Beach Food Pantry

While food is a basic human need, there are millions of Americans who go hungry every day. Just in Dare County alone, an estimated 5,680 people struggle with food insecurity — 1,550 of whom are children. For this reason, we are incredibly grateful for Beach Food Pantry, a non-profit organization located in Kitty Hawk that exists to provide free groceries to individuals and families who live and work in our community and have been affected by a temporary crisis or emergency.

We recently met with Elisabeth Silverthorne, Beach Food Pantry’s Executive Director, to talk about their mission.

Food Assistance How You Can Help

What They Do

Beach Food Pantry provides direct nutritional assistance to our community through a number of avenues. Below is a list of Beach Food Pantry’s resources.

The Food Pantry Online Ordering The Mobile Pantry Summer Food for Kids Progam Holiday Meal Bags

“It isn’t all about the food. It’s also about the hope that they can get through whatever situation they’re dealing with and that tomorrow’s going to be a better day.”

The Food Pantry

Mon – Fri | 2pm – 4pm | 4007 North Croatan Highway in Kitty Hawk

This brick-and-mortar food pantry provides pantry staples such as canned goods, fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen items, meats, and dairy items. They believe in the importance of a well-rounded selection of healthy and nutritional foods. See here for more information on visiting the food pantry.

Online Ordering

Order Anytime | Pick-Up: Mon – Fri | 8:30am – 5:30pm | 4007 North Croatan Highway in Kitty Hawk

Because visiting the food pantry between 2pm and 4pm is not always an option, Beach Food Pantry recently launched an online ordering system. It increases the amount of time that individuals can pick up their groceries, now opening the window from 8:30am to 5:30pm. To order online, visit BFP Self Checkout.

The Mobile Pantry

Beach Food Pantry understands that transportation can affect access to food. Therefore, they hold mobile pantry events across the county to which individuals can easily walk or bike. Beach Food Pantry is always looking for new suggestions for places where the mobile pantry might be needed. Please contact Beach Food Pantry if you know of a neighborhood in need of this service.

Summer Food for Kids Progam

Summer is the time when kids are most vulnerable to hunger and food insecurity because school meals are less easy to come by. Therefore, Beach Food Pantry offers a 16-week program for kids facing these difficulties. To participate, visit Summer Food for Kids.

Holiday Meal Bags

Every family deserves a special meal over the holidays. For this reason, Beach Food Pantry provides Holiday Meal Bags during the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s time frame. To receive a Holiday Meal Bag, you can register and shop online here.

If you are currently experiencing food insecurity, please click here to fill out an online application and see how Beach Food Pantry can help.

How You Can Help Beach Food Pantry

There are so many ways to help Beach Food Pantry work towards its goal of ending food insecurity. From attending events to donations of food, time, or money, here is how you can support their mission.

Donate Volunteer Attend an Event Helping OBX

“We are always looking for ways to raise funds and awareness to support our mission because 13.6% of Dare County’s population is hungry or food insecure. That’s about 1 in 8 adults, and it rises to about 1 in 5 for kids.”

Have leftover food?

Whether you live here on the Outer Banks or are just visiting, you can help Beach Food Pantry by donating any leftover non-perishable items you may have. Take a look at their list of suggested donation items for groceries and other goods that are currently needed. And with drop-off locations all throughout the Outer Banks, including a drop-box at Twiddy & Company’s Duck office, Beach Food Pantry makes it easy for the community to fill their shelves.

Beginning every Saturday on June 18th, Beach Food Pantry will be at the Duck United Methodist Church collecting perishable and non-perishable items from 7am – Noon.

Beach Food Pantry also welcomes fresh produce! If you are a gardener and interested in sharing the fruits of your labor, please contact BFP.

Monetary Donations

Want to make a one time gift or a monthly monetary donation to Beach Food Pantry? Click here to give a gift on behalf of yourself or a loved one. If you are interested in making an Endowment Gift, visit their Beach Food Pantry’s website for more information.

Youth Advisory Board

In a response to a difficulty in holding onto their non-profit board members, Beach Food Pantry began thinking about a “grow your own” approach. This paved the way for their Youth Advisory Board, a group of student representatives who wanted the opportunity to learn more about hunger in our area and what it is like to be on a non-profit board. If you are a student that is interested in joining the Youth Advisory board, please contact Elisabeth Silverthorne.

Hold a Fundraiser

It takes a village to grow something great. The Outer Banks community is an incredibly important part of Beach Food Pantry’s success. Local Businesses and groups can continue supporting the pantry by holding fundraisers and food drives. For help brainstorming creative ideas, click here.

Volunteer Your Time

From stocking the shelves at the pantry to picking up donations from local super markets, there are so many ongoing volunteer opportunities for adults, teens, and groups throughout the year. Check out how you can join the Beach Food Pantry crew by volunteering your time!

Attending and/or sponsoring a Beach Food Pantry event is not only incredibly beneficial but is also incredibly fun! Check out these awesome events Beach Food Pantry has coming up in 2022. For more events, check out their website.

Outer Banks Rum Festival

Saturday, June 11, 2022 | Times Vary | The Pavilion at Pirate’s Cove Marina 2000 Sailfish Dr, Manteo, NC

What if ending hunger could be as simple as raising your glass? The Inaugural Outer Banks Rum Festival spotlights rum distillers from all over the world who will provide samples of rums not yet found anywhere else on the beach! This event will also feature live music, food, and additional vendors. Admission times and prices vary, so please visit their website for more information.

Annual Holiday Chef’s Challenge

Beach Food Pantry’s Annual Holiday Chef’s Challenge is back to dish out another delicious competition. Each year around the holidays, a group of Outer Banks chefs is challenged to create a signature dish using a minimum of one canned item found on the shelves of the Beach Food Pantry. Join them and a panel of celebrity judges to taste the fantastic fare. Visit Beach Food Pantry’s website for more information.

For more ways to help the Outer Banks community, check out our blog Organizations We Support.

Laurel Burgam

Jun 10, 2022

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