Backpack Beginnings is launching an expansion campaign to meet increased community needs, such as food and basic necessities. With expanded warehouse space and program growth Backpack beginnings can broaden our reach to help more women children and families in our community by fighting food insecurity and meeting more of their basic needs to promote health and well-being for families who need support due to economic hardship. Our child centric services to feed comfort and clothe those in need is currently serving over 12,000 children annually.

DBNC provides free hygiene products (diapers, period products, and adult incontinence supplies) to women and girls experiencing hygiene need in Guilford County. Public safety net programs such as The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, previously known as Food Stamps) do not cover the purchase of diapers, often leaving families with a difficult decision between buying diapers and other necessities with their limited funds. We believe that every family in North Carolina should have access to basic necessities to support their dignity, health, and quality of life. Products are distributed through our 12 community partners, leveraging hygiene products as a gateway to connecting women and girls with support services.

In an effort to meet the need for qualified teachers and to offer opportunity and advancement for low- income individuals, Guilford Child Development will launch the Child Development Associate Apprenticeship Program. The Child Development Associate Apprenticeship offers participants on-the-job learning and coursework aligned with the knowledge and competencies required to be certified as a CDA and eligible to teach in an early childhood education program, such as Early Head Start. This program is a starting step in the Early Childhood Educator profession. This program reaches 25 women per session, 3 sessions per year = 75 women total/year.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) prepares all students for a high skill, high wage, or in demand careers. The experience begins with career inspiration in pre-K, awareness in elementary school, exploration in middle school, and preparation in high school. CTE equip students for post secondary education and immediate employment opportunities to compete worldwide successfully. Say Yes in Guilford's Middle School CTE exploration plans are designed to expose students to these jobs and the jobs of the future.

Transportation is critical to economic stability, and women are better suited to support their families when they have access to a car. Wheels4Hope is committed to assisting economically disadvantaged families and individuals by providing qualified beneficiaries with their own reliable vehicle after being suggested by Partner Agencies. With a commitment to cooperation and a belief in the notion of ownership, Wheels4Hope requires beneficiaries to pay $500 for their automobile and be responsible for title and transfer fees.

The Positive Direction for Youth and Families (PDY&F) Community Garden Project is a multi-faceted service initiative that was created to address the issues of food insecurity, health disparities, and workforce deficiencies in our local highly impacted communities. Our aim is to break intergenerational cycles where our marginalized populations experience decreased quality of life and health inequities due to man-made constructed barriers.

The Community Health Outreach Team (HOT) is the primary project to access a minority, immigrant, elderly, and vulnerable population for improvement in health outcomes and services. This program also serves to introduce clients to community resources, provides social interaction to an isolated and forgotten population, and brings food as a “door opener” to develop trust and initiate conversation. The HOT members serve as a trusted and essential part of health care and building community. Since the program began on October 1, 2019, to August 21, 2021, the HOT members visited and served 329.

The Black Suit Initiative, a leadership and community engagement program for underserved middle and high school young men, offers students and exceptional learning environment with real world skills which are transferable to academic and career development. Critical and analytical reasoning; problem-solving and evaluation skills gained through the program are necessary in a broad range of career paths. Young men from 30+ schools, most from single parent homes, apply and stay in the program until they graduate High School. With a 98% retention rate, investment in these males can help break cycles and have long-term generational impact for women and children.

No child hungry is a collaborative project feeding 4,112 pregnant women and children ages 0 to 18 in health settings over the next three years. The program is an expansion of our hunger relief efforts and deepening relationship with Backpack Beginnings to mitigate the long term affects of hunger and food insecurity, starting from prenatal health through childhood and adolescence. We plan to serve 1,390 women and children in 2021. Our belief is that if we can stop hunger from conception and then we can end the trajectory of hunger and poverty for life.