Food Bank Mobile Market set to bring Fresh Produce to Wilmington Families

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WWAY) — The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina is preparing to serve hundreds of neighbors at the Wilmington Pop-Up Market this Tuesday, March 17 as an effort to support families struggling to keep food on the table as the cost of living climbs.

The event will take place at Cape Fear Christian Church, located at 811 N College Road in Wilmington.

With an outdoor, accessible setup, families facing food insecurity can choose from a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, snacks, and beverages. The food bank says everyone who needs assistance is welcome to shop; there are no residency restrictions or ID requirements.

Over the past year, the Food Bank at Wilmington provided more than 4.5 million meals to local families through the generous support of donors and industry partners — including local farmers, retailers, and manufacturers.

The sharp rise in demand is further evidence of the need for community-based food distributions.

Every day, families are making impossible choices — between food and utilities, gas and medicine, rent and childcare. Pop-Up Markets are an additional step to help fill the meal gap while hunger relief organizations brace for even deeper cuts to SNAP and Medicaid.

“More than 33,000 people in New Hanover County are struggling to keep food on the table. That’s one out of every seven neighbors we see each day,” said Amy Beros, Food Bank President & CEO. “With so much disruption in our community right now and massive cuts to lifelines like SNAP and Medicaid on the horizon, locally led efforts like Pop-Up Markets are more important than ever.”