Beaufort County residents have the opportunity to help hand a big check to Eagle’s Wings food pantry this month and join the fight against hunger.

The Walmart Foundation will give out a $20,000 check to the organization that gets the most online votes.

Eagle’s Wings hopes to expand its Backpack Program should it get the most votes. The Backpack Program allows children who, when they leave school Friday afternoons, often might not know where their next meal is coming from over the weekend. Eagle’s Wings, with assistance from Trinity Episcopal Church and Aurora United Methodist Church, load backpacks with two meals: two cereals, two juices, two fruits, two entrees and a quart of shelf-stable milk. The bags are delivered to the schools and the children via their school-bus drivers.

One in three Beaufort County children lives in poverty. That can translate to missing meals on a regular basis. Eagle’s Wings, by offering up the backpacks, ensures that those children will not go to bed hungry.

Donations to Eagle’s Wings are always appreciated, as last year, the organization fed well over a thousand local families in their time of need. And as we all know, food is not cheap. Even if you don’t have the cash to donate, do this instead: go to Walmart.com. Scroll down to the link “Join us in the fight against hunger.” Click on the “Vote now” link and when the search box appears, enter “Eagle’s Wings Ministries.”

Voting for Eagle’s Wings is voting for the health of the smallest members of our community. Vote now. And vote often.