Good morning, readers.
It’s summer break in the Triangle. While students and teachers have earned much-needed time off, it’s a disruptive time for the kids who rely on their schools for meal assistance.
There’s a patchwork of programs working to feed the portion of the 1.5 million public school students in North Carolina who may need summer meals, but the programs don’t reach all the children who need help. Part of that is a carryover from the pandemic.
“We’ve had a lot of trouble figuring out where families are and what’s most accessible in this new era,” says Linden Thayer, Durham Public Schools school nutrition planner.
DPS’s Summer Meal Program, a 30-year-old federally funded program, plans to serve more than 1,500 students each day from June 17 to July 26. That’s only about 10 percent of eligible students, says Thayer.
“Durham is one of the best counties in the state in terms of how many [students] we reached in the summer,” says Thayer. “[But] I think we have a long way to go.”
Another program, Meals To Go, does similar work throughout the whole state, including in rural areas. That’s helpful in the state with the second-largest rural population in the country. And a new program, Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (Sun Bucks), gives families $120 per eligible child, and plans to increase access in the future.
Check out the full story here.
And have a good Tuesday.
—Chase
There will be no newsletter tomorrow due to the Juneteenth holiday. We’ll be back in your inboxes on Thursday.
Durham
ICYMI: A member of Durham’s planning commission resigned from the land use advisory board in protest.
The Durham City Council approved a $668 million budget at its meeting yesterday. The budget includes a 3.85-cent property tax increase. Money will go to city worker salaries, community programs, Vision Zero, and streets and sidewalk maintenance. Buses will remain fare-free and $84.7 million will go to 45 capital projects including remediation of lead in city parks.
Wake
The Raleigh City Council is expected to vote today on whether to designate the Blue Ridge Road corridor in the western part of the city as a Municipal Service District, which would therefore levy an additional tax on businesses in the district. A state lawmaker is trying to block the move.
Orange
Filing is open for Carrboro’s special election. One candidate, Cristóbal Palmer, has filed to run so far.
CommunityWorx, formerly Carrboro’s PTA Thrift Shop, a nonprofit that helps support public school students, faces foreclosure after operating for more than 70 years.
North Carolina
The North Carolina Supreme Court secretly squashed discipline of two Republican judges who admitted to violating the judicial code.
Tomorrow is Juneteenth! Here are ways to celebrate around the Triangle.
Today’s weather
Sunny with a high of 92 degrees.
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