SURF CITY — The Kiwanis Club of Topsail Island Area received a $9,000 grant from the Kiwanis Children’s Fund to expand its child hunger and nutrition programs in Pender and Onslow counties.
The funding will support the club’s new “Feed. Fuel. Teach.” initiative, which builds on its monthly Community Supper program with take-home breakfasts and hands-on nutrition education.
The club will serve about 220 meals during each Sunday supper for Share the Table, including meals for approximately 50 children and provide children with take-home breakfasts containing shelf-stable milk, fresh fruit and a whole-grain item for the following morning.
The initiative will also introduce a Wellness Learning Lab, featuring cooking challenges, grocery-store lessons and garden-to-table activities. Participating children will receive meal kits with recipes and ingredients they can prepare with their families.
Programming will be based at the Kiwanis Education Pavilion planned for the Greater Topsail Community Garden.
“Feed. Fuel. Teach. allows us to meet an immediate need while investing in a child’s future,” Kiwanis Club President Vicki Fincham said in a release.
The grant follows a $10,000 award from the Kiwanis Children’s Fund in 2023 that helped establish the Greater Topsail Community Garden. From March 2024 through June 30, 2026, garden volunteers completed 169 harvests and donated 5,711 pounds of produce and herbs to Share the Table, according to the club.
The Kiwanis Club said more than 85 businesses, nonprofits, schools, civic organizations and other community partners contribute to its programs.
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