Feeding the Hungry grant addresses food insecurity; supports nutrition education

Henderson, North Carolina – The Vance-Granville Community College Foundation has received $3,000.00 from the Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation to help nourish students experiencing hunger. The Feeding the Hungry grant supports The Foundation’s efforts by purchasing food items that will ultimately help tackle food insecurity among our students. In addition, the grants support community feeding partners by helping neighbors increase their access to nutritious food and providing nutrition education to eliminate health risks for those experiencing food insecurity.

The VGCC Foundation aims to reduce food insecurity through its food pantry that serves students at all VGCC campuses. These campuses are located in Vance, Granville, Warren, and Franklin counties. The food pantry is a one-stop shop for food and hygiene items for students and is sustained through a partnership with the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina, Food Lion, fundraisers, donations of items, and monetary gifts. The Foundation will be able to use this generous gift from Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation to purchase food items and support healthy eating initiatives for its students.

The Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation is committed to supporting families facing food insecurity across its 10-state footprint. Established in 2001, the foundation provides financial support for programs and organizations dedicated to feeding local neighbors in the communities it serves. Since its inception, the foundation has awarded more than $18.1 million in grants.

About The Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation

The Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Food Lion, based in Salisbury, NC. Established in 2001, the Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation provides financial support for programs and organizations dedicated to eliminating hunger. The charitable foundation has provided more than $18.1 million in grant funding, helping to nourish communities with fresh food for backpack programs, Kids Cafés, and other hunger-relief programs as well as funding for long-term programs to help shorten the lines at food banks. The charitable foundation partners with Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief agency, in addition to local food agencies serving the 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states in which Food Lion operates. For more information, visit www.foodlion.com/pages/food-lion-feeds.

About Food Lion

Food Lion is an omnichannel retailer committed to nourishing its neighbors during the moments that matter most. More than 82,000 associates across 1,100+ stores deliver an easy, fresh and affordable shopping experience throughout 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states. Through its ‘Count on me’ culture, Food Lion fosters a sense of belonging for all associates, promoting a diverse and inclusive environment that has supported LGBTQ+ equality for nearly two decades. Food Lion is the only company in the country to be named an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for 22 consecutive years. It also pioneered a food rescue program to support food-insecure neighbors. Through Food Lion Feeds, the retailer has donated more than 1 billion meals to individuals and families since 2014 and has committed to donate 1.5 billion meals by 2025. Founded and based in Salisbury, NC, since 1957, Food Lion is a company of Ahold Delhaize USA, the US division of Zaandam-based Ahold Delhaize. For more information, visit foodlion.co

GRANVILLE COUNTY SENIOR SERVICES: Granville County Senior Services will host their annual Holiday Bazaar on Saturday, November 1, from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at the Granville County Senior Center (107 Lanier Street, Oxford).

The bazaar will feature twenty-five local vendors, all offering unique homemade items to kick-start your holiday shopping season. Hot dogs will be available for purchase, with the proceeds supporting Senior Center
operations.

For more information, please call the Granville County Senior Center at 919-693-1930.

The Mary Potter Gymnasium will serve as the polling place for the East Oxford Precinct on Election Day. Recently, the Granville County Board of Education announced a phased relocation of all students, staff, and programs from the Mary Potter campus following the discovery of mold in certain campus buildings.

Importantly, the Mary Potter Gymnasium is physically separate from the affected areas and is not impacted by the mold issue. For Election Day, all poll workers and voters will enter and exit the gymnasium directly from the rear parking lot, with no need to pass through any other buildings.

At the request of the Granville County Board of Elections, Granville County, and Granville County Public Schools, LRC Indoor Testing & Research conducted Fungal Indoor Air Quality Sampling at the three different locations in the gymnasium on October 8, 2025.

The results found no evidence of fungal amplification or altered indoor fungal ecology. In fact, “The total fungal spore counts in the areas sampled indoors were lower than those found in the outdoor air.”

Copies of the full reports and test results from LRC Indoor Testing & Research are available below.

• Mary Potter Gymnasium Limited Fungal Indoor Air Quality Sampling with Airborne Fungal Sampling Report - http://www.granvillecounty.org/.../Mary-Potter-Gymnasium...

• Mary Potter Gymnasium Certificate of Laboratory Analysis -

http://www.granvillecounty.org/.../Mary-Potter-Gymnasium...

GRANVILLE COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM: The State of North Carolina recently dedicated a roadside historical marker honoring Sam Ragan outside of the Berea Branch Library on US Highway 158. Ragan was born in the Berea community in 1915 and later became a prominent journalist and poet. He served as the first Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources beginning in 1972 under Governor Bob Scott and was named “Poet Laureate for Life” by Governor Jim Hunt in 1982.

In addition to his service to the State of North Carolina, Ragan served in World War II and was a reporter for the San Antonio Evening News before becoming an editor and columnist for the Raleigh News and Observer. His column “Southern Accents” was syndicated nationally and internationally, eventually becoming the longest- running newspaper column in U.S. history.

