This Coalition is and always has been community-led, which means your voices and priorities shape our priorities and programs. We believe that building a strong local food system means advocating with our community because our current systems are failing people. Countless small farms cannot compete with global capitalist systems, families can’t afford fresh food, and many of our neighbors across WNC live in food deserts. But there is hope! With your support, we can build systems that benefit all people in WNC. We want to make this longstanding partnership with you official! We’ve created this donor membership model to celebrate our community who partners with us.Your membership means we are hand-in-hand working together to ease hunger for our neighbors and grow more local food for all of us.Here's what you're doing when you donate to WNC Food Coalition:1. You fill empty bellies!Our existing food system leaves gaps for people experiencing houselessness, with limited transportation, with mental and physical health challenges, who face safety concerns, or who struggle with substance abuse disorders that limit their access to larger food banks. A WNC Food Coalition donation means you can help fill those gaps and ease food insecurity for our hungriest neighbors.2. You keep farmers farming!In a time of increasingly fierce and frequent climate threats, funding cuts, and inflation, farming is harder than ever. We make sure small businesses who purchase directly from farmers to aggregate and distribute both retail and charitable local food can stay viable and reach more market options. Local food reduces impacts on climate change by lowering the energy cost of refrigeration and transportation; improves our health outcomes because fresh food is more nutrient dense; prepares communities who are at risk for isolation in the aftermath of a natural disaster with a reliable food supply; and keeps dollars circulating in our local economy.3. You empower community leadership!We get community leaders convening, strategizing, and taking action all across Western North Carolina. These leaders represent a wide array of fields: health centers, food aggregators, schools, farmers, municipalities, and other nonprofits. A WNC Food Coalition donation means your business can join us in leading grassroots efforts toward a healthier, less hungry future.Here's what you get when you donate to WNC Food Coalition:We believe mutual aid is meaningful at every level and access to our member perks are available for as little as $1/year, although an annual donation of $30 or monthly donation of $5 is a great place to start giving for food sovereignty in WNC.

You can help build a stronger local food system in Western North Carolina. 🥕Every donation, of any size, fuels practical solutions—from "watering" food deserts to backing community priorities for fair, reliable food access. 🌱