Hunger and Health Coalition uniting with Community Care Clinic
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BOONE — To ensure that those coming to the Hunger and Health Coalition benefit from a continuum of care, the organization announced that it is integrating with the Community Care Clinic.
The two organizations will be combining services under the Hunger and Health Coalition to include the HHC Free Clinic. This will mean that community members will be able to receive free medical services, nutrition, food and medication all under one roof — all at no cost.
As a celebration of the integration, the agency is hosting its annual HHC Gala on Friday, Sept. 5, at the Mill at Rock Creek. The evening will take place at the Mill at Rock Creek and guests are invited to enjoy great food by Gadabouts Catering, dance to the music provided by The Energy Producer, and enjoy flowers and bartending services by Booze & Bouquets. To purchase tickets, visit www.hungerandhealthcoalition.com. To inquire about being a sponsor for the event, email Director of Marketing and Communications Kayla Lasure at
The two organizations have a longstanding relationship as they share the same building, located at 141 Health Center Drive, which they both moved into from previous locations in 2006. The Community Care Clinic originally started in the old Hospitality House location on King Street, gaining its status as its own clinic and nonprofit in 2007.
Hunger and Health Coalition Interim Executive Director Catherine King served as the Community Care Clinic Executive Director for the last five years after coming to the agency as an executive assistant in 2010. She said combining the two organizations into one agency offers a lot of benefits to the agency’s clients and patients by opening an improved avenue of care. She added that this is a conversation the two organizations have discussed for quite some time and is excited to see it come into fruition.
"We are thrilled to be making this union with the clinic to show an even bigger commitment to truly embracing the health component of our namesake," said Director of Marketing and Communications Kayla Lasure. "The dedication and care the community has experienced at HHC and the clinic throughout the years will not only continue, it will grow from this novel new model. It's beautiful to be a part of this new chapter knowing that we have a team of staff who are dedicated to compassionately serving our community, volunteers whose love knows no bounds, and community donors whose faith in our mission makes it all possible."
No stranger to innovation or progress, the Hunger and Health Coalition has found itself constantly finding forward-thinking ways to adapt to serve the community.
Starting in the closet of a church in 1982, the nonprofit has grown to include free non-perishable items, produce, meals from its food recovery program, nutrition services and medications for qualifying patients. Additionally, the organization is in its 11th year of its trailblazing Food is Medicine model, with the goal of turning hunger into health. Through the FIM program, the organization provides medically tailored food boxes, a malnutrition supplement program and puts more of an emphasis on partnering with local farmers to provide fresh produce.
The Hunger and Health Coalition has served clients from around 20 counties in the last year from varying economic situations. The HHC’s free pharmacy focuses on serving uninsured or underinsured folks. What will now be the HHC Free Clinic assists those without insurance and does not operate on a sliding scale model as it is completely free. All of HHC’s services are provided regardless of what county someone hails from, however, mobile delivery continues to only serve Watauga residents.
King explained that the HHC Free Clinic can provide primary care services including meeting with a medical provider, in-house lab testing, appointments with a licensed mental health counselor and the use of volunteer specialty providers such as physical therapy, neurology and orthopedics.
Anyone needing assistance navigating internal HHC services or with community resource referrals can contact Client Support Manager Juan Carlos Rivera, the agency’s social worker, for assistance and other resources. Rivera can be contacted at
For more information on the Hunger and Health Coalition and the integration with the clinic, visit www.hungerandhealthcoalition or contact Director of Marketing and Communications Kayla Lasure at (828) 262-1628 or kayla@teamhhc.org.
