The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina’s new President & CEO, Amy Beros, is visiting the Sandhills branch on Friday, Feb. 28 – as the longtime anti-poverty advocate returns home to take the reins of the state’s largest hunger relief organization. The Sandhills branch is located at 195 Sandy Ave. in Southern Pines.
At a time when food insecurity has reached a near-unprecedented high in local communities, Beros brings deep North Carolina roots, close knowledge of Food Bank Network operations, and decades of experience in philanthropy and strategic partnerships to the fight to end hunger and its root causes, said the Food Bank in a press release.
The experience will be especially important in the Sandhills area, where more than 38,000 (1 in 6) community members face hunger – a sharp increase over the prior year. Challenges are even deeper in historically marginalized communities, where systemic barriers and exclusion have led to 1 in 3 Black households and 1 in 4 Latino households experiencing food insecurity in the area. The Food Bank’s Sandhills Branch distributed more than 7.5 million meals last year to help meet the growing need across Lee, Moore, Richmond, and Scotland counties, according to the release.
Beros returns home to the Food Bank following several years of service with Feeding America, where she led nationwide efforts to build food banks’ capacity to better serve people facing hunger and poverty. She has applied this community-centered approach across critical efforts in food sourcing and access, disaster response, strategic partnerships, and philanthropy — including leadership roles with Inter-faith Food Shuttle, Easter Seals UCP, and Pillars Health.
“The Food Bank has always had a special place in my heart because of the amazing team, resilient partner network, and incredible generosity of our supporter community,” said Beros. “In many ways, the challenges our communities face have never been greater. But together, I know we can achieve a future where no one goes hungry – no matter where we live, where we’re from, or the color of our skin.”
Teresa Kelly, director of Regional Development, shared that she looks forward to re-introducing Beros to the strong local network that has grown in the Sandhills and beyond in recent years.
“Amy brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise from her many years in hunger relief, and we’re thrilled to welcome her back as our new CEO,” said Kelly. “We have an incredible group of supporters and advocates in the Sandhills area who work hard to make sure every family has the resources needed to thrive – and we can’t wait to dig in together.”
Reflecting on her roots as a young volunteer, Beros highlighted grassroots supporters and organizations like the Sandhills team as the key to a hunger-free future.
“I started working in hunger relief when I was about eight years old – volunteering with my family at the Good Neighbor Cupboard in my hometown. My earliest memories are selling raffle tickets to raise funds for the pantry and sharing turkeys during the holidays. It’s that kind of local, community-led change that forms the cornerstone of our work to transform lives and end hunger for good.”
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Contributed article and photo of Amy Beros.
