High school students in Wake County are stepping up to combat hunger, an all-too-real issue affecting their neighbors, at the upcoming 5th Annual Youth Food Security Summit this Saturday. The event, taking place at John Chavis Memorial Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., is being hosted by the Wake County Cooperative Extension and aims to empower teens to build solutions to food insecurity. "Today's students are tomorrow's decision makers and this Summit helps them discover the power they have to shape a stronger, healthier community," Commissioner Vickie Adamson of the Wake County Board of Commissioners stated, emphasizing the potential impact of youth in community issues, as per the Wake County's news release.
Educational workshops and hands-on service projects will provide participants between the ages of 14–18 with leadership, advocacy, and teamwork opportunities. According to Wake County news, past summits have inspired students to establish community food pantries and nutrition education programs. Any Wake County high school student can participate, with no prior experience necessary. Since space is limited, early registration, which is free of charge, is encouraged for interested teens.
Aligning with Hunger Action Month, Wake County is also organizing donation drives at local libraries, including the Fuquay-Varina, North Regional, Southeast Regional, and Wake Forest community libraries. These locations act as collection points for nonperishable food and household essentials that will be distributed to residents dependent on local pantries. For those looking to contribute, the full list of events and needed items can be found on the county's dedicated Hunger Action Month page.
The Cooperative Extension's initiatives reach beyond the annual summit, with ongoing efforts in youth development through programs such as 4-H, while simultaneously fostering community health and advancing food security countywide. These projects reflect a continued investment in cultivating social responsibility and self-efficacy among local youth, as highlighted by Wake County news.
