BOONE, N.C. – Jen Bass's love for her community runs deep. Bass went to Appalachian State University where she got her master’s degree to help nonprofits.

She was drawn to the Hunger and Health Coalition because of everything they do for the community. Recently, Bass decided to bring a program started in Greensboro to Boone.

It's called A Simple Gesture and the idea behind it is simple. Bass gives green bags to anyone who wants to be involved, including businesses. Those bags are then filled up by those participating and left on their porch for Bass to pick up every other month.

During the pandemic alone, the Hunger and Health Coalition added 1,500 new clients, so they say the food is definitely needed. The green bags are then taken to a facility, sorted and given out in boxes to those in need.

Each person is given enough food to last their family two weeks. Bass says in order to keep up with the demand, they need to give out as many green bags as possible to be filled.

"Every pickup, we get about 10,000 and people are like ‘OMG, that’s literally five tons of food that goes off our shelf in five days.’ We give out around two tons of food per day," said Bass.

If you would like to participate with A Simple Gesture you can visit their website.