Summer Meals and What's Ahead for DPS Foundation
DPS has announced the details of their summer feeding program, which will replace Durham FEAST in providing week day meals for children under 18 years of age at school pick-up sites.
More than 2,300 donors, supporters, and partners—restaurants, volunteers, and school leaders—provided more than 375,000 meals to children and families at the height of the shutdowns that closed Durham Public Schools and forced the ending of the school system’s own emergency meals program.
"With our essential school nutrition and transportation employees utilizing our state’s leave benefits as concerns about COVID-19 accelerated, Durham FEAST stepped up to fill a crucial gap in services,” said DPS Superintendent Pascal Mubenga. “This has been a historic partnership in Durham County."
We still have important work to do: the DPS Foundation will supplement DPS summer meals through July with contactless deliveries of meals to families who are unable to go to pick-up sites. Please stay tuned for volunteer sign-ups.
Food insecurity remains a top need affecting many in our community. Below are three Durham organizations working to address food insecurity in Durham. Please consider how you can get involved and support their work:
Food Insight Group (FIG), one of our partners on Durham FEAST, is committed to building just, equitable, and resilient food systems.
End Hunger Durham supports food relief agencies, and those in need of food, with reliable information, networked collaborations, and advocacy for policies and initiatives aimed at ending poverty and hunger.
Porch Durham provides supplemental food to children and families facing hunger in Durham County.
In addition to food insecurity, we know that one of the biggest challenges confronting our students is learning loss during school closures. This crisis is exacerbating the digital divide and other existing inequities that create learning gaps especially for students of color, students with learning differences and English language learners.
DPS Foundation is committed to digital equity for all Durham students and is working with the district and other partners on how we can bring community resources to bolster digital learning access across Durham.
Stay tuned for more updates on this work and how you can be involved.