STRONGER

Alamance County Meals On Wheels Expands

For half a century, Alamance County Meals on Wheels has been a critical part of our community’s efforts to support some of our most vulnerable residents.

The organization, which has been housed by First Presbyterian Church of Burlington since 1973, started out serving hot meals to just a handful of people. It now delivers more than 100,000 meals – hot and frozen –annually, serving more than 300 people a day.

A $34,000 Impact Alamance grant is helping the program feed more people. The funds will be used to expand the kitchen and add a commercial freezer, enabling Alamance County Meals on Wheels to prepare and deliver more meals to more people.

Community Forward Grants

In 2022, Impact Alamance opened a new community investment opportunity. The Community Forward Grants are designed to encourage new opportunities, build stronger relationships, and inspire community developments. A direct result of the foundation’s ongoing equity work, the grants empower people to invest in community-led solutions. The foundation invested in five community forward grants in 2022, for a total of $51,000.

Although rates of mental illness in minority communities are similar to rates in the population overall, Black and Brown people are less likely to receive mental health care. Stigma, mistrust and lack of access are barriers. The mental health services people of color receive are often of lower quality.

Burlington Native Joshua Alston, a musician and peer support counselor, organized the first Mind Over Matter Conference at Burlington’s Mayco Bigelow Center to address these issues. Impact Alamance invested $10,000 to support this effort to strengthen community scaffolding around mental health resources.

The conference featured two workshops — on education and the justice system. It also included food, musicians, vendors and music therapy stations.

Supporting Young Learners

A $22,500 grant will be used by the Mayco Bigelow Center to reestablish the community garden at North Park. The garden will provide a sustainable outdoor learning environment and program space, including 25 raised beds, a shed and a sitting area. More than 100 local residents, campers and others will participate in events there, and the garden will grow produce to provide more people access to fresh food.

A $16,000 Impact Alamance grant is enabling the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club to reimagine and reinvigorate critical learning spaces that support academic achievement for the youth the program serves in after-school programs.

The grant is being used to purchase wobble stools, chairs with wheels, tables with adjustable heights, and other learning accessories. These help children improve their focus and attention while facilitating collaboration and problem-solving.

New lighting and white noise machines will also help tailor the learning environment for the needs of individuals.

“Because we are striving to help our youth succeed in all areas, but especially academically, it was time to change the learning environment here,” said Tara Nager, branch manager for the Boys & Girls Club. “Not everybody learns in a traditional classroom style setting. Some kids need to move around in a wobble stool, or maybe the lighting is affecting their learning.”