For many families, summer is a season of possibility—time outdoors, family road trips, and kids soaking up sunshine. But for others in our community, it’s a season of added strain. When school doors close, so do cafeterias—and with them, access to the free or reduced-price meals that so many children count on to stay nourished and ready to learn.
The reality? Very few children who receive school meals during the academic year can access summer meal sites. Lack of transportation, caregiver work schedules, and limited site availability all play a role. So instead of a break from routine, summer can bring uncertainty about something as basic as food.
Alicia, a longtime elementary school teacher and now a Second Harvest volunteer, saw the effects firsthand. “You could always tell who didn’t have enough to eat,” she shared. “Some kids came to school too tired to learn, their heads on their desks. Others were bouncing off the walls from too many sugary snacks—because there was no real food at home.”
To help, Alicia kept oatmeal and oranges in her desk drawer to quietly offer hungry students. She even started a school garden to teach kids where food comes from.
“When we supply children with the nutrition they need,” she said, “they become more attentive, alert, and aware.”
This summer, Second Harvest is expanding its Community Meals initiative to reach more children than ever. Across our 18-county service region—including here in Forsyth County—we’re preparing and distributing thousands of fresh, ready-to-eat meals for children and teens. These meals are lovingly made by our Providence team of chefs and volunteers, then delivered to trusted sites like community centers, YMCA programs, and more.
One young girl told us, “This lunch makes me feel full and happy.” Another added, “The apples are my favorite. And the juice. Thank you for thinking of us.”
Alongside this work, Second Harvest continues to stock the shelves of hundreds of local food assistance programs—partners serving families every day in neighborhoods across Northwest North Carolina.
But we cannot do this alone—and we cannot do it without strong federal nutrition programs. SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, plays a vital role in helping families keep nutritious food on the table year-round. In fact, for every meal our Food Bank provides, SNAP provides nine.
Right now, proposed cuts to SNAP in the federal budget threaten to make this work even harder.
Learn more and take action at SecondHarvestNWNC.org/stories.
Together, we can make summer a season of nourishment, energy, and joy—for every child in every community.
