Pandemic reimbursement funds support Eagles Wings Pantry & hunger-relief efforts

Published 11:11 am Tuesday, October 25, 2022

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From Food Bank of the Albemarle

ELIZABETH CITY, NC— Food Bank of the Albemarle announced today that several hunger relief partners, including Eagles Wings Food Pantry in Beaufort County, will receive a full reimbursement from the Department of Agriculture (DOA) for expenses incurred during the pandemic.

“The COVID-19 pandemic presented incredible challenges for the Food Bank and food pantries, including changes in distribution frequency, food availability, as well as rising costs of food, transportation and labor” said Liz Reasoner, Executive Director, F ood Bank of the Albemarle. “This reimbursement funding will cover some of those expenses, and help Eagles Wings Food Pantry continue their outstanding work in Beaufort County as a Food Bank partner agency.”

The reimbursement funds are available as part of the The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act or, CARES Act, that was passed by Congress on March 27th, 2020. This bill allotted $2.2 trillion to provide fast and direct economic aid to the American people negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eagles Wings Food Pantry will be reimbursed in the amount of $6,850 by the DOA for expenses related to staff wages during the pandemic.

“Eagle’s Wings gratefully accepts the $6,850 reimbursement received from the CARES Act through the Food Bank of the Albemarle,” said Ann-Marie Montague, Executive Director of Eagle’s Wings Food Pantry. “Every dollar we receive goes into addressing food insecurity right here in Beaufort County, so having these costs reimbursed means we can supply more nutritious food items to our clients. Eagle’s Wings thanks the Food Bank of the Albemarle for its prompt handling of this reimbursement.”

Food insecurity in Beaufort County touches 6,620 individuals (14%) of which 2,080 (22%) are children. Across Food Bank of the Albemarle’s 15 county service area, over 41,000 people are considered food insecure, including 13,800 children.

As an agricultural hub of the State, the Food Bank service area has a high population of immigrant workers, persons of color, and higher than average rates of uninsured residents. As examples, of those the Food Bank serves, an average of 59% are African America/Black, Hispanic/Latino, or two or more races. As North Carolina’s uninsured rate reaches nearly 13%, in the counties served, the rates are much higher. The range is from 16%-25% with an average of 19% across all 15 counties.

“Our hunger-relief partners work daily with the Food Bank to provide food and critical resources in their service area,” Reasoner added. “It is through these long-standing, as well as new partnerships, that we can ensure the need is being met across northeastern North Carolina.”

For additional information on Food Bank of the Albemarle and hunger-relief partners in northeastern North Carolina, visit www.afoodbank.org. 

About Food Bank of the Albemarle
The Mission of the Food Bank is to fight hunger and poverty in our 15-county service area in northeast North Carolina. We are a regional clearinghouse for the collection and distribution of food and grocery items to 100 hunger-relief partners operating 140 unique programs. Food Bank of the Albemarle serves Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hertford, Hyde, Martin, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell and Washington counties. For more information, call (252) 335-4035 or visit www.afoodbank.org.