DURHAM, N.C. – In North Carolina, there's no shortage of craft breweries, with dozens sprouting up every year across the state.

But brewers have a tough time keeping all of their ingredients local, and that need is what caused Sebastian Wolfrum of Durham to have what you might call an epiphany two years ago.

Wolfrum wanted to open a large scale craft malter to provide malt to brewers. After having trouble selling banks on the idea, and reluctant to offer up a share of his business to an investor, Wolfrum received a loan from the Natural Capital Investment Fund (NCIF).

"The only other option people will have is to sell a piece of the pie to somebody who is willing to give you cash,” he explains. “It's a gap they really fill in a way that nobody really does."

NCIF is a business loan fund that looks to invest in communities in Central Appalachia and the Southeast. Last year the fund awarded more than $3 million in loans and offered 3,100 hours in advisory services.

Wolfrum's company, aptly named Epiphany Craft Malt, will be the largest craft malter in the state and will be able to provide malt to at least a dozen brewers by the end of the year.

Malt is made of sprouted and dried barley, and Wolfrum's need for barley has given Perry Farms, a tobacco grower in Wake Forest for more than a century, a new crop.

Tim Kuhls, the farm’s head barley grower and a home beer brewer, is excited to have an alternative and a way to ride the wave of craft beer's popularity.

"The decline in tobacco really gives us reason to think about what happens if one day we don't grow tobacco anymore and what can we do that's different and unique that adds value to something unique and creative like craft beer," he says.

Wolfrum points out up until now many brewers making large batches have had to purchase ingredients such as malts from out of state. His business now offers them an alternative that is more in sync with their business model of brewing locally.

"Buying from somebody like me is a lot more similar to who they are, you know, small business,” he explains. “Everybody knows who they are, and certainly in my case it's the same thing, I mean, everybody knows where I'm at and who I am and it just makes a lot more sense, I guess, for everybody."

According to the NCIF 2014 annual report, 74 percent of the companies it funds report higher profits and create 342 full-time and 306 part-time jobs.





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Groups working to end hunger in Nebraska are reaching out to all parts of the state to train food insecure people to advocate for others facing similar issues.

The advocacy group Nebraska Appleseed's Food Access Community Advocates Cohort educates people over nine months how to build advocacy, community organizing and storytelling skills, so they are better equipped to understand policies affecting the state's most food insecure people.

Megan Hamann, senior community organizer of food and nutrition access for Nebraska Appleseed, said having experienced hunger puts them in a better position to understand and talk about policy issues affecting hungry people in Nebraska.

"They have this lived experience that is really useful, I think, when it comes to making sure that our decision-makers know the impact of the policies they are considering," Hamann explained.

Nebraska Appleseed will start taking applications for new program participants Friday.

Hamann pointed out the number of food insecure people in Nebraska is greater now than it was during the pandemic, when demand at food banks was already high.

"I think with the passage of the recent federal budget reconciliation bill, we are looking forward to a period of time where that need is going to reach new extremes," Hamann projected.

This will be the fourth year of the cohort program. Many past participants have taken leadership roles in their communities and are now leading local efforts to educate others about the best ways to address food insecurity.


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It has been about three weeks since the Rowena Fire in Oregon's Columbia Gorge was put out, and the local food bank remains vital to recovery efforts.

The fire burned 3,600 acres in Wasco County, destroying 56 homes and 100 other structures.

Breen Goodwin, executive director of the Columbia Gorge Food Bank, said they are always prepared to assist during disasters with ready-to-eat emergency food boxes and water. She added many displaced families are living with relatives, in hotels, or camping and remain uncertain about their next steps.

"It is difficult in a community of our size to absorb housing needs for that many families who have lost homes," Goodwin acknowledged. "That next step of the recovery process of truly: 'How are those families being supported with more long term recovery efforts?'"

Breen pointed out the food bank has been serving as a distribution site to hand out supplies from Adventist Health of the Columbia Gorge and other organizations who donated nonfood items, including air purifiers, generators, hygiene supplies and stuffed animals for kids.

One of the biggest challenges, Breen noted, is keeping a supply of drinking water flowing once people start to return home.

"We're able to drop full pallets of water directly into the impacted communities because most of the time the drinking water is no longer safe until enough testing has been done," Breen explained.

The Columbia Gorge Food Bank is one of 21 regional food banks in the Oregon Food Bank Network. Breen emphasized the number of people visiting the food bank rose to about 6,500 per month during the pandemic and has remained at that level. People can visit OregonFoodFinder.org to find pantry locations in their area.

Indiana families are navigating the summer without SUN Bucks, a federal grocery benefit which delivered $120 per child last summer.

Gov. Mike Braun's administration chose not to participate in 2025, citing prior planning gaps.

Mark Lynch, director of advocacy for the Indy Hunger Network, said the funding blackout hit the state hard.

"We really are feeling and seeing the impacts of not having the SUN Bucks program this year," Lynch emphasized. "That $120 per summer for those students that they had last year have created some longer lines at our food pantries."

State leaders said administrative hurdles kept Indiana out of the program. Supporters argued skipping SUN Bucks puts pressure on food banks and leaves low-income families with fewer options.

Lynch noted to help bridge the gap, Indiana expanded its summer meal sites to include prepackaged meals, which do not require daily pickups.

"But there's school starting soon and they're giving their workers some time off for the summer, so that might be ending in the next week or two," Lynch explained. "That's just an example and that happens around the state in rural, suburban, and in city communities."

The Indy Hunger Network and other partners continue to support Hoosiers through tools like the Community Compass app, which shows nearby meal sites and grocery assistance programs.


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