In early September the Wake Forest Town Board set food security as one of its goals and Monday about 20 people met to discuss, set priorities and identify projects or activities the town can do to make sure all area people have access to adequate food. The town has joined the Capital Area Food Network
The Food Security Summit meeting Monday began with the town donating laptops to two of the four area food banks receiving them. Hope House at 334 North Allen Road, Wake Forest, Universal Outreach at 4913 Universal Drive, Wake Forest, New Bethel Baptist Church at 605 East Young Street, Rolesville, and Glory Tabernacle at 120 Weathers Street, Youngsville all now have laptops and will soon have a software program called Food Bank Manager to help manage their pantries.
The people at the meeting were at four tables, each considering four strategies with several actions suggested at an earlier meeting. Those four strategies are ensure food access, communicate and educate, develop a sustainable food supply and build economic opportunity. Participants voted for the actions in each strategy based on their impacts and length of time to accomplish.
There are four more area pantries open to the public: Tri-Area Ministries at 149 East Holding Avenue, Wake Forest, Richland Creek Community Church, 3229 Burlington Mills Road, Wake Forest, North Wake Church, 1212 South Main Street, Wake Forest, and Oak Level Christian Church, 2279 Cedar Creek Road, Youngsville.
In addition, there are several pantries supporting the needy in their own congregations: The Stone Chapel, 701 South Main Street, Wake Forest, St. Catherine’s at 500 West Holding Avenue, Wake Forest, and Faith Baptist at 249 Holden Street, Youngsville. Backpack Buddies have pantries at Rolesville Baptist Church and Rolesville Middle School.
The gardens were ruined by the wind and water that came with Florence, but all summer the three Wake Forest community gardens sent fresh vegetables to local food banks this summer. The gardens at Wake Forest Baptist Church and on Spring Street tended by members of the Northeast Community Coalition produce a variety of vegetables, while Wake Forest Presbyterian Church specializes in tomatoes, thousands of pounds of tomatoes.
The Gazette will publish the final list of actions when it is available along with information about local activities and organizations working to ensure everyone has access to adequate food.
If you are interested in volunteering, the best place is the Wake Forest Area Hunger Ministry which has a number of programs. Send an email to George Shaw at g0b07shaw@gmail.com. He can tell you about gleaning, local food programs, helping at local food banks and other activities.
The people organizing and facilitating Monday’s meeting, aside from Shaw, were Drew Brown, the head of customer service in the town’s financial office; Ross Yeager, director of the Northern Wake Regional Center; Emoke Anderson, executive assistant to Ross Yeager; and Sydney Klein, Wake County Food Security Program Manager.
