SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — A round of grants to ensure students are provided healthy access to their morning meal have been announced for New Hanover and Pender counties schools districts.
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As part of the state’s North Carolina Innovative School Breakfast Grants, almost $32,000 will be doled out to the communities.
Pender County Schools received $10,112, according to Andrew Harrell of the Carolina Hunger Initiative. The nonprofit paired up with the North Carolina Alliance for Health, as both coalitions work toward bridging health disparities, to decide grant funding.
Schools that applied for funds were part of the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), providing free meals to students.
In Pender County, the money will fund its grab-and-go breakfast programs. Easy-to-access food is available at the school entrances of eight Pender institutions, so when parents drop off their children, the meal is easy to transport.
“Funding will support meal service kiosks and other supplies to transport and serve meals outside of the cafeterias,” Harrell told PCD.
New Hanover County will receive $21,826 to also support grab-and-go and breakfast in the classroom for eight schools. Again, the money helps scale the food service kiosks, meal service supplies, and point-of-sale technology. Harrell said the infrastructure will have a direct effect on keeping lines moving faster and efficiently.
Overall, $1.3 million was sent to 42 public school districts across North Carolina. The money will provide around 51,000 students healthy meals. The NC Innovative School Breakfast Grants were funded through federal funds in October 2023.
“Our public schools not only provide safe places for children to learn, but also healthy meals for students who sometimes face food insecurity at home,” Governor Cooper said in a press release. “These grants will help more public schools provide breakfast for children in the classroom so they can start their day ready to learn and be successful.”
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