NOVEMBER 5, 2018

By Emily McLamb

Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeast North Carolina has received assistance from all across the country in response to Hurricane Florence. Following the storm, staff from sister food banks and retailers called to see just how they could lend a hand. That sense of service unites us in times of need – and makes our individual communities seem so much larger.

Lauren Rosemond of Valdosta, Georgia, followed the storm closely. After seeing the destruction in southeastern North Carolina, she wondered how she could help. A quick Internet search helped her find Second Harvest, whose seven-county service area experienced major flooding.

“I sent an email out to members of my work center and called the personal representative for the school system at the board of education,” explained Rosemond.

Those donations were boxed up and placed into the family’s car for the long, 450-mile trip to Fayetteville, NC. The project helped her young daughter share in the giving experience and teach lessons of compassion and community. Since the family’s first donation immediately following Florence’s impact, they have made the trip again – donating over 600 pounds of food for those in need!

“Giving is the best present you can receive. Seeing the joy on someone’s face after they have received something after going through a tough time is priceless,” Rosemond said.

It’s that sense of compassion that means most to food bank staff members like Patricia Jackson, Food Sourcing Coordinator at the food bank’s distribution center.

“Lauren not only wanted to help others in need, but was dedicated to teaching her daughter how to have a heart to give also. It’s how we raise our children that creates a lasting impact on this world, and this lesson will stay with her daughter for years to come. What an amazing mother to travel all those miles to help strangers in need,” remarked Jackson.