Remember the Beehive Collective? We've written about this Raleigh-based giving circle several times over the last few years, and the folks at the Raleigh Public Record recently published an update on what these Bees are busy doing...including the $25,000 in grants they awarded last year.

"Polinating giving in Raleigh" (From the Raleigh Public Record)

You might see the ladies – and gents – of the Beehive Collective buzzing around Raleigh. The fairly young group, made up primarily of women, gave away $25,000 in grants to two Raleigh-based charities this year. Catholic Charities and the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle were the recipients of the 2010 grant, which was voted on by the 43-member hive.

Catholic Charities will use its $10,000 grant to support its food panty, Catholic Parish Outreach, which feeds 7,500 Wake County residents each month, said Catholic Charities director Rick Miller-Haraway. The organization will use the award to hire a new program assistant that will help manage the daily operations of the pantry and start a program that helps residents apply for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle has grown from reclaiming food from restaurants and grocery stores over 20 years ago to training residents how to grow, sell and preserve their own. The $15,000 grant that was awarded to the organization will be used to grow its Young Farmer training program. The program teaches Raleigh youth how to grow produce, raise livestock and farm management in hopes that they will be able to create their own livelihood from sustainable farming...

Read the full article

You can also catch members of the Beehive Collective in the "Young People & Giving" segment of our statewide documentary, North Carolina Giving: Philanthropy Across Cultures & Communities.