The following is a list of how organizations and individuals are working to assure people in and near Wake Forest have food on their table or have a place to get a meal.
** How you can help this month You can volunteer to help the Northern Community Food Security Team, the Society of St. Andrew and a network of Wake County partners for the 2020 Wake Forest Potato Drop. It happens at 8:50 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 29, in the parking lot of St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, 520 West Holding Avenue, with a brief welcome and prayer followed by the bagging of a mountain of potatoes.
Bagging potatoes – 40,000 pounds that will go to local food banks – is dirty work so wear washable clothing and bring work gloves. Everything should be bagged and all the leftover waste and dirt should be cleaned up by 10:30.
** Feed the Community Food Distribution has a food distribution every fourth Saturday, and the next one will be on Feb. 28. It is sponsored by the Northeast Community Coalition and Tri-Area Ministry, and the distribution is from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Spring Street Christian Church, 320 East Spring Street, Wake Forest. You must bring proof you live in Wake County. You can give signed permission for someone else to pick up food for you. If you are unable to get to the church, call Tee Caudle at 919-271-1275 to be registered in advance.
** Wake Forest Baptist Church and the InterFaith Food Shuttle offer a monthly Mobile Market, distributing groceries, including lots of fresh produce, on the third Tuesday of the month from 4:30 p.m. until all the food is distributed, usually about 6 p.m. The church is at 107 East South Avenue. The next distribution will be Tuesday, March 17.
** Every fourth Monday through April, Feb. 24 being the next, Monday Community Meals offers a free meal and fun for everyone from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Alston-Massenburg Center on Taylor Street. There will be a bus pickup at 5:15 – 5:30 at the Corner of East Cedar Avenue and North Taylor Street and at Hope Village. This sponsored by the Northern Community Food Security Team, the Northeast Community Coalition, Olive Branch Baptist Church, The Forks Cafeteria, St. John’s Episcopal Church and My Birthday Too.
** Tri-Area Ministry Food Pantry at 149 East Holding Avenue is now open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every third Saturday and every Monday and Wednesday for food distribution. It serves about 750 families in Wake Forest, Youngsville, Rolesville and their surrounding areas. Call 919-556-7144 for information about receiving food, volunteering and donations. You can send donations to Tri-Area at PO Box 1394, Wake Forest NC 27588. The volunteers are still working out of a temporary building while they undertake substantial renovation.
** Hope House Weekly Food Pantry distributes food at 1 p.m. every Thursday. Hope House volunteers pick up the food from the Food Bank of Eastern and Central North Carolina and the house typically has vegetables, fruits, salad packages and breads but sometimes does have meat, eggs, fruit juice and milk. Hope House is at 334 North Allen Road. For more information, call Norma Bennekin at 919-263-1007.
*Hope House serves a free nutritious filling dinner to everyone who needs one at 6:30 p.m. every day except Saturday. Hope House is at 334 North Allen Road.
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