Washington, North Carolina – Beaufort County Schools, in partnership with the Eagle’s Wings, Beaufort-Hyde Partnership for Children, Literacy Volunteers of Beaufort County, Arts of the Pamlico, USDA Farm to School, Southside Farms, Food Lion, Little Caesars, NC Department of Public Instruction, No Kid Hungry North Carolina and many community churches and volunteers, will help connect more area kids and teens to free summer meals programs by raising awareness about the program and making it easier for families to get to a summer meals site.

“For many kids, summertime means food, friends and fun. For families who count on school breakfast and lunch,

however, the summer months can be stressful and family food budgets have to be stretched even further,” said Beaufort County Schools Superintendent Matthew Cheeseman. “During the summer, kids can also lose out on several months of learning and physical activity that they would normally get at school.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers free summer meals to kids across North Carolina similar to school lunch and breakfast programs, except meals are free to all kids ages 18 and younger who come to a summer meals site registered through the USDA. But of the almost 900,000 kids in the North Carolina who North Carolina Department of Public Instruction data shows were eligible for a free or reduced-price school lunch in March 2017, only 12 percent of those kids got a free summer meal in 2017.

Lack of awareness about the program, stigma, getting kids to a site that is near them and parent trust are just a few of the barriers families face according to recent focus groups conducted by Share Our Strength, the national nonprofit that supports No Kid Hungry campaigns around the nation.

“Summer meals programs are more important than ever before as families are struggling to make ends meet. Families also face the stress of providing safe, supervised and affordable places for kids and teens to socialize, play and continue to learn during the summer,” Cheeseman said.

Many local summer meals sites, which are registered with the USDA, offer fun learning and recreational activities so kids and teens can eat a healthy meal while staying active and hanging out with friends.

• Meals are free to children and teens ages 18 and younger who come to a summer meals site.
• Food served follows USDA nutrition guidelines and is paid for by the USDA.
• Open summer meals sites are the Beaufort County Ed Tech Center, Belhaven Civic Center, River Road Estates, Thomas Lane at Ashmata, Quail Ridge and New Growth Unlimited Ministries in Aurora.
• Our sites offer educational books sponsored by The Partnership for Children and Literacy Volunteers of Beaufort County, art supplies donated by The Arts of the Pamlico and recreational activities sponsored by our USDA Farm to School Grant. Kids of all ages can participate so they can eat, hang out with friends and take part in activities offered.
• Parents don’t need to apply to the program to get a free summer meal for their kids. They can just bring their child to a summer meals site in their community.
• “Our goal is to increase the number of children participating in the summer meals program, and we are working hard with others in the community to get these kids to the table,” ” said Beaufort County Schools Nutrition Director Gwyn Roberson-McBride.

Summertime should be a stress-free time for parents and kids, full of food, friends and fun. Free summer meals can help. Families can learn more or find a site near them by going to NoKidHungryNC.org or text FoodNC to 877-877 during the summer months to find a site near them. No Kid Hungry North Carolina is a partnership launched in 2011 by the national nonprofit Share Our Strength and other state leaders and is now based at UNC Chapel Hill. The initiative brings resources and attention to the growing childhood hunger issue in North Carolina to improve access to healthy foods. Learn more at NoKidHungryNC.org