Asking for help at CORA

Posted on: April 13, 2021

As we all know, asking for help is never easy. This is no different for the thousands of people we help each month at CORA. Once an individual gathers enough courage to take the first step and seek food assistance, their emotions are likely to be intensified by the unknown circumstances they encounter when they first arrive at CORA. That is why we embrace a culture where all individuals are treated with respect and parity. We are committed to safeguarding dignity and self-esteem by continuously taking actions that are reflective or our mission and demonstrate sincere care, concern, and support.

Recently we have been asked quite a bit about the process a new family must go through to receive food from CORA. Please know that all information is self-reported, we don’t ask our clients for lots of documentation or proof. Clients may also decline to answer our standard in-take questions. Regardless, they will receive the food they need.

When a new client comes to CORA, we ask for the following information:

Name
Basic contact information: address, phone number, email address
Date of birth
Gender, race/ethnicity
Dietary restrictions/food allergies
Monthly income
Food stamp eligibility/ status

We also ask about other members of the household:

Name
Date of birth
Gender, race/ethnicity
Relationship to the “primary client”

Once a family answers this information, they receive a CORA card that they will show each time they come to the Pantry so that we can record visits for reporting purposes. All of this information is confidential and maintained in a database. We use statistical information for reports to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC and in many grant applications. If you have any questions, please contact Mackie Hunter at Mackie@corafoodpantry.org.