TRI AREA MINISTRY FOOD PANTRY

It is the mission of Wake Forest Area Crisis Ministry d.b.a. Tri-Area Ministry Food Pantry (TAM) to provide groceries to those in need of food assistance in Wake County with primary focus on Wake Forest, Rolesville and Youngsville. Through outreach and support from our community TAM has been in continuous operation since 1988. We strive to provide income eligible clients with the greatest quantity of food in the widest assortment possible. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit, 100% volunteer run organization that relies on the community for 100% of our financial support. We are a partner agency with the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina which allows us to purchase food at deeply discounted prices once per week. We do not discriminate on any basis and no referrals of any kind are required. We serve approximately 700 households equaling over 2,100 individuals per month. We have a well-established organization that has run effectively for over 25 years. TAM's mission is to reduce hunger in the area we serve. North Carolina ranks in the top 10 for the highest percentage of hungry citizens with 1 in 4 children in N.C. categorized as food insecure. Despite federal and state food assistance programs, 81% of N.C. households receiving food stamps do not know where their next meal is coming from. These statistics are equally true for Wake County, the area we serve. Tri-Area Ministry Food Pantry is the largest food pantry in the geographic area we serve and a critical link between the sources of food and those in need. We touch the lives of thousands of individuals each year. Over the next three years TAM has 2 major goals. We want to increase the amount of healthy, fresh foods we are able to distribute to our clients while at the same time increasing the quantity of non-perishable foods currently given. Our clients can pick up groceries from us once per month and according to studies conducted by the N.C. Food Bank, those groceries last on average 48 hours. Most of the food items we distribute are non-perishables and not as high in nutritional value as we would like. We are acutely aware of the paradox between food insecurity and obesity and the resultant negative health consequences.