Fayetteville church helps deliver food to families in need as COVID-19 forces remote learning

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- As children start back to school using remote learning, parents are being stretched thin and food insecurity is becoming an inescapable reality.

To help, Nooneday Kitchen, Manna Church of Fayetteville/Hope Mills, and United Management all joined forces to provide healthy and nutritious lunch options for struggling families.

"This is a trying time and a very different way of educating kids, and I think there is going to have to be a lot of flexibility on parents and hopefully we are helping ease just a little bit of that," United Management CFO Shannon Pow said.

United Management oversees more than 3,000 affordable housing units in Cumberland County. The staff worked to gather surplus fruits and vegetables to provide to their own communities.

That's the same mission Manna Church has been fulfilling in the area for quite some time now.

"When your city prospers, you prosper," Manna Church Pastor Tommy Cartwright said. "I think that's true, so I would like to think when our city when our community can come together, we can come together as a community and it benefits everyone."

At the Thursday event, large boxes of food were hoisted into people's cars, making sure a no-contact transfer happened successfully.

The group behind the food giveaway, also was sure to deliver boxes to apartments where occupants were unable to leave their home.

Cartwright said as the need grows during this trying time Manna Church will continue ramping up efforts and working with others in Cumberland County who have the same vision of a better community.