The local networks feeding North Carolina communities from the ground up

Image © TRACTOR

At Mitchell Giving Gardens (MGG) in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, gardener Christine Hodel is surrounded by produce and productivity. Leafy squash plants burst from raised planters to twine around metal arches. Bees hum over dahlias nodding in the autumn sunshine. Volunteers water and harvest. 

On this half-acre plot, Spruce Pine residents can come together to enjoy being outdoors and surrounded by nature. Since 2020, the garden volunteers have been distributing produce to local food pantries and community centres. “This is where fresh food and community grow side by side,” says Christine. “We cultivate community around food through shared resources and bountiful places.” 

In 2025, Mitchell Giving Gardens started teaching organic and regenerative techniques for local people to learn and apply in their own gardens at home. By growing their own produce, families become more food secure and avoid depending on large-scale food systems. “We are so appreciative,” says one home gardener. “We started gardening again after years, and it has helped our family reconnect to the earth and our food.” 

Mitchell Giving Gardens is not the only organisation working to improve local food systems in the Appalachian mountain region of North Carolina. TRACTOR Food and Farms, a food distribution centre, also seeks to increase access to community-grown food, by empowering farmers and consumers alike. “We have healthy, strong soils that grow incredible food – and a climate that allows for diverse produce,” says Dru Zucchino, TRACTOR’s CEO.  

TRACTOR supports farmers to sell their produce locally, and distributes the food through diverse markets designed to reach communities in the region. To ensure no-one is overlooked, the produce is shared in a range of ways, such as through health referral programmes and food relief organisations, as well as through local markets and weekly baskets. “Quality food shouldn’t just be available to those who can afford it,” says Dru. “It should be available to those of lesser means, those with uncertain financial futures, limited mobility… anyone who might otherwise make a different choice.” 

Resourceful Communities is the organisation behind smaller organisations like Mitchell’s Gardens and TRACTOR. For over 30 years, it has partnered with hundreds of rural grassroots and community organisations to help improve economic outcomes for ordinary people, preserve rural landscapes, and lift people out of poverty. “We believe that environmental stewardship and sustainable economic development go hand in hand,” says Monica McCann, director of Resourceful Communities. “Our goal is a robust, equitable food system where everyone is able to access the food they need.” 

Annually, Resourceful Communities supports about 80 community-based food organisations and nine food hubs to help strengthen North Carolina’s local food system from the ground up. The organisation offers support through: capacity building, with free skills workshops on topics like fundraising and project planning; small grant-making to help build and sustain local food economies; and its network, which brings communities together to share learning, spark ideas, and strengthen impact. Resourceful Communities also works at a systems level, to ensure statewide market access and fair pay for farmers, with healthy local food for all.  

 Oak supports Resourceful Communities through a grant from our Special Interest Programme to Legacy Philanthropy Works, to support a diverse range of partners around the world. Check out the video here!