Some things just go together — peanut butter and jelly, milk and cookies, and summer on the Pamlico River. But sometimes unusual pairings like arts and food can make an impact.

That’s what Ann-Marie Montague, executive director of Eagle’s Wings Food Pantry, said of a collaborative effort with Arts of the Pamlico to alleviate food insecurity.

“Arts and food in the same sentence, you wouldn’t think of it. … It’s like ‘How do these two work together?’” Montague said. “It’s a strange partnership, but we’re working hard to make it work.”

AOP and Eagle’s Wings were the recipients of the $25,000 Ribbon of Hope grant from the North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation, a nonprofit that supports educational and health needs of future generations.

This is the first time any organization in Beaufort County has received this grant, according to Montague.

“It’s a very extensive grant application. I know we’ve applied for it in the past. … It’s a very big deal,” Montague said.

The $25,000, according to Montague, will help a women, infant and children (WIC) program supplementary pantry at Eagle’s Wings. Montegue said their portion of the grant will focus on providing a pantry for children 0-4 years old and pregnant and lactating mothers.

Montague believes that the grant was awarded to this collaboration because of the unique partnership with AOP.

Debra Torrence, executive director at Arts of the Pamlico, said AOP will hold the Hands On Arts festival in September with Eagle’s Wings to spread the word about food insecurity in the area. There will also be an art exhibit in February aimed at raising awareness about the issue.

Torrence said she started the conversation with Eagle’s Wings and wanted to figure out a way to inform the community about the need to alleviate child hunger.

“We can do that through art. We can do that throughout, creating the WIC pantry. We can do that through the art exhibit, through social awareness,” Torrence said.

AOP will also create “art kits” so families and children at Eagle’s Wings can have access to free art, according to Torrence.

Torrence believes hunger and poverty affects children on many levels, and that’s why raising awareness for the cause is so important.

“They struggle with being able to grow their brains, they struggle with everything. If you’re hungry, everything else goes by the wayside,” Torrence said.