The Clay County Food Pantry

What The Clay County Food Pantry does

The Clay County Food Pantry (CCFP), legally The Clay County Food Pantry, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1992 in Hayesville, North Carolina, and incorporated in 1995. The organization distributes food at no cost to qualifying low-income residents of Clay County, NC, and to TEFAP recipients regardless of residency. It runs a primary distribution operation out of a 3,100 square foot purpose-built facility on the Hinton Rural Life Center property in Hayesville (Hinton Center), open multiple days per week, and a satellite bi-weekly site at the Brasstown Community Center. Services are delivered through an all-volunteer model (approximately 20-25 regular volunteers plus board members, no paid staff) using a Choice Program that allows clients to select preferred items rather than receiving pre-packaged boxes. Cold storage has grown to eight refrigerators and eight freezers.

The organization is embedded in a multi-layered supply and funding network. Food supply flows primarily through MANNA Food Bank (bi-weekly shipments serving 16 counties of WNC), USDA TEFAP, and the broader Feeding America and Feeding the Carolinas networks. Financial support comes from individual donors, churches, businesses, civic organizations, and a small set of foundations including the Cherokee Preservation Foundation, Highland Cashiers Foundation, The Duke Energy Foundation, United Way of Cherokee & Clay Counties, and the Gottlieb Family matching-gift program. Programming includes the Senior Box Program (for homebound seniors over 60, delivered via the local senior center) and seasonal holiday meal programs (Thanksgiving turkeys and Christmas hams).

CCFP has no traditional revenue model: services are free to recipients, there is no commercial pricing, and no public revenue figures are disclosed. In 2024 the pantry served an average of 136 families (338 individuals) weekly and distributed more than 8,300 boxes of food; Q1 2025 demand is running 20% above 2024. Governance is provided by a Board of Directors (officers plus directors serving two-year terms), currently led by President & CEO Jerry Sullivan. The pantry has been recognized as Best Charity by readers of the Clay County Progress in 2022, and operates with no parent company, subsidiaries, or external equity ownership.

Name

The Clay County Food Pantry

Legal name

The Clay County Food Pantry, Inc.

Website

https://claycountyfoodpantry.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Clay County Food Pantry is a 501(c)(3), all-volunteer nonprofit founded in 1992 that distributes free food to low-income residents of Clay County, NC, through its Choice Program at the Hinton Center in Hayesville and a satellite site in Brasstown.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Assistance / Hunger Relief Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Community Food Services (624210)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Food & Nutrition Assistance Programs (BPAIAKAF)

Keywords

• Food assistance services
• Emergency food distribution
• Community hunger relief
• Nonprofit food pantry
• Charitable food programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Hayesville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Monetary Donations: Tax-deductible financial contributions from individuals, businesses, and organizations. Donations are used to purchase food and cover operational costs. The Gottlieb Family provides a matching gift program to double contributions during designated periods.
2. Food Donations: Non-perishable pre-packaged and canned foods donated by individuals, churches, businesses, and community organizations. Fresh produce, meats and similar items are also accepted.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Clay County Food Pantry is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit that distributes free food boxes and groceries to low-income families and individuals in Clay County, North Carolina. Core operations include weekly Choice Program food selection at the Hinton Center facility and bi-weekly distribution at the Brasstown Community Center, with supplemental Senior Box and Holiday Meal (Thanksgiving/Christmas) programs, all supported by community donations and food supplied through MANNA Food Bank and USDA TEFAP.

