In 2015, I transplanted to Wilmington from my home state of Michigan to work with Feast Down East through service with the FoodCorps program. I had the opportunity to serve as a Farm to School educator, helping children discover how to grow food in school gardens, bring their harvests back into the classroom and experience the joy of cooking with what they grew. I had plans to stay for one year before migrating somewhere West. As the months passed, I fell in love with teaching farm to school, this community and the land. As the end of my service term began to approach, I quickly decided to ‘stay for one more year,’ and after that second year I did something I never thought I would do… I stayed.

Here I am ten years later, about to begin my fourth year as Executive Director, and am in awe of realizing that I’ve been a part of the organization for over half of its existence. My life would be immensely different if it weren’t for this small but mighty organization. I wouldn’t have met or married my soulmate and we wouldn’t have welcomed the love of our lives, our daughter who was born this spring. This community is home, Feast Down East is home.

As I reflect on the past 10 years I know I have one thing that all of the goodness in my life can come back to… and that is Feast Down East. I owe it all to this little nonprofit that took a chance on me, and for that I am eternally grateful. In those ten years, I have grown from an AmeriCorps service member uncertain of what lies next to a resilient community leader. I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate and work alongside some of the most passionate and determined individuals, producing tangible impact for our community as seen in our programs. I have come a long way, but so has Feast Down East.

Next year, Feast Down East will turn TWENTY years old! The organization has changed and evolved in those years since. Our roots grew from a UNCW-affiliated economic development project called the Southeastern North Carolina Food Systems Program (SENCFSP). But in those decades since, we have remained true to two things in our evolution: supporting our local farmers and nurturing a healthy, accessible local food system.

These past twenty years wouldn’t be a reality without you - our supporters, farmers, customers, partners, funders and our dedicated and tenacious staff. We are excited to celebrate our gratitude, the impact and growth of our organization with you all at our upcoming Oyster Roast fundraiser on Sunday, December 7 at our Food Hub located in the Burgaw Historic Train Depot. Next year’s event just might have to be a birthday party, what do y’all think?

Jordyn Appel-Hughes
Executive Director
Feast Down East