Out of the Garden Project’s mission is to nourish children and families with food so they can learn, grow, and thrive! Their vision is a community where no one goes hungry. Out of the Garden Project is one of the largest independent non-profit programs in the Piedmont Triad fighting food insecurity.

They deliver relief to over 3,000 families each month through targeted, thoughtful, and sustainable programs and services. Their focus is to bring food into high need, underserved neighborhoods and food deserts through all our programs. To help meet people where they are. Five days a week their staff brings fresh and nonperishable food items into neighborhoods throughout five counties. In 2024, they gave more than 1.7 million pounds of food to over 190,000 local children, adults, and seniors who are living with food insecurity. As food prices increase and other resources decrease, more families need our help than ever before.

How Out of the Garden Project Helps

Food insecurity is a complex challenge requiring diverse, innovative solutions. A healthy body needs a balanced diet consisting of a variety of foods to provide all the nutrients needed to power the body. Similarly, a healthy community needs a variety of food access programs to ensure that no child needs to be hungry.

Fresh Mobile Market

Their Fresh Mobile Market program is a free mobile pantry providing supplemental groceries. Each of the 24+ recurring monthly market locations across the Triad serves an average of 115+ households. with about 55 pounds of produce, meat, dairy, bread, and shelf-stable items—sustaining families for about a week and bridging critical food gaps.

Operation Backpack

Operation Backpack provides students with nutritious food to sustain them through weekends. In partnership with local schools, they identify children in need of food support and connect them with this vital service. Each Friday, students receive a bag of shelf-stable items that include breakfast, lunch, snacks, and a complete meal for a family of four—ensuring nourishment when school meals are not available. To address urgent hunger needs, their Staff 2 Student Crisis Care program enables Guilford County School staff and social workers to request immediate food aid for families in crisis, allowing us to respond quickly with critical food support.

Sustainability Through Food Reclamation and Local Farmer Support

The backbone of their organization is their Food Reclamation Program, which recovers over 1 million pounds of fresh food annually from local grocery stores, restaurants, and food distributors. Staff and volunteers sort through donations of day-old bread, unsold ready-made meals, produce that customers will not pay premium prices for, and more using FDA guidelines. Food that does not meet quality standards is donated to local farmers to use as compost or animal feed. This reduces environmental impact and supports the agricultural community, helping to close the loop on food waste and promote regional sustainability. By transforming food excess into food access, we create one solution to two urgent crises—hunger and food waste—resulting in healthier communities for everyone.

Nutrition Education

Nutrition Education empowers families with knowledge and resources to prepare nutritious, budget-friendly meals while fostering healthy eating and positive lifelong habits. The program teaches practical skills for preparing affordable, wholesome meals at home with creativity and confidence. Recipes and lessons are designed around SNAP-eligible foods and align with ingredients commonly distributed through our Fresh Mobile Markets, making healthy eating more accessible and sustainable for families with limited resources.

Shared-Use Kitchen

They support local food entrepreneurs by offering affordable access to our Shared-use, Low Risk, Commercial Kitchen, along with the guidance needed to prepare, process, and package their products. They currently empower 32 small business owners in two kitchen spaces in Guilford County, helping them grow, launch, and thrive in our local food economy.

Additional Targeted Service Programs

They also have a handful of smaller but impactful programs that provide targeted services for specific populations that need food selected specifically for their needs and circumstances. These programs support families in crisis, seniors, and those who are in transitional housing (homeless).

COMING SOON to Out of the Garden Project!

They have developed plans for new program initiatives to meet the expressed needs of the community. These strategic initiatives allow for more flexible choice-based solutions for families that remove stigma barriers, increase accessibility, and offer targeted service and early interventions. Contact us if you are interested in learning more about these expansions and would like to help us help others.

Who Out of the Garden Project Helps

While 13.7% of Guilford County residents overall lack adequate access to food, this figure jumps to 23.3% for children according to 2023 County Heath Ratings
62,208 people in Greensboro live below the federal poverty threshold (2022 US Census Data)
Almost two thirds of the students in Guilford County schools live in poverty (Student poverty rate was 66.3% among the 2023/24 enrolled students) according to Guilford County Schools.

