Summer Food Program Helps Hungry Kids

CHARLOTTE, NC — More than half of the students in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools are classified as economically disadvantaged. In some schools, the percentage receiving free or reduced meals is as high as 90.

That means many students are facing a food shortage when school is out. That reality is spurring action in one Charlotte community.

“We thought outside the box on how can we, this need still exists, how can we get the food out into the community,” says Mike Primiani with the CMS Community Partnership Department.

Almost 90% of the students at Billingsville Elementary in the Grier Heights community are getting free or reduced lunch. During the school year, the CMS Community Partnership Department helped put together a weekly backpack program, providing food over the weekends to 100 kids. But when school let out, those kids lost their lifeline.

“When they come in they get a breakfast,” says Grier Heights Community Center Director Gloria Green. “And when they leave they’re taking a bag home with them for lunch, or dinner tonight, we just don’t know. But we want to make sure we have that opportunity to make sure that these kids are fed.”

It took a team effort, some creative thinking and several helping hands; putting together a summer food bank, distributed through the Grier Heights Community Center. CMPD picks up food bags at Alexander Graham Middle each week and takes them to Gloria Green and her staff.

“This is going to feed over 100 kids every single week,” says CMPD Officer John Frisk. “It’s great to pick up this food and get it over here to watch these kids be able to take all this food home, and make sure they’re all eating.”

“We were lucky enough to partner up with them, as well as here at the community center with the fantastic programs going on over here this summer, and make sure that the need is still being met,” says Primiani.

The community center runs a summer camp for neighborhood kids on weekday mornings. At pick-up time on Wednesday, CMPD and the Mayor’s Youth Employment Program help the community center staff hand out the food.

“We have great collaborations with different partners, and they are supporting this community center with all they’ve got,” says Green.

“We do truly care,” says Officer Frisk. “And we’re definitely here to help them.”

The Grier Heights summer food bank will continue until CMS starts classes again. School is scheduled to begin on Monday, August 29th.