About PORCH Hillsborough

PORCH Hillsborough is a grassroots hunger-relief organization founded in 2011 to fight hunger in northern Orange County.

Our Story

Beginning with food drives in just 3 neighborhoods, our first PORCH for Pantries donation to the Orange Congregations in Mission (OCIM) food pantry weighed 240 pounds. Since then we have grown to over 30 neighborhoods and added the Meadowlands Business Community. PORCH Hillsborough now donates an average of 4,000 pounds of non-perishables monthly!  

PORCH for Pantries

PORCH for Schools

In 2016, PORCH Hillsborough started the PORCH for Schools program, providing nutritious snacks to each of the 13 Orange County Public Schools and the local Head Start Program for children in need.  In 2018, we expanded the PORCH for Schools program to deliver boxes of fresh produce every month to families identified by school social workers for being at risk of hunger.

In 2020, as the COVID pandemic emerged, PORCH Hillsborough expanded our operations to include food distributions in partnership with the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, creating the PORCH for Communities program.  These distributions have served hundreds of Orange County families in need of food during this crisis.

PORCH for Communities

PORCH Fresh

In 2022 PORCH Hillsborough announced the start of the PORCH Fresh program! This initiative brings boxes of fresh produce from local farmers to those in need in our community. Every month 150 local families are benefitting from this program.

In August 2024, PORCH Hillsborough in partnership with the Eno River Farmers Market, opened The Central Elementary School Food Pantry. This pantry serves to provide needed food to families at the school, in addition to the school snacks and PORCH for Families food distributions.

New data released in 2024 from the NC Department of Public Instruction revealed that three schools in Orange County, including New Hope Elementary, have over 68% economically disadvantaged students. In response, PORCH Hillsborough expanded its PORCH for School program to include New Hope. Already supporting the county’s highest-need schools, this move ensures more families receive vital resources and community support during challenging times.

Our Team

Meaghun Darab

Orange County Schools Central Pantry Manager & Executive Director

Jim Swartwood

Board Secretary

Nora Dicker

Program Manager

Sarah Zink

Food Distribution Coordinator

Mark Bell

Community Liason

Marty Nelson

Board Member

Judit Alvarado

Community Liaison

Nancy Grebenkemper

PORCH Hillsborough Founder

Anna Waters

Board Treasurer

Our Impact

We are so proud of the impact that we have created in our community in 2024.

PORCH Hillsborough 2024 impact
PORCH Hillsborough 2024 impact
PORCH Hillsborough 2024 impact

PORCH Hillsborough

PO Box 963

Hillsborough, NC, 27278

EIN 46-4965398:

© Copyright PORCH Hillsborough. All Rights Reserved

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PORCH Hillsborough

PO Box 963

Hillsborough, NC, 27278

EIN 46-4965398:

© Copyright PORCH Hillsborough. All Rights Reserved

Sign up for our newsletter