GRRO Services

There is a direct correlation between poverty, reduced access to fresh, quality foods and higher occurrences & death rates from certain chronic diseases. This is exactly the convergence of issues that have emerged in our rural communities. GRRO's work is designed to bring the above-described issues into consideration, debate and funding allocation as municipalities and service organizations explore funding and programming options for the 5-County area.

OUR COMMUNITIES...

Have more residents 65 and older (+20.8%)
Have more of our residents in poverty (+48.1%)
Have a LOWER median HH income (-33.0%)
Have a HIGHER unemployment rate (+12.3%)
Suffer higher death rates from:
- Cancer (+29.9%)
- Heart diseases (+31.5%)
- Stroke (+19.3%)
- Diabetes (+51.8%)
- Kidney diseases (+79.5%)

...WHEN COMPARED TO THE STATE OF NC

Our Mission

Vance County, where GRRO calls home, has the 2nd worst health outcomes of the 100 counties in North Carolina. The health statistics for Vance County tell a grim story. This community spent an average of $9,629 per person annually for health care; this is 4% more than the average in North Carolina, in a county where the median household income is 35% lower. There are also higher occurrences of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, type II diabetes and kidney disease and deaths from these diseases. And members of this community live with food insecurity at more than twice the average rate in the U.S. (24% vs 10%).

Our programs focus on increasing access to fresh, locally grown produce to the people who need it most.