Marian Cheek Jackson Center
Grocery Deliveries
Grocery Deliveries /Comida Celestial began in 2002 as a ministry of St. Joseph C.M.E. Church when Reverend Troy Harrison and his wife Bernice Harrison began collecting bread from the Entenmann’s factory and distributing it to members of the church. Today, Grocery Deliveries reclaims food from three grocery stores and serves an estimated 3,500 individuals a month from at least five different counties. The food bank is open five days a week for distribution. In recent months, the food bank has had to discontinue weekend pickups due to limited numbers of volunteers. This work is completed with the collaboration of local church members, UNC-Chapel Hill students, and other individuals from the community who sort, clean, and distribute all food. Groceries are provided for every person that arrives at our doors, there are neither restrictions nor requirements necessary to be given food. We are one of the only North Carolina certified food banks that allows patrons to select their own food, which provides each person the opportunity to choose food he or she will enjoy and that adheres to particular food traditions. This model is meant to honor individuals’ preferences and dignity during the act of receiving food from a food bank.
Mission
Grocery Deliveries/Comida Celestial is a certified food bank and ministry of St. Joseph CME Church, dedicated to providing quality produce and grocery items to the under-served communities in and surrounding Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The organization strives to preserve individual dignity and cultural food ways by allowing visitors the option of making their own food choices. Grocery Deliveries/ Comida Celestial thrives off of a culture of compassion and community, cultivated by food’s ability to nurture the body and soul.
Volunteer
Volunteers are a vital component of Grocery Deliveries. Without the hard work and dedication of our volunteers, we would not function. Grocery Deliveries’ volunteers experience hands-on interactions with long term residents of the Northside community and build prosperous relationships with patrons and community members.
Volunteer responsibilities include:
Picking up food from community partners
Loading and unloading boxes from our van
Aiding in the set up and clean up
Helping distribute grocery items to over 3,500 community members per month.
Contact Diana at diana@jacksoncenter.info for more information.