seeing more and more neighbors requesting assistance, even as federal resources shrink. “It’s so important for people to understand the severity of the issue here and the reality of it,” Melissa says. “With everything that’s been happening at the federal level, so many people are being impacted.”
CORA plans to meet growing demand through strategic budgeting and fundraising as well as by forging new partnerships. One exciting initiative is its expansion to Siler City with a new pantry at 2535 Old U.S. Hwy. 421 N., which opened July 7. Like the Pittsboro pantry, the new site offers neighbors flexibility and dignity when accessing nutritious food. “We’re going to work very hard [to ensure] that – whether you come to Siler City or Pittsboro – you get the same amount of food and you have very similar choices,” Rebecca says.
Creating a welcoming environment matters as much as the food itself. Suzen Bria, president of CORA’s board of directors, has witnessed the transition from pandemic-era drive-throughs to in-person choice shopping. Even among transitions, changes and expansions, Suzen says “the underpinning of everything CORA does is that our neighbors are treated with dignity and respect.”
Mackie Hunter, CORA’s systems director, succinctly highlights what it would take to bring the organization’s vision of a hunger- free Chatham even closer to reality: “Poverty relief efforts; living wages for everyone; [and] affordable housing, health care [and] child care.”
But until broader systemic changes take hold, CORA continues to fill the gap for thousands of Chatham County families, proving that, when a community comes together, everyone has a seat at the table.