SNAP (food-stamps)

SNAP (food-stamps) income limits currently require that a family of 4 make less than $47,556 a year. With the increase in food costs and high housing prices, this means that many families in the Triad struggle to cover the basics with no options for governmental help. One small, unexpected expense can devastate a family and throw them into crisis. Out of the Garden is here to support these families and others who may receive governmental assistance but find that it is not enough to feed growing children. Because of the proposed changes to government food aid programs, Second Harvest is predicting a 59% increase in demand for local non-profit hunger support as more families than ever will struggle to put food on the table for their children.

In 2024, Out of the Garden Project provided over 1.7 million pounds of food to 190,000+ children, adults and seniors in more than 33 locations throughout the Piedmont Triad. We reclaim over 1 million pounds of food annually, diverting waste from landfills and turning food excess into food access. This impact is made possible by the 8,000+ volunteers and community partners who offer hands-on support each year. Together, we are a community who serves the community!

For those who may need our help, you can visit www.OutoftheGardenProject.org to see a calendar of their Fresh Mobile locations. Follow us on social media to get weekly reminders and live updates on new offerings. If you have children in school, you can also contact your school guidance counselor or social worker to see if Operation Backpack or another program is available at your school.

Their Why

Food is a basic human right. Working families all over the Triad are unable to get help unless organizations like Out of the Garden Project are available. Why people struggle can range from low wages, high medical bills, higher food prices, or job loss…. but the answer is clear to us.

They are all parents, and the reality that children in our community are going to bed hungry, suffering from malnutrition, or waking up in the morning wondering what they may be able to eat that day is unacceptable to us. Many of us have struggled after a job loss, divorce or had a family medical issue that made household budgeting a real issue. They know that a little bit of luck can make the difference between holding steady in troubling times and being in a place where you can’t make ends meet.

Every year they hear stories from mothers who have reached out for help because they have spent months giving all the food they have to their children and are left trying to survive off only white bread and mayonnaise sandwiches. Parents will eat these “desperation meals” to make ends meet and only ask for help when their children don’t have enough. It can be difficult to ask for help and even harder to accept help. If someone is in a vulnerable position, it is our responsibility to meet them where they are, offering dignity and non-judgement to lift them up.

How You Can Volunteer with Out of the Garden Project

You can help them help others! Visit our website at www.OutoftheGardenProject.org to sign up to volunteer handing out food at our Fresh Mobile Markets or in our warehouse. Businesses, organizations, or groups larger than 10 are encouraged to contact us at Volunteer@OutoftheGardenProject.org to make arrangements. Children ages 11-16 must be present with an adult to volunteer. For children younger than 11, please contact us for special accommodations. They have volunteer opportunities 6 days a week.

What You Can Donate

Monetary donations can be made through our website at www.OutoftheGardenProject.org. A $26 donation provides a family with groceries for one week.

If you are interested in holding a neighborhood, school, or business food drive, please contact Ellen@OutoftheGardenProject.org for a list of our most needed nonperishable items and to schedule a drop-off time.

We welcome individual donations of shelf stable goods or excess vegetables and fruits from your farm or garden. Food donations can be dropped off at Out of the Garden Project’s warehouse (found at the rear of The Church on 68 – 300 NC Hwy 68 South, Greensboro, NC 27409) during any of our warehouse volunteer sessions. These times can be found on our website on our Get Involved page, or you can contact us at info@OutoftheGardenProject.org to make special arrangements.

Additional Resources

Visit our website at www.OutoftheGardenProject.org for the schedule and locations of our Fresh Mobile Markets
Follow us on social media for weekly reminders and live updates on new offerings.
Contact your child’s school guidance counselor or social worker to see if any organization is providing weekend food help for students at your school.
To learn more about hunger in America, visit www.FeedingAmerica.org
To learn more about food waste reduction, including what your family can do visit Sustainable Management of Food | US EPA
To learn more about SNAP benefits go to https://www.fns.usda.gov/

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