Nonprofits band together to fill needs

Local cooperation through Franklin Farm Hub and International Friendship Center programs help connect those in need with resources. Cara-Lee Langston, executive director of Franklin Farm Hub, said the nonprofit has been "growing steadily" this year, with its signature Produce Purchase Guarantee in place at the Cowee School and Macon County Farmers Markets. The program helps purchase leftover food from sellers and transport it to the Macon County Care Network, Community Care Clinic of Franklin, Men's Challenge of the Smokies, and other locations. "In April, FFH was invited to participate in MANNA Food Bank's Essential Foods Program that allocates funds to support food hubs in purchasing more food from local farms for charitable distribution to MANNA Food Bank partners," Langston said. "Thanks to this program, you can now find FFH at the monthly food distribution at the Macon County Fairgrounds." Langston said the Hub collects 5,000 pounds of food per month on average, distributing it to 16 pantry partners and spending $50,000 in 2026 with local farms. The nonprofit has also appointed a new farm manager, Chris Peterson, to place cover crops at the farm on Lakeside Drive in preparation for food production trials. Langston said the Hub has hosted foraging exercises, tours and walks on the property. Peterson will be the guest speaker at the next Where We Live: History, Nature and Culture speaker series on Sept. 21. The program begins at 6:30 p.m. at Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center. Free admission. In 2026, Langston said the Hub has grown its network from 21 farmers to 30 farms. She said thanks to the Essential Foods Program, the nonprofit has also made connections with Macon Program for Progress, Trinity Church of God, St. Francis Food Pantry, Highlands Food Pantry, The Community Table, UniDxs and EBCI Tribal Foods Distribution. "FFH is an active member of the Macon County Food Council, WNC Food Hub Collaborative, and the NC Food Hub Collaborative. FFH is proud to collaborate on a regional level and work alongside neighboring food hubs that are also doing meaningful food system work in their communities," Langston said. International Friendship Center The International Friendship Center (El Centro de Amigos) has been operating since 2003 to help immigrant and Latino families on the Plateau and in Franklin "find their footing around food, health, language and belonging." The center participates in a variety of initiatives in partnership with Dogwood Health Trust, Fresh Access Franklin, the Highlands Food Pantry and more. 'We've been doing a lot of advocacy work with other nonprofits throughout Western North Carolina on … topics like food security, immigration, housing," said Executive Director TJ Smith. "There's a lot of collaborative work going on right now in the west, among the nonprofits that work out here and we're building these really great coalitions and think tanks and coming together and trying to put forth some ideas on how to address some of these issues, because all of us are seeing increases in need." A regional climate resiliency hub built in partnership with Dogwood Health Trust will serve as a space to organize disaster relief from food, water, medicine and communications. Dogwood has worked with several community clubs and organizations cross Western North Carolina to prepare these hubs, conceived of in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Dogwood has also joined the Community Food Assessment project in a joint venture between them, the IFC and MANNA Food Bank, "Mapping food access gaps across the mountains to guide smarter, more equitable investment in the years ahead," Smith said. The Highlands Food Pantry, organized between Highlands United Methodist Church, MANNA and the Highlands-Cashiers Community Care Clinic, has seen more than 18,000 visits in 2026. In addition to the food, the clinic brings a mobile clinic to the site to conduct vaccinations, testing and checkups. Smith highlighted a "Digital Opportunities Cohort," working to close Jackson County's telehealth gap with partners in education, recovery clinics, and Dogwood Health, while a "Legal & Health Access Network" uses partnerships between Pisgah Legal Services, the Community Care Clinic and the Counseling Center to connect families to legal and medical assistance. Together, these programs work together to take the pressure off struggling families by both directly addressing their needs and by indirectly addressing adjacent needs. Smith said this outcome, and the coalitions the center is building with other nonprofits, are intentional. "On the food front, that's a response to increased gas prices, increased utility prices, increased food prices, it's all connected. We talk about social determinants of health. One goes down, the other ones are affected, you know? And so people are struggling with getting to work and getting out because of the transportation issues that are related to car repairs and related to high gas prices." Most recently, a collaboration between the Friendship Center and Franklin Farm Hub came to fruition with the completion of Fresh Access Franklin, three food pantry kiosks complete with a refrigerator to store cool and frozen foods. The kiosks are located at Vecinos Community Health Hub on the 441 Bypass, Smoky Mountain Harm Reduction on Georgia Road and First United Methodist Church on Harrison Avenue. A food donation guide encourages donors to bring labeled, sealed and dated homemade and store-bought food and meals to leave at the kiosks. The guide advises donors not to donate bulk portions, unwanted food, half-eaten or expired food. The program also uses some of the food collected by the Farm Hub to fill the kiosks on Mondays and Fridays. Smith said he hopes the kiosks will help get hungry people food and inspire others to get involved in local direct action by taking care of the kiosks and their communities through them. "I want to see the idea of a mutual aid, a charitable food program, catch on where they are largely community supported," Smith said. "That means people in the community sort of adopt a kiosk because they look at it like, 'We want to help. We're going to donate stuff to this kiosk. We're going to go and make sure it's cleaned up, we're going to do these things to help ensure it's a success.'" Langston said, "The response has been wonderful from both those who have received food and those who feel called to give back to the kiosks. We are looking forward to engaging more community members in this values-based mutual aid effort."

Nonprofits band together to fill needs

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