June is National Hunger Awareness Month, a time to shed light on food insecurity and recognize those who need help in Wake County. Check out this year's events below!
Upcoming Events
June 4, 2026 Northern Regional Food Group Meeting
Lunch & Learn
Location: Wake Forest Town Hall 301 S. Brooks Street Wake Forest, NC 27587 Meeting Room A&B
Time: 11 AM – 12:30 PM
Come have lunch with us and learn what local organizations are doing to help reduce hunger and how you can help your communities! Free lunch is provided.
June 9, 2026 K-5 Adventures
Hunger Awareness
Location: Southeast Regional Library 908 7th Ave, Garner, NC 27529
Time: 4:30 PM-5:15 PM
Make your own adorable fruity caterpillar snack and learn about Hunger Awareness Month!
June 11, 2026 Heart & Hands Community Picnic
Hunger Awareness
Location: On the lawn behind the N.C. Cooperative Extension Wake County Center, E 2914, 4001 Carya Dr, Raleigh, NC 27610
Time: 6:00 PM
Join us for a free, family-friendly evening to support Hunger Awareness Month
🍽️ Enjoy a Community Picnic
Bring the whole family and gather around the joy of food! A light meal is provided.
🌱 Youth-led Event
Organized and hosted by the 4-H Liberation Out Loud (LOL) Club, this event is part of their youth-led effort to raise awareness about hunger and homelessness in Wake County.
💬 Hear from the Raleigh Dream Center
The evening will feature brief remarks from a representative of the Raleigh Dream Center, offering insight into their work and ways to support local neighbors in need.
🎨 Activities
Explore hands-on activities like the Community Wish Tree, visit tables featuring local organizations, lounge on a picnic blanket, bring food or drink to share, and celebrate food and community!
🎁 Support (if you can!)
Bring a donation to the event if you are able! Also, Wake County Cooperative Extension (at 4001 Carya Drive) will be accepting food drive donations throughout the month of June.
June 18, 2026 Western Regional Food Group Meeting
Lunch & Learn
Location: Cary Chamber of Commerce 307 N. Academy Street Cary, NC 27513
Time: 11 AM – 12:30 PM
Come have lunch with us and learn what local organizations are doing to help reduce hunger and how you can help your communities! Free lunch is provided.
June 23, 2026 K-5 Adventures
Hunger Awareness
Location: Fuquay-Varina Community Library 271 Bramblehill Dr, Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526
Time: 4:30pm
Learn about how food pantries help our community. Please consider bringing a shelf-stable item for our Hunger Awareness Month food drive.
June 23, 2026 Teen Art Club
Plates with Purpose
Location: Wake Forest Community Library 400 E Holding Ave, Wake Forest, NC 27587
Time: 6:30 PM
Plates with Purpose: Teens turn blank plates into bold visual statements about food access, equity, and community care. Using paint pens, collage, and mixed media, participants create art that sparks conversation about food security and what it means for families in our area. Make something beautiful — and meaningful. Grades 6-12
June 24, 2026 Southern Regional Food Group Meeting
Lunch & Learn
Location: Fuquay-Varina Woman's Club 602 N Ennis St, Fuquay Varina, NC 27526
Time: 11:30 AM – 1 PM
Come have lunch with us and learn what local organizations are doing to help reduce hunger and how you can help your communities! Free lunch is provided.
June 25, 2026 K-5 Adventures
Hunger Awareness
Location: Fuquay-Varina Community Library 271 Bramblehill Dr, Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526
Time: 6:30pm
Learn about how food pantries help our community. Please consider bringing a shelf-stable item for our Hunger Awareness Month food drive.
Volunteer Opportunities in Wake County
The most hands-on way to get involved in putting a stop to hunger is by volunteering with one of the many incredible organizations in our county that work tirelessly to combat food insecurity every single day.
Click the button below to learn about a few organizations seeking volunteers and stay on the lookout for a compiled list of dozens of specific volunteer opportunities coming in June!
2025 Webinars
Hidden Hunger: Wake County’s Quiet Crisis and the People Fighting It
The Hidden Hunger webinar, hosted by Sydney Mierop, Food Security Program Manager for the Wake County Cooperative Extension, provides an overview of food insecurity in the region and introduces the Wake County Food Security Program. While the program does not directly distribute food, it plays a key role in connecting residents and partner organizations to existing resources. It also supports local efforts through education, strategic planning, and youth engagement initiatives like the annual Youth Food Security Summit.
Sydney encourages participants to get involved in various ways—volunteering, donating food or household items, offering skills such as translation or marketing, or leading food drives and workplace giving programs. The webinar also highlights upcoming events, including food access webinars and the 2025 Youth Summit, all aimed at inspiring collective action to address hunger in Wake County.
Seeing the Need: 4-H Youth Map Food Insecurity in Wake County
This exciting webinar features youth presenter Arjun Kuncha, who shared his research on food security in Wake County, building on a previous project evaluating local food hubs. His study focused on understanding clients’ backgrounds and food preferences to better inform how these hubs serve community needs. The session highlighted the impact of a significant 2023 budget allocation aimed at improving food access and resources across the county.
Brandon Estevez, Director of the National 4-H Geospatial Team, added perspective on the nutritional value of food, noting research showing higher antioxidant levels in pasture-raised beef compared to feedlot-raised beef.
