Local organizations fight food insecurity but their mission may get harder after generator was stolen

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – 1.2 million people in our state are facing food insecurity, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

That’s nearly one out of every 11 people. Local organizations are trying to help though, including Coco Pipa on Castle Street.

Isaac Bol and Lizzy Fowler opened the juice shop a year ago.

“We wanted to provide a space where nutrition wasn’t seen as a privilege, but accessible to everyone,” said Fowler.

Shortly after opening their doors, they met Jerome and Joshua Belton with a nonprofit organization, Abundant Giving and quickly realized they share the same goal of fighting food insecurity in our community.

“There’s an old saying ‘you have to either pay your bills or buy food’ Well, that’s actually the way it is nowadays,” said Jerome.

With over a million people across the state struggling to find a healthy meal, Abundant Giving offers to bring food to as many of those people’s plates as possible.

“Our goal is to teach people how to eat and then help them with the food bills,” said Jerome.

Fowler and Bol recently partnered with them to give out free smoothies from their juice cart and borrowed Abundant Giving’s generator. However, they ran into a problem.

“The generator was stolen from our property,” said Bol. “My first reaction was disappointment, sadness, anger.”

They had to pull the plug on giving away food for them and the generator is an important piece of equipment for Abundant Giving.

“It’s really important for us to be able to power up to make sure everything is good and safe for people,” said Jerome. “When you give away food, you can’t give away anything you wouldn’t eat yourself.”

Jerome says whoever took the generator was probably someone who needed it but they’ll need a replacement soon.

“As hot as it’s going to get this summer, frozen has got to stay frozen,” said Jerome.

If you are interested in helping out, there is a GoFundMe to help pay for a new generator, you can find that here.

If you need Abundant Giving’s resources, learn more on their website by clicking here.

Copyright 2025 WECT. All rights reserved.