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Summer Food Program: How You Can Help Green Street Catering Feed Hungry Families

Story and Photos by Jessica Isaacs | jessica@highcountrypress.com

For some families, summertime means sunshine, playtime, vacation plans and parties; but for families who face food insecurity, summertime means financial stress, added costs and worrying about how they’ll feed their children.

A large number of kids who attend public schools rely on the breakfast and lunch they receive every day during the academic year. When school’s out for summer, however, many parents struggle with how to afford those two daily meals on top of their other expenses.

That’s why the folks at Green Street Catering, a local food ministry, are on a mission to distribute food products to families in need through its summer food program.

In addition to serving and delivering hundreds of hot meals each week from its home base at Alliance Bible Fellowship in Boone, Green Street will pack and deliver bags of additional food on five separate occasions this summer for neighbors in need.

“The goal is that they last for two weeks. That’s why we’ll try to get the bags bigger or we’ll do two little bags as one bag,” said Green Street Executive Director Chastity Lesesne. “We’ve got milk, we’ve got juice, cabbage, potatoes, tuna fish, about six to eight canned foods in the bottom of it, snack foods, oatmeal, grits, peanut butter, healthy chips and then we stick a treat of candy in there, too.”

While it’s developed strong working relationships with businesses and organizations that keep a steady supply of food flowing, the Green Street team is in serious need of financial support to help keep the operation moving.

The nonprofit seeks ministry partners who can pledge to contribute monthly, no matter the size of the donation, in order to cover regular expenses, like a salary for a new employee and the cost of its electric bills.

“We have hired one guy and we pay him each week to do a lot of the heavy lifting. While we have help on Thursdays, it takes a lot more than just Thursdays to do that, so he helps tremendously and he has a heart for what we do,” Lesesne said. “He is part of Freedom Farm Ministries. Those Freedom Farm guys come and help us at Green Street — they are just such a gift and we love them to pieces.”

Steady financial contributions will allow the team to keep its food supplies, which are picked up and stockpiled throughout the week, in commercial coolers and freezers.

“We just got an influx of meat and we’re doing good on actual food, but we’d like for people to partner with us who can give $10 or $20 a month. Something consistent — that would be very helpful,” said Lesesne. “That’s where we are, with electricity to keep the food, store the food, cook the food and ensure proper handling of the food.”

If you’d like to support Green Street’s mission and its summer food program, make a donation online or send a check or money order by mail to 200 Sierra Vista, Boone, North Carolina 28607.

If you or someone you know would like to volunteer with Green Street or sign up to receive the free weekly meal, contact Lesesne by email at greenstreetcatering@gmail.com or visit the ministry online at greenstreetcatering.org.

 

The Green Street team prepares summer food bags for delivery at Alliance Bible Fellowship.

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