WHAT
For the 900,000+ children across North Carolina eligible for free and reduced-price meals at school, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted critical nutrition resources that many of them rely on. Since the pandemic closed schools, many families have seen hardship and rely on their local schools and emergency food pantries for their nutrition. In an effort to support these families, Triangle Moe’s Southwest Grill restaurants are partnering with the Carolina Hunger Initiative and No Kid Hungry NC to provide 1,000 meals over the next month to feed families affected by COVID-19 in Wake, Durham and Orange Counties.
Since March, children across the state have received over 36.6 million free meals through the federal nutrition programs to help address the unprecedented economic and other challenges families are experiencing. School nutrition teams and community organizations have partnered and stepped up to fill the void, and even enlisted around 2,100 school buses to help deliver the meals.
“Our community has supported Moe’s for many years, and we absolutely want to be there for them,” said Jason Brooks, operator of five Triangle-area Moe’s. “We recognize that as the pandemic continues, food insecurity increases and so does the need for meal partners who can participate in the solution. We’re grateful to step in where we can to help fight emerging hunger and make a difference in the lives of so many here in NC.”
This ongoing effort to provide meals to children, through the NC Restaurants Feeding Kids Initiative, is a collaboration between The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI), the Carolina Hunger Initiative, meal providers, and various food vendors and restaurants.
“Of the almost 1.5 million public school students in North Carolina, nearly 60% qualified for free or reduced-price school meals during Fall 2019,” said Lou Anne Crumpler, Director of Carolina Hunger Initiative. “Many of these students depend on meals provided through school for some or most of their nutrition. With the pandemic, food insecurity in our state has more than doubled. It’s amazing to see schools, community organizations, volunteers and local restaurants like Moe’s come together to ensure kids do not go hungry during this emergency.”
This donation will kick off on Thursday, July 30, the same week that Moe’s Southwest Grill will announce a partnership with No Kid Hungry, a national campaign run by Share Our Strength aimed to end child hunger. Moe’s simultaneously will release their newest meal kits – the Fajita and the Nacho kits. With every purchase of one meal kit during August, Moe’s will donate $1 to No Kid Hungry, providing up to 10 meals for children in need.
The 20 TriangleMoe’s restaurants wanted to extend the partnership to make an immediate impact for NC children and families. For more information about the partnership, visit www.moes.com.
WHO
- 20 locally owned and operated Triangle Moe’s restaurants
- Carolina Hunger Initiative
- Durham Public Schools
- Wake County Public School System
- Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools
WHEN/WHERE
School Nutrition Program Sponsor: Durham Public Schools
- Thursday, July 30, 2020
- 10:15-10:30 am
Pickup of Donated Meals by DPS yellow school bus or van
Moe’s Southwest Grill
5332 McFarland Drive
Durham, NC 27707 - 11am-12:30 pm
Meals Distribution to Families
Sherwood Githens Middle School
4800 Old Chapel Hill Road
Durham, NC 27707
- 10:15-10:30 am
School Nutrition Program Sponsor: Wake County Public School System
Moe’s Meal Box Distribution on 2 days:
- Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020
- 11 am-1 pm
Athens Drive High School
1420 Athens Drive
Raleigh, NC 27606
- 11 am-1 pm
- Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020
- 11 am-1 pm
Bugg Elementary School
825 Cooper Road
Raleigh, NC 27610
- 11 am-1 pm
School Nutrition Program Sponsor: Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools
Moe’s Meal Box Distribution Date TO BE ANNOUNCED soon.
INTERVIEW/PHOTO OPS:
- Interview with Moe’s operator, Jason Brooks and/or franchisee, Jenn Wade
- Interview with Carolina Hunger Initiative representative
CONTACTS:
- Whitney Williams, 919-622-0132 or whitney@mckeemanpr.com;
- Tamara Baker, 919-951-9282 or tamarabaker@unc.edu, CarolinaHungerInitiative.org
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About Carolina Hunger Initiative
Carolina Hunger Initiative is a new project of the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (UNC HPDP) focused on improving access to healthy meals year-round for North Carolinians. Its early launch in March 2020 has allowed the team to pursue innovative approaches to support our state’s food systems during the COVID-19 emergency. The Initiative is working with the NC Department of Public Instruction to connect restaurants, vendors, and suppliers with the school districts and community organizations providing meals for kids. Carolina Hunger Initiative collaborates closely with No Kid Hungry North Carolina, a partnership between Share Our Strength and UNC HPDP.