South Durham Food Hub Seeks Leaders

The Parktown Food Hub, opened in 2019 using a building at Parkwood United Methodist Church, aims to provide nourishment through food and friendship to those in need.

And now the South Durham-based non-profit organization – focused on battling food insecurity and food waste – wants to hire leaders to help carry it forward into the future. Available positions include:

• Program Director: a salaried position that pays about $2.400 per month.
• Office Manager: a salaried position that pays about $1,600 per month.

“Times are hard for people, especially in places like Durham where wages have not kept up with skyrocketing housing costs,” said Sharon Schulze, founder of the Parktown Food Hub. “Since its inception, the Parktown Food Hub has shared generously and been as open as possible without heavy qualification requirements. Our philosophy that we are all in this life together means that we do not see a distinction between people who receive food and people who get the food ready to give away.

“We are all people who need food to survive and have our own sets of problems and talents, and it is only by working together that we can keep each other healthy and safe.”

The food hub maintains an online calendar listing times when volunteers are available to receive donated food or distribute food by appointment. On Nov. 21, for example, the hub hosts a Thanksgiving turkey giveaway between 4 and 5 p.m.

They’re also holding a “Feeding Up to Thanksgiving” donation drive, seeking items (no glass containers), including:

• Canned vegetables.
• Canned fruit.
• Canned soup.
• Easy-prep meals like Hamburger Helper and macaroni and cheese.
• 1-pound rice bags.
• 1-pound dry bean bags.
• Canned chicken and tuna.
• Peanut butter and jelly.
• Packaged cookies and crackers.

Some suggestions hub members offer for using the food drive list:

• Take children to the grocery store and make it a scavenger hunt.
• Use gathering of items to discuss with children why it’s necessary for organizations such as Parktown Food Hub to exist and how they serve their communities.
• Collaborate with other families in your neighborhood to get items on the list.
• Encourage members of your congregation, work department, scout troop, or club to bring items for larger group donations.

Parktown Food Hub also accepts tax-deductible donations.

“As times change in the coming days and months and years, the need for a place where people can work together for a common goal will only become more important,” Schulze said. “All are welcome at the Parktown Food Hub and the new staff members will be carrying on that tradition and finding new ways to make the goals a reality. Building a strong community is the way we build a strong city, state, country, and world. Working together on something as universal as the right to eat is a way to get past our differences and move together toward a better future.”

Southpoint Access Editor and Publisher can be reached by email at southpointaccessnews@gmail.com or by cell at 407-616-1346.