Volunteers Deliver 1,800 Easter Meals to Food-Insecure Wake County Families

At 9 a.m. on Good Friday, 165 drivers pulled out of the parking lot at Christ the King Presbyterian Church on Clifton Street in north Raleigh, each loaded with Easter meals and a delivery route stretching across Wake County. By 11 a.m., nearly 1,800 food-insecure households in communities including Zebulon, Fuquay-Varina and Rolesville had food on the table for the holiday weekend.

The two-hour delivery sprint on April 3 was the visible end of a week-long operation. Starting March 31, roughly 300 volunteers packed and prepared meals at the same Clifton Street church, working from ingredients donated by local partners including the Carolina Hurricanes and Yellow Dog Bakery. The Raleigh Rescue Mission, Meals on Wheels and Christ the King Presbyterian Church coordinated the second annual effort, identifying recipient households through their combined outreach networks across Wake County.

"The fact that so many drivers are coming out here and using their gas to drive all over Wake County means a lot," said Carla Tuttle, volunteer engagement manager at the Raleigh Rescue Mission. "They're giving their time and their resources just to make sure other people have enough to eat."

Tuttle said the human stories she encountered while recruiting recipients captured the urgency behind the logistics. "People are struggling just to pay their bills and to get food," she said. "I talked to a lady just the other day. She recently got laid off from her job. She and her daughter are alone. She lost her husband not long ago, and this is her first time experiencing this need. It's really devastating for a lot of people."

For Kathy Foote, a volunteer who typically turns out for Raleigh Rescue Mission's Thanksgiving and Christmas drives, adding Easter to her calendar required no persuasion. "For me, it's just being able to give back," Foote said. "It's important to take care of what's going on right here at home."

Organizers said the 1,800-meal total marks growth over the initiative's first year, and both the Raleigh Rescue Mission and Meals on Wheels operate year-round programs beyond the holiday drive. Residents experiencing food hardship can contact either organization directly. Those wanting to volunteer for the next distribution, which organizers said they hope to expand further, can sign up through the Raleigh Rescue Mission; drivers, packers and route coordinators are all needed, and no prior training is required to help with community meal events.