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GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — One in six individuals faces food insecurity.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina works with community partners in 18 counties to make it easier for people to find and afford healthy meals.

For outreach agencies responsible for getting food directly to the community, getting fresh food from the warehouse site in Winston-Salem to their facilities can be a challenge.

In April of this year, Second Harvest opened its distribution nutrition education center on Phillips Avenue in Greensboro.

CEO Eric Aft said the center serves as a satellite for the main distribution center based in Winston-Salem.

The focus is to make it easier on those organizations in Guilford, Alamance, Caswell, Rockingham and Randolph counties to pick up and distribute food.

“By setting up the satellite, we’re able to get more food out and, most importantly, more nutritious food — produce, meats and that that type of thing — to our neighbors in need in these counties,” Aft said.

The facility was a response to the COVID-19 pandemic to get more nutritious food like produce and meats to neighbors in need.

The center has already distributed 1.8 million pounds of food. 

The agency gives out food three times a week and helps feed over 500 families every month. 

Community partners say the location has made a big difference in their ability to serve individuals in need. 

The agency gives out food three times a week and helps feed over 500 families every month. 

A drive that used to take an hour and 15 minutes from Reidsville now only takes about 30 minutes, according to Mackensie Wray, community food pantry manager with Rockingham Hope. 

“It’s cost-saving. It’s cutting our travel time in half rather than having to go to Winston. That is saving us gas and time to be able to put back into our pantry and serve others,” Wray said.

The center also does nutrition education with the goal of teaching people how to use food better for healthier eating. 

It’s located at 2517 Phillips Ave. in Greensboro.

You can find more information on Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina at secondharvestnwnc.org.