Junior League of Wilmington raising awareness about poverty and food insecurity

LELAND, NC (WWAY) — Nearly 40,000 people in New Hanover County live in poverty and 16,000 have limited access to food. That’s why the Junior League of Wilmington (JLW) is kicking off an initiative to create more awareness about these issues across the Cape Fear.

JLW is holding its Little Black Dress Initiative (LBDI) all this week where the group’s members will wear the same black dress (or some other black outfit that fits the participant’s lifestyle) for five days to demonstrate the effects of poverty.

“The goal is to make poverty unfashionable and was started by the Junior League of London and they originally did this during fashion week where everybody wore the same dress to show how fashion does impact people on a daily basis,” said JLW Member Janison Dillon. “We’re going to wear the same dress every day and post pictures and information about what the Junior League of Wilmington does to combat poverty.”

JLW members will also wear a pin that states “Ask Me About My Dress” as a means of generating conversations about these issues.

“The Junior League of Wilmington has chosen to approach our current community focus of eliminating barriers to education by combating childhood hunger and providing programming and other support to New Hanover County Schools,” said Junior League of Wilmington’s Executive Vice President Teresa Blake. “We are able to raise awareness of the issues contributing to educational obstacles during the week-long LBDI campaign by highlighting the stark numbers and statistics within our community.”

The week-long initiative will conclude with the Little Black Dress Party Fundraiser on Friday, Feb. 8, at Ironclad Brewery in Wilmington.

“The party is open to the public and tickets are still available so we would love to have people come,” said JLW Member Sasha Kammer.

Tickets are available for $35 and may be purchased on line at the JLW website. Your ticket will include two drinks, hors d’oeuvres and dancing. There will also be raffle drawings throughout the evening with proceeds going to the JLW.

In addition to the LBDI, the JLW is involved in a number of other outreach initiatives year round.

“We contribute to Nourish NC’s Backpack Buddies program, and we also help with A Girl’s Leadership Academy of Wilmington and Kids in the Kitchen,” Kammar said.

With every initiative, the JLW says there’s a strong educational component.

“Absolutely and that’s a big part of the Little Black Dress Initiative week, its not just about raising money but raising awareness and educating people,” said Kammer. “I was not aware of so many statistics in our community until we started digging into this project.”

Click here for more information about the Junior League of Wilmington.