Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Malinchock.
Laura, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Fifteen years ago, I moved to the neighborhood where PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro began. Shortly after I moved in, one of the founders, Susan Romaine, invited me to help sort food donations in her garage — and I was hooked. I’ve seen PORCH evolve from a small operation—sorting donated food in neighbors’ garages and handing out prepacked bags of food through drive-through distributions—to creating a small grocery store where families can choose the food they need, free of charge. At every step, the original model of “neighbors helping neighbors” has never changed.
Each month, more than 800 families “shop” at our Community Hub. They choose the fruits, vegetables, protein, dairy products, and pantry staples that their families enjoy and need at no charge. I love seeing kids get excited when they see their favorite cereal on the shelves, and trading recipe ideas for sweet potatoes with our shoppers.
I treasure our community of volunteers—from students to retirees—and the connections we build with families. Sitting with children at the play table as their families shop and easing a family’s worry about putting food on the table fills my heart. Being a small part of this work reminds me that small acts of kindness (and lots of heavy lifting) can make a real difference in our community.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’ve had the honor of serving on PORCH’s Board for the past 7 years, and was the PORCH Board Chair during our transition from an all-volunteer organization to an organization with employees. In 2022, we developed a Strategic Plan with some very bold goals—hiring an Executive Director and establishing a brick-and-mortar facility. We knew we needed to make these changes in order to continue serving the increased needs of our community. There were certainly some doubts about the proposed transition and growing pains along the way; fortunately, we didn’t give up on our bold vision for the future of PORCH.
We faced many challenges throughout these transitions. The first was finding the right person to take the helm of our organization. We couldn’t have been more fortunate to have hired Erin Riney as our Executive Director. She shared our vision of better serving our community and took it to the next level. Under her guidance, we have gone from operating a drive-through distribution with prepacked bags and a just-in-time inventory system to operating a choice market filled with enough fruits, vegetables, milk, meat, eggs, and pantry staples for more than 800 families! Erin implemented a plan that would allow us to make this switch without increasing our operating costs. Through partnerships with the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina among other organizations we are able to receive (literally) tons of food for free, reducing our costs enough to cover the added expenses of staff and a facility. There were plenty of doubts that this model would work—could we really make this change without increasing our operating costs, could we find the right staff to make this happen, would we be able to find a facility to house our operations, could we transition from all-volunteer to staff-run? Luckily, we persevered and have proven that we can make our new Community Hub model work. It is a tremendous asset to our community!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro?
PORCH sets itself apart from other local hunger relief organizations by centering participant voices in everything we do. Our programs are shaped by what participants tell us they want and need, ensuring that our services remain responsive and relevant to the community.
The opening of our brick-and-mortar facility, the PORCH Community Hub, is a direct result of participant feedback. Families told us they wanted the dignity and flexibility of choosing their own food rather than receiving pre-packed bags of produce and pantry items, so we transformed our distribution model to make that possible.
We have also hired participants as Market Assistants and Family Engagement Liaisons, ensuring that lived experience helps guide our organization’s growth and decision-making. These team members provide valuable insight into community needs and help us build stronger relationships with the families we serve.
Thanks to our deep connections with participants and the feedback we receive from them, we are able to provide culturally relevant food for our families like Halal meats, Tofu, traditional Latino pantry staples, and, during the summer we feature Southeast Asian fruits and veggies from Transplanting Traditions Farms.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I grew up in an Air Force family. We moved around every three or four years. I’m grateful for the experiences I was given because of our moves. I learned about different cultures and how to adjust to new environments. Even though I was shy, I had to put myself out there and make new friends every time we moved. I think these skills have helped me as a volunteer with PORCH.
Throughout my childhood, Wilmington, NC was my “homebase.” No matter where we were stationed, we’d spend most of the summer in Wilmington at my Grandmother’s house, surrounded by cousins, aunts and uncles. I spent many lazy summer days with my brother and cousins wading through marshes, splashing in the sound, and collecting shells on the beach.
My childhood helped me discover my love for travel. Because of our assignment in Germany, I learned to ski and continue to enjoy time on the slopes with my family.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://chapelhill.porchcommunities.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/porchchc/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/porchchapelhillcarrboro/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/porch-chapel-hill-carrboro/
- Other: https://bsky.app/profile/porch-chc.bsky.social
