RALEIGH, N.C. — Many children who rely on school meals for food in Raleigh have started using a Wake County program that provides lunch at no cost to them for the summer.

The county is partnering with local organizations to ensure no child goes without food.

What You Need To Know

  • Wake County has started its no-cost meal program for the summer
  • Wake County is partnering with local organizations to ensure no child goes without food
  • Multiple sites will serve food this summer

Free summer meal distribution at the Poe Center for Health Education kicked off Wednesday. It’s dubbed Lunch with Poe at the center’s PlayWELL Park. 

Children under 18 can chow down from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 224 Sunnybrook Road, Raleigh. The no-cost meals will run through summer at locations across the county.

The midday meal is a chance for growing minds and bodies to develop their understanding of growing gardens through an outdoor, hands-on classroom of healthy fruits and vegetables.

This event will feature exciting activities, such as exploring the Poe Center’s GrowWELL Garden and MindWELL Garden Labyrinth.

The meals are funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program.

The Poe Center will continue to provide free meals for children each Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. during the summer. Other locations include: 

Each site has different operating days and hours, but at least one site is open most days. 

The Wake County Cooperative Extension supports partners in creating sites, enhancing the experience and feeding mouths countywide.

A return to a reliable summer meal program is a welcome sight for children whose lives were interrupted by the pandemic. In years past, children often needed food beyond the lunchroom after the school year ended.

 The Summer Food Service Program, known as SUN Meals, has historically provided no-cost meals to youth in low-income areas through eligible organizations, primarily in the summer when most schools are closed for instruction. 

A separate endeavor shows the efforts of multiple entities in the area. Statistics from the 2023 Summer Nutrition Program, an initiative from the NC Department of Public Instruction, shows nearly 174,000 meals were served by the program last summer, including breakfast, lunch, dinner and, yes, even snacks.

The 4NCKids! Wake County Program Overview shows the vulnerability of youth outside of classrooms to school halls to a consistent lunchtime meal. 

The program describes a well-accepted theme: Children receiving free and reduced-price meals through the School Breakfast and National School Lunch Program are at greater risk of hunger during the summer.

A lack of dependable nutritious options during the hottest months can lead to lagging in learning once the academic year resumes and potential health issues, according to the state program.

“We can fill the gap on nutrition for all the students that are interested in coming to visit a site,” Paula De Lucca said.

De Lucca is the senior director of child nutrition services for the Wake County Public School System.

“There are lot of different families who are in need of support,” De Lucca said. “I've been in this industry, as we call it, for more than 40 years, and my driving passion is to try to make sure that children are taken care of.”

Poe Center executive director Ann Rollins said food insecurity in the community is real.

“It's a universal need that we all need to be as a community thinking about and working on,” Rollins said. 

Being involved has deepened her understanding of the issue.

“We know food security in Wake County is a crisis. We’ve been working on this for over 15 years. ​​With the growth here, and people don't realize it's not just an urban issue — it's a countywide issue," Rollins said. "Being able to access healthy food is critical for kids’ learning. And we're focused on children and their families and how we help them."

Yet Rollins said her happiness also feels more constant when she sees hungry children being fed. 

“It is so exciting,” Rollins said. “They’re having fun.”