You may be planning to gain weight as you feast over the holiday season; but one in four kids in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City schools doesn’t have that option. A pastor at a local church is trying to help.
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Chad Simpkins is the pastor at Varsity Church in Chapel Hill. He and his family moved here a few years ago. They were surprised to hear that child hunger is more common in the community than you might think.
“I grew up in North Carolina in Winston Salem, and I always thought Chapel Hill was this safety zone where there were no issues,” says Simpkins, “To hear that kind of blew us out of the water. So we’ve got to do something about that.”
The church found a handful of different programs to address the issue. One of those programs takes off this weekend for the second year in a row.
Simpkins, church members, and community volunteers are packing 10,000 meals for children in Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Orange County, and Durham. It’s for a non-profit program known as “Feed 10,000”.
“Child Hunger affects so much of a child’s life,” Simpkins says.
“Not just that they don’t have food. It affects their educational abilities, and of course brings a lot of stress to families. This is more than just feeding stomachs. We feel like it’s feeding minds too.”
Simpkins says he doesn’t expect to resolve the issue of local child hunger in one weekend. But he says he hopes it brings awareness to the issue. He says he hopes people are motivated to take action.
“The resources are here,” says Simpkins: “But like me and our family, not knowing that need is there is a big problem. Anything we can do to get the word out, and get people involved to make a bigger dent in child hunger is great. There shouldn’t be a kid here that ever goes to bed hungry.”
300 volunteers packed the cafeteria at SmithMiddle School last year. Simpkins says it looks like they will do the same this season. He says if you want to volunteer, sign up before the spaces fill up.
“We want to make a difference in this community, but we also know we can’t do it on our own,” Simpkins says, “We want to do it with people in the community, whether they’re part of our church or not.”
To find out how you can help click here.
http://chapelboro.com/news/news-around-time/local-church-fights-child-hunger/CHAPEL HILL- While many are focused on next year’s school budget, members of Orange County Voice are looking ahead to the county’s long-term building plans.
At a public hearing on Thursday, Orange County Voice President Bonnie Hauser asked the board to rethink the list of projects in the county’s $172 million dollar five-year capital investment plan.
“We fear that the county is too focused on new buildings, new campuses and new facilities and there’s not enough attention on the the quality and effectiveness of services,” said Hauser.
She critiqued both the $6.5 million dollar expansion of the Southern Human Services Center planned for 2016, and next year’s $1.5 million dollar renovation to the Whitted Building to provide a permanent meeting space for local governments.
“We’re hearing way too much from architects and designers, and not enough from the major stakeholders and experts on the ground including the professionals, the agencies, the schools, and the everyday users of the county services,” said Hauser. “We ask you to change the way the county plans for our future and make service, not buildings, a priority.”
Marilee McTigue argued in favor of improving cooperation between the Chapel Hill and Orange County library systems before the county invests $7 million dollars to build a library just a few miles away from Chapel Hill’s.
“So the question needs to be asked, should we make significant investments in library facilities, just because it’s been difficult to work with Chapel Hill?” asked McTigue. “What about the rural residents need for library services, many of whom travel more than 15 miles to get to a library. How will there needs be met, and where will the money come from?”
In both cases, Orange County Voice members asked the board to consider creating stakeholder work groups to assess community needs before committing funding to the projects.
The board also heard from those seeking funding for a variety on nonprofits. Northside resident Keith Edwards said Habitat for Humanity’s Brush with Kindness program has proved invaluable in her neighborhood. Volunteers helped repair her house in May.
“The experience was amazing. I know sooner or later I’m going to break down in tears of joy, because I’ve been asking God, ‘Why me?’” said Edwards. “I had a choice between getting dental work done or fixing my house. I chose the dental work, didn’t know how I was going to fix my house, and God blessed me with a brush of kindness.”
Representatives from the Carrboro ArtsCenter and the Marian Cheek Jackson Center also made their case for funding to support children’s programing and neighborhood preservation.
Commissioners will continue budget deliberations at a work session next Thursday at the Southern Human Services Center on Homestead Road.
http://chapelboro.com/news/local-government/oc-residents-voice-concern-over-countys-building-plans/CHAPEL HILL- It’s time to cheer on Chapel Hill luminaries as they kick up their heels for a good cause.
The second annual Dancing with the Stars of Carolina takes place Saturday night at Kenan Stadium, and all proceeds go to support the Boys and Girls Club of Chapel Hill.
Event organizer and Board Chair Marla Benton says the club will meet a real need in our area.
“With Chapel Hill having over 600 families living below poverty, and children who are unsupervised at home and not having a safe place to go, this will be very important,” says Benton.
UNC Professor Debby Stroman will be one of the dancers gracing the floor. She says the wide range of participants is a great example of town and gown collaboration.
“It is one of the best examples of how we can work together as a university and a community,” says Stroman. “So we have a lot of people who are employed at the university and then of course, residents of the community. So it’s a nice mix.”
Other local celebrities include Chamber of Commerce President Aaron Nelson, Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt, Assistant UNC Soccer Coach Grant Porter, and Tina Cunningham, wife of Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham.
They’ve been practicing their moves for months, and on Saturday they’ll be judged by a panel of dance professionals and celebrity judges, including UNC Women’s Basketball Coach Sylvia Hatchell, soccer star Carla Overbeck and basketball star Charlotte Smith.
Doors open at 7 o’clock and the dancing starts at 8 0′clock. Click here to find out more.
http://chapelboro.com/news/non-profit-news/come-dance-with-the-stars-of-carolina-on-saturday/I try not to be too sweet on A Southern Season, but what can I say. The shop was literally one of the reasons my husband and I thought we could happily transition from Brooklyn to Chapel Hill. I might not be able to walk to Sahadi’s on Atlantic Avenue anymore, but I could find a wall of their good stuff at Southern Season, along with plenty of other obscure cheeses, miscellaneous house gadgets and specialty wines. Phew!
I’m psyched to see a deeper effort from Southern Season to engage in the great things happening in the community. Just learned about a super cool foodie event that takes place Sunday, September 18th to benefit Girls on the Run. From 7pm – 9pm this Sunday, Southern Season will essentially host a shopping party to benefit this nonprofit that is all about building confidence in young women. Local food + local chefs + local good causes = Happiness.
Heavy samples of wine and modern Southern treats like Shrimp and Grits, biscuits, stuffed okra, exquisite LOCAL Mangalitsa and more will be shared while shoppers browse. Add Nancie MacDermott, who will be signing her cookbook and a pie crust making demo from the Southern Season staff and you’ve got yourself a great reason to leave the house on a dull Sunday night. PLUS 10% of all sales that evening will be donated back to Girls on the Run. Wonderful! All for a very reasonable $30 admission fee, available in advance (click here to purchase) or at the door. I finally get the chance to snack my way towards making Chapel Hill a better place to live.
http://chapelboro.com/columns/orange-zest/snackies-southern-season-and-a-very-good-cause/ 48°F |
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