The Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeast North Carolina organized the event as part of its ongoing child hunger initiative. With the help of 40 volunteers, the organization packed thousands of meal kits to distribute to children in need across the region.
Among those lending a hand was Robert Smith, who drove 40 minutes from Lumberton.
"I think everyone needs help. I had some free time, and I decided to give back to the community," Smith said. "I wanted to give back, make sure kids, when they go to school, they can focus on education, not I'm hungry. What's my next meal coming from? So I just wanted to come out and do my part."
Caroline Kaye, a volunteer from Asheville, chose to spend her spring break helping out with her grandmother.
"I just I like I like the feeling that I get afterwards, like the sense that I did something good for someone else who needs it," she said.
Hunger is a daily struggle for one out of every six people in the Sandhills, and one in four affected is a child, according to Second Harvest Food Bank. To address this, meal kits are carefully packed with kid-friendly items.
"We have two milks, two cereals, two fruit cups, and two pop-top cans. Specifically pop-up cans so that they're easy to open," said Carlene Morales, interim director of development at Second Harvest Food Bank.
Morales emphasized the importance of ensuring children have access to balanced meals even when they're not in school.
"Kids, they're covered for at school, right? There's breakfast, lunch and dinner. But then when they go home on the weekend, there is some of them, there's that uncertainty if there's going to be food there or not. And we want to make sure we help the parents out by carrying it over through the weekend," she said.
The spirit of teamwork was evident among the volunteers, who came from across the region to help out.
"Most of the people here probably had jobs or other things to do. But they took time out to come here. A lot of people, I would say, don't have time. Sometimes you have to make time to do two things, to do things like that," Smith said.
Sandra Napier, another volunteer, encouraged others to join the cause.
"This is a wonderful opportunity, and if anybody has a chance to do it, they need to do so," she said.
Once packed, the meal kits are distributed to schools across the Sandhills, reaching children who might otherwise go without. Second Harvest Food Bank continues to seek volunteers ready to make a difference in their community.
How can you help? Click here.
Download the ABC11 News app