Feeding Health: How Fresh Food Access Transforms Communities
The final webinar of Wake County’s Hunger Awareness Month series, led by Sydney Mierop, focused on innovative efforts that address both hunger and long-term community health. Programs discussed included produce prescription models that integrate fresh food access into healthcare settings to help prevent chronic disease and reduce healthcare costs. Sydney shared updates on a newly launched initiative in partnership with local clinics, the American Heart Association, and community partners, aimed at providing enrolled participants with a year of fresh produce, nutrition education, and recipe support.
The session also highlighted efforts to secure sustainable funding and statewide expansion of successful food-as-medicine models, with hopes of support from health insurers and the state. The webinar emphasized the importance of not just feeding people, but nourishing them for long-term wellness and community resilience.
2024 Webinars
Community Garden Webinar
In this informative webinar, Gene Cross, a dedicated volunteer at the Community Connections Garden of Wake Forest Baptist Church, recounts the journey and success of their community garden initiative. Established over a decade ago under the vision of Dr. Bill Slater, the garden aims to connect people with their community, the land, and sustainable agriculture. Operating on a collective gardening model, volunteers work together to cultivate a variety of nutritious vegetables primarily in-ground, supplemented by raised beds for accessibility. The garden's impact extends beyond food production, fostering relationships and providing over 8,200 volunteer hours since inception. Gene highlights their robust distribution network, supplying fresh produce to local nonprofits like Tri-Area Ministries and a soup kitchen, underscoring their commitment to community service and food security initiatives.
Youth Hunger Webinar
Tune in to learn about youth in the community using their skills and talents in the food security space. Youth Specialist, Dr. Thomas Ray, shares, "Evaluating Wake County Food Hubs in Serving the Community," a project conducted by a Wake County 4-H member. Arjun Kuncha is a student from Enloe High School researching to gain a deeper understanding of clients' backgrounds and food preferences so that they can be better served in the community.
Also featured: Learn about how to receive free meals for children with the Summer Food Service Program! wake.gov/summerfood
Food Pantry Operations Webinar
Join us for an insightful webinar featuring David Disher, the Hunger Nutrition Program Director at Urban Ministries of Lake County. David shares his personal journey from facing food insecurity to leading efforts in combating hunger through various community programs. Learn about the impactful initiatives of Urban Ministries, including their food pantry, the Helen Wright Center for Women, the Open Door Clinic, and volunteer services.Watch the Webinar on YouTube
2023 Hunger Awareness Archive
Youth Food Security Summit
Click to walk through the 2023 Youth Summit, organized by Communications Strategist VISTA, Elizabeth Eichen.
Planting Seeds for the Future
The Youth Summit includes youth in the conversation of food security, teaching skills and knowledge necessary to contribute to work in local food systems. The Summit provides an age-appropriate explanation of food security, as well as hands-on activities and lessons.
Building Leadership Skills
Youth participants gain perspective by connecting with leaders performing food security work in Wake County and sharing their voice through meaningful engagement opportunities.
Wake County Food Security Leaders
This annual event is open to 8th–12th grade students in Wake County each Hunger Awareness Month (June).
Wake County Cooperative Extension's VISTA team hosts the summit alongside local food systems leadership:
Some of our favorite photos!
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Unity Around the World: International Festival
Sharing Food Around the World!
Promoting inclusion in the community and awareness of other cultures!
Unity Around the World is presented by Extension & Community Association (ECA), an adult volunteer organization closely affiliated with N.C. Cooperative Extension. Wake County ECA members are committed to continuing education, leadership development, and volunteer service in their communities.
This International Festival brings the community together in one place to travel to countries all over the world. Attendees have the opportunity to try cultural food dishes, and view artifacts, traditional attire, music and more!
Experience the Fun!
Summer Food Service Program
Summer Meals is a USDA federally funded program created to ensure food is available to youth during the summer months.
In North Carolina, nearly 1 in 5 children are living in food insecure households, and the loss of school meals is a significant impact on childhood hunger. All meals are free to community members 0–17 years old.
Farm Safety Donation Drive
The Juntos Summer Academy is a residential camp held at NC State University. In 2023, the camp took place from June 12–17, with 105 high school participants from nine counties in North Carolina.
Youth engaged in career and skills workshops, a week-long project led by community professionals, and a field trip to Wake Technical Community College, amongst other activities. On the last afternoon of the Academy, students gathered at the McKimmon Center to participate in a community service activity called Juntos Apoyamos A Nuestra Comunidad | Together We Support Our Community.
For this year's community service activity, the Juntos program partnered with Wake County Cooperative Extension and NC State Extension's Farmworker Safety Department to host a Farm Safety Donation Drive.
Donations were collected in multiple locations across the county to stock care packages for farm workers arriving in North Carolina. Juntos Youth assembled care packages in reusable bags with items such as toiletries, sunblock, bandanas, gloves and other farm safety essentials. The donated items were distributed to 97 NC farm workers by Roberto Rosales, the Farmworker Safety Trainer at NC State Extension.
Juntos Summer Academy supports NC Farm Workers
Information provided by: Lucía Planchón, Juntos Assistant Director
lplanch@ncsu.edu