Product overview

The Clay County Food Pantry offers a single integrated food assistance program centered around its food distribution service. The core offering is the food pantry operation at Hinton Center (open Fridays) and the Brasstown Community Center (alternating Thursdays). The Choice Program allows clients to select preferred food items. The Senior Box Program partners with the local senior center to serve residents over 60. Holiday food assistance provides seasonal turkeys and hams. All services are delivered through volunteer-operated distribution with no paid staff.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Clay County Food Pantry Food Distribution Service Free food box and grocery distribution service for low-income families and individuals in Clay County, North Carolina, operated from the Hinton Center facility (Fridays 9am-12pm and Thursdays 4pm-6pm) and the Brasstown Community Center (bi-weekly Thursdays 11am-1pm). Recipients must be Clay County NC residents living below the NC poverty income level, complete required documentation periodically, with no residency requirement for TEFAP recipients.
• Choice Program
• Senior Box Program
• Holiday Food Assistance Program

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Matt's MinistrycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 May 2024Food distribution organization serving Clay County since 2012. Located at 129 WJ Cabe Rd, Hayesville. Collaborates with CCFP to expand Brasstown distribution from monthly to bi-weekly.
• MANNA Food BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary food supply partner. MANNA Food Bank serves the 16 counties of western North Carolina and provides bi-weekly shipments of food to the pantry. The partnership enables CCFP to receive USDA foods through TEFAP.
• USDA TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal program that helps supplement diets of low-income Americans. USDA purchases nutritious foods and makes them available through state distributing agencies. TEFAP is distributed through MANNA Food Bank.
• Feeding AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational food bank network that MANNA Food Bank is part of, providing additional resources and support for food distribution operations.
• Feeding the CarolinasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-level food bank network supporting food assistance programs across North Carolina.
• Hinton CenterflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHinton Rural Life Center provides the property and facility for the main food pantry location. Focuses on serving individuals, congregations, and rural communities through retreat ministries and missional outreach. Outreach programs include safe/healthy home repair, firewood and garden ministries.
• Brasstown Community CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides space for bi-weekly food distribution at 255 Settawig Road, Brasstown, NC. Serves 30-70 families per month. Combined with Matt's Ministry and CCFP for expanded service.
• Senior Center PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with senior center to provide food boxes for homebound individuals over 60 years of age. Senior center distributes boxes on behalf of CCFP.
• Ingles Market (Hayesville #116)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal grocery store with food donation drums at exits for community donations. Also hosts annual Ingles Community Giving bag program that set a record with 2,250 bags collected.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MANNA Food Bank: Regional food bank serving the 16 counties of western North Carolina and CCFP's primary food supply partner. Operates the same client-choice distribution model and USDA TEFAP allocation flow, making it the most direct operational peer in the region.
• Matt's Ministry: Clay County-based food distribution organization that has partnered with CCFP since 2012 to operate the Brasstown satellite site. Closest local peer in geography, mission, and volunteer-driven operating model.
• Feeding the Carolinas: State-level association of North Carolina and South Carolina food banks, of which MANNA is a member. Provides policy, funding, and supply-chain coordination relevant to CCFP's broader food-assistance ecosystem.
• Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina: Regional food bank serving 18 counties in northwest North Carolina, with a comparable Choice Program model. Comparable in scale and operating model as a peer food bank in the same state and Feeding America network.
• Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina: Larger NC food bank serving 34 counties through partner agencies. Comparable in mission, food-distribution mechanics, and federal program (TEFAP) participation, though at materially greater scale.
• Harvest Hope Food Bank: Regional food bank serving 20 counties in South Carolina, also operating Choice Program-style client selection. Comparable mission, network affiliation, and beneficiary profile, though serving a different geography.

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: National network of 200+ food banks including MANNA. While not a direct operating peer, CCFP sits within this broader national umbrella and is directly affected by its supply, funding, and policy work.
• Atlanta Community Food Bank: Large regional food bank serving 29 counties across metro Atlanta and North Georgia. Operates a similar Choice Pantry model and TEFAP/Feeding America participation, representing the next-tier scale-up of CCFP's operating model.

Emerging players

• Mountain Projects: Community action agency serving Haywood County and the surrounding western NC region. Operates adjacent anti-hunger and family-support services and represents a peer mission profile at slightly larger scale.

Others

• Meals on Wheels of Clay County: Adjacent in-home meal-delivery organization serving Clay County seniors. Touches the same vulnerable population through a different delivery model, and represents a potential partner for senior-focused food programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=61561334788205

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Clay County Food Pantry