Free summer meal programs help fill gap for children across southeastern North Carolina

1 hour ago

Conor Doherty,

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — As summer break continues, thousands of children across North Carolina lose access to the free school breakfasts and lunches they rely on during the academic year. Local school districts and food assistance organizations are working to bridge that gap by providing free meals throughout the summer.

Dozens of families lined up outside Town Creek Middle School on Monday to pick up free lunches through Brunswick County Schools’ “Meals to Go” program, one of several sites participating in the federally funded SUN Meals initiative.

Brunswick County Schools Child Nutrition Director Imer Smith said the program ensures that children continue to receive nutritious meals while school is out, while also easing financial pressure on families.

“It meets the nutrition guidelines,” Smith said. “It fills in the gaps of helping the families out, helping the children out with a nutritious meal, and financially it’s helping families out.”

According to Brunswick County Schools, approximately 600 meals were distributed on Monday at Town Creek Middle School alone, while nearly 1,100 meals were handed out across the county.

Children 18 years old and younger are eligible to receive either three-day or seven-day meal boxes regardless of whether they attend Brunswick County Schools.

For Matthew Dupont, who has four children, the program has become an important resource during the summer months.

“They’re eating and growing like weeds,” Dupont said. “Especially with the grocery prices, it’s very, very expensive. Options like this are very helpful and beneficial to my family and the community as well.”

School districts are not the only organizations working to address childhood hunger during the summer.

The Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina is also expanding its efforts after receiving a major food donation last week. Aaron Stienessen, the food bank’s director of food safety and sourcing, said donations help meet the increased demand families experience when school meal programs are unavailable.

“Hunger does not stop, so food needs to continue to flow,” Stienessen said. “During the summertime, families in need are experiencing a gap to fill through approximately 10 more meals for their children. Donations like these are allowing us to bridge that gap during the summer.”

Brunswick County is one of several school districts in southeastern North Carolina offering free summer meals for children.

In Brunswick County, 7-day meal boxes are picked up on Mondays and 3-day boxes on Thursdays.

Along with Town Creek Middle, the pick-up locations are South Brunswick and West Brunswick High Schools.

You can sign up here.

In Pender County, families can pick up 7 days’ worth of breakfast and lunch meals every Wednesday between 12:30 pm and 2 pm at:

South Topsail Elementary
C.F. Pope Elementary
Malpass Corner Elementary
Rocky Point Elementary
Atkinson Town Hall
Maple Hill Presbyterian Church

The program runs until August 12th.

Bladen County’s summer feeding program has pick-up locations at:

East Arcadia School
Elizabethtown Primary School
West Bladen High School

Pick-up days are Monday through Thursday, except on July 2nd, until July 30th, with breakfast pick up between 7:30 and 8:30 am and lunch from 11 am to 1:30 pm.

Columbus County’s pick-up locations are: