Carolina Hunger Initiative

The Carolina Hunger Initiative, based at the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, is working to create better access to healthy meals year-round for North Carolinians. Our team helps to increase access to no-cost school meals for K-12 students, expand access and awareness to summer nutrition programs for kids, connect college students with food benefits, and teach individuals how to prepare healthy meals on a limited budget.  

Many North Carolinians struggle with preparing healthy meals on a limited budget.   

For the past decade, the Carolina Hunger Initiative has addressed this problem by providing nutrition education classes to kids and families statewide – more than 3,200 people – at no cost to participants.   

And it’s a delight! Have you ever seen a three-year-old try a kiwi for the first time?   

Our classes help families learn to prepare nutritious and delicious meals and snacks on a limited budget and help get kids excited about trying new foods through hands-on activities. We provide training and hands-on experience to UNC Chapel Hill students to lead nutrition education lessons and create nutrition education materials. These are valuable learning opportunities for both UNC-Chapel Hill students and the kids and families they work with.  

But this program will run out of funding and END in September.   

We can continue – with your help.   

Any gift supports our ability to hold a lesson series. 

• $50 helps us purchase nutrition education materials.
• $100 helps us purchase healthy food to use for a lesson series. 
• $250 supports our staff in developing and providing lessons and student training. 

Your gift today can help continue the Carolina Hunger Initiative’s ability to offer nutrition education to individuals across North Carolina and provide valuable, hands-on experience to UNC Chapel Hill students. Please help us continue this critical program. Thank you for believing in a North Carolina where everyone has the healthy food they need to thrive.