In 1968, Ragan purchased the Pilot newspaper in Southern Pines, where he continued writing the column until his death in 1996. Ragan was renowned for his poetry, and two of his six published collections were nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. He was inducted into the North Carolina Journalism Hall of Fame and was instrumental in the founding of the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame. Local author Lewis Bowling published a biography of Ragan in 2020, “Sam Ragan: North Carolina’s Literary Godfather.” Bowling led a short program about Ragan’s life before the historical marker was unveiled.

For more information about Sam Ragan, visit www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2025/09/17/sam-ragan-1915-1996-g-145

For more information about the North Carolina Highway Historical Marker program, visit www.dncr.nc.gov/about-us/history/division-historical-resources/nc-highway-historical-marker-program

Oxford, N.C., October 6, 2025 – Granville Health System (GHS) is expanding access to gastroenterology services this fall with the opening of the Granville Health System Endoscopy Center. The new outpatient facility, located at 625 Lewis Street in Oxford, has received its initial state licensure from the NC Department of Health and Human Services. GHS providers will begin seeing patients this month.

The GHS Endoscopy Center will offer patients a full range of endoscopic procedures, including colonoscopies and upper endoscopies, in a modern, patient-centered environment. Equipped with advanced technology and designed for comfort and efficiency, the center will support early detection, faster treatment, and better outcomes for the community.

“We are excited to open the new Endoscopy Center and expand access to vital gastroenterology services for our community,” said Adam McConnell, CEO of Granville Health System. “This center is an important step forward in our broader commitment to strengthen and grow healthcare services across Granville Health System. I am incredibly proud of our team for the work they are doing to make these improvements possible and for their dedication to advancing the care we provide today and for generations to come.”

With a focus on patient safety, convenience, and quality care, the center is expected to significantly improve access to outpatient gastrointestinal services in Granville County and the surrounding region.

Dr. Albin Abraham, Gastroenterologist, added, “We are very proud and thrilled to bring quality care closer to home with the opening of our new ambulatory endoscopy center. This investment reaffirms our hospital’s commitment to being concerned about our community and the health, well-being and future of its residents. This center will help facilitate shorter wait times, faster diagnosis and earlier treatment.”

Routine screenings such as colonoscopies play a critical role in early detection and prevention of colorectal cancer, one of the most common and preventable forms of cancer. By expanding access to these essential procedures, GHS continues to support the long-term health and well-being of the community.

For more information about the GHS Endoscopy Center and updates on the opening, please visit www.ghshospital.org.

About Granville Health System:

For over a century, Granville Health System has been at the forefront of quality healthcare. To cater to the evolving needs of its community, Granville Health System has extended its services throughout Granville County, ensuring convenient medical care access for its residents. The Granville Health System main campus can be found at 1010 College Street, Oxford, North Carolina. For more details, visit GHS online at www.ghsHospital.org.

Media Contact:

Lauren Roberson, Marketing & Foundation Director

Granville Health System

lbroberson@granvillemedical.com

919.690.2148

Granville County Department of Social Services (DSS) recently hosted the Kinnect Family Search and Engagement Training at the Granville County Convention and Expo Center. This training for North Carolina’s Child Welfare Services Region 5 brought together child welfare professionals from across the region to strengthen skills and strategies for identifying, locating, and engaging extended family and other supportive connections for children in foster care.

Family Search and Engagement is a critical practice in child welfare, designed to ensure that children entering care can remain connected to safe and supportive adults who can provide stability, love, and long-term support. The training, facilitated by Kinnect, an Ohio-based nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing child welfare practices, equipped staff with innovative tools and proven approaches to build networks of support for youth who may otherwise face uncertainty in placement.

“We were proud to host this training, which underscores our commitment to the children of Granville County, but to the larger child welfare community across North Carolina Region 5,” said LaToya D. Toussaint, Director of Granville County DSS. “Every child deserves to know that they have a family and a network of people who care about them. By partnering with Kinnect, the North Carolina Department of Social Services, and our colleagues across the region, we are building stronger pathways to permanency and belonging for the children we serve.”

North Carolina Child Welfare Services Region 5 includes Edgecombe, Franklin, Granville, Greene, Halifax, Johnston, Nash, Northampton, Pitt, Vance, Wake, Warren, Wayne, and Wilson counties.

For more information about Granville County DSS or its child welfare services, visit www.granvillecounty.org/463/Social-Services.

For more information about Kinnect, visit their website: www.kinnect.org 

2026-04 | 2026-03 | 2026-02 | 2026-01 | 2025-12 | 2025-11 | 2025-10 | 2025-09 | 2025-08 | 2025-07 | 2025-06 | 2025-05 | 2025-04 | 2025-03 | 2025-02 | 2025-01 | 2024-12 | 2024-11 | 2024-10 | 2024-09 | 2024-08 | 2024-07 | 2024-05 | 2024-04 | 2024-03 | 2024-02 | 2024-01 | 2023-12 | 2023-11 | 2023-10 | 2023-09 | 2023-08 | 2023-07 | 2023-06 | 2023-05 | 2023-04 | 2023-03 | 2023-02 | 2023-01