Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Summer Feeding Program
Needs Volunteers and Participants

Winston-Salem, NC – June 1, 2009 – Clyde Fitzgerald, Executive Director of Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC,
Mayor Allen Joines and Superintendent Dr. Don Martin of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School System held a news conference on Thursday to announce plans for this year’s Summer Feeding Program for hungry children in Forsyth County. Program organizers are seeking children to participate in this year’s program and volunteers to assist at the program sites.

The 2009 program will begin on June 22 and run through August 14, providing meals free of charge for children ages 0-18 at 23 sites in Forsyth County. Breakfast (8:15am- 8:45am) and lunch (11:30am-12:30pm) will be provided at the following sites:

Brunson Elementary (August 3-12)
Carter Vocational High
Carver High
Cook Elementary
Easton Elementary
Forest Park Elementary
Griffith Elementary
Hall Woodward Elementary
Hill Middle (June 22-August 7)
Kennedy Middle (July 6-August 14)
Kernersville Elementary
Latham Elementary
Lowrance Middle
Mineral Springs Middle
North Hills Elementary
Old Town Elementary
Parkland High (July 13-July 24)
Petree Elementary
Philo Middle
South Fork Elementary
Speas Elementary
Walkertown Elementary
Wiley Middle

Parents of the children participating may purchase lunch for $3.

More than 422,000 children in North Carolina are food insecure – unable to consistently access adequate amounts of nutritious food that is necessary for a healthy life. And over 24,000 children in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools alone are eligible for free/reduced lunch.

“We aim to address this very serious—but solvable—problem of childhood hunger through the Summer Feeding Program, in addition to our other childhood hunger initiatives,” said Fitzgerald. “Funding is provided by the federal government, so the key is getting more children to take advantage of this program.”

For more information on having your child participate or to volunteer at a site, please contact the Child Nutrition Department of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools at 336.771.4526.

Click here for a downloadable flyer about the summer feeding program.