Last Updated on April 27, 2023 8:47 am
BLOWING ROCK, N.C. – April 24, 2023 – On April 20, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina hosted a pop-up pantry at its new Boone office with food provided by Casting Bread. The two organizations will continue to partner for this initiative monthly through August for anyone who is in need.
The new Blue Cross Blue Shield location is at 2640 NC Highway 105, Suite 101, in the bottom-left side of the Graystone Eye building. The office was completed less than a month ago and the grand opening will be held later this week.
According to Wayne Randall, Blue Cross Blue Shield Center Manager, “Hosting our first pop-up pantry from our new Boone center was amazing. Four families stopped by to pick up food and we expect more as word spreads.”
People who visit the pop-up pantry can look forward to making their own choices from the items in stock. Randall explained, “One of the best ideas ever is to allow people to select the food they want, rather than handing out a preselected box with items they may not use.” He continued, “Sam and the Casting Bread team are amazing to work with and we are grateful to partner with them.”
Casting Bread has served the High Country since 2006, distributing food primarily from its Aho Road location in Blowing Rock. Casting Bread’s Executive Director Sam Garrett stated, “This effort is a wonderful example of how organizations can work together to make a difference.”
Garrett shared how the project began. “At breakfast a few months ago, Wayne explained that part of the vision for their new space is to help nonprofit organizations fulfill their missions. We discussed Casting Bread’s desire to make food available closer to its clients in Boone and other parts of the High Country. Soon after, we began working on logistics.”
The pop-up pantry comes at a crucial time for many. Diann Miller has served at Casting Bread for well over a decade. As the operations manager, she interacts with all clients who visit. Miller remarked, “The need continues to grow. We serve families from Ashe, Avery, Watauga, and Caldwell counties and we see a lot of families from Boone. We hope this pop-up pantry will be more convenient for them.”
Blue Cross Blue Shield and Casting Bread invite anyone who could benefit from food to stop by the pop-up pantry at 2640 NC Highway 105, Suite 101 on the following dates:
- Thursday, May 25, 2023 from 4:30 – 7:00 p.m.
- Thursday, June 22, 2023 from 4:30 – 7:00 p.m.
- Thursday, July 27, 2023from 4:30 – 7:00 p.m.
- Thursday, August 24, 2023 from 4:30 – 7:00 p.m.
Learn more about Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina at www.bcbsnc.com.
Learn more about Casting Bread at www.increasefoodsecurity.org.
Photo Captions:
Image 1 – The Blue Cross Blue Shield Boone Center
Image 2 – Casting Bread staff Ralph Miller, Diann Miller, Sam Garrett, and Alac Wall
Image 3 – Inside Blue Cross Blue Shield Boone Center community room, Wayne Randall (BCBS, Center Manager, Sam Garrett (Casting Bread, Executive Director, Diann Miller (Casting Bread, Operations Manager)
Image 4 – Popup pantry at BCBS Boone Center on Highway 105
Image 5 – Popup pantry at BCBS Boone Center on Highway 105
