Nonprofit run by the wife of NC's lieutenant governor faces financial repercussions

A nonprofit run by the wife of North Carolina’s lieutenant governor faces financial repercussions after the N.C. Department of Health of Human Services said it failed to comply with several program rules.

Yolanda Hill’s nonprofit, Balanced Nutrition Inc., owes more than $130,000 to the department, according to a review. Hill’s husband, Mark Robinson, is also a Republican candidate for governor.

The nonprofit helps facilities access funds from the Child and Adult Care Food Program, which is federally funded and provides reimbursements for meals to child and adult care centers, according to the program’s website.

After a 2023-24 review, the Greensboro-based nonprofit was sent a letter on July 24 outlining the specific deficiencies found, some of which were repeat issues from a 2022-23 review.

"The State agency has determined that Balanced Nutrition, Inc. is seriously deficient in its operation of the CACFP,” the letter stated, noting a failure to keep attendance records, lack of income eligibility records, failure to comply with training, failure to file meals that meet the program criteria, among other things.

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Notably, the department also called into question the payment of Hill’s daughter, Kimberly Cephas, under the nonprofit's labor expenses.

“Balanced Nutrition, Inc. did not disclose or receive approval from the State agency regarding the less-than-arm length transaction,” the letter stated.

The nonprofit must correct the listed actions by Aug. 7, the department stated, or they can appeal the review within 15 days of receiving the statements. The department has received a response from Hill, but not a request for appeal or review, the communications office said.

Hill did not respond immediately for comment.

Before the command to pay the agency, Balanced Nutrition Inc. requested to be terminated from the program, but their request was filed after the department scheduled a compliance review.

Although Robinson does not work for the nonprofit now, he has in the past. A spokesperson for the campaign, Michael Lonergan, said on Monday that the actions were unfair.

“These findings are politically motivated at the core,” Lonergan wrote in an email statement. “Last year, an independent auditor issued a report on Balanced Nutrition, Inc. (BNI) with no material findings. Yet as soon as Mark Robinson announced his campaign for governor in April 2023, the Democrat-run state agency started moving the goalposts. Just as they are doing against President Trump, Democrats are weaponizing the bureaucracy to grind a political ax against their opponents. Needless to say, BNI is aware of these findings, vehemently disagrees with them, and is looking forward to challenging them on appeal.”

The trouble for Hill’s nonprofit comes as Election Day is less than 100 days away. At the polls, Robinson, who has been endorsed by Donald Trump, will face off against Democrat Josh Stein, who’s endorsed by Gov. Roy Cooper, a possible vice presidential pick for Kamala Harris, in the state’s race for the executive mansion.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Nonprofit run by wife of NC lieutenant governor faces penalty