ECC Providing Free Food Boxes on Friday

Edgecombe Community College and the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina are giving away 500 boxes of food to area residents on Friday, September 4.

The free food distribution event will take place on the College’s Rocky Mount and Tarboro campuses simultaneously, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Two hundred and fifty boxes will be distributed on each campus.

The food drive is spearheaded by the Division of College and Career Readiness (CCR) at ECC. LaShawnda Washington, director of CCR, assures that the drive is “open to all. It’s a community event, we won’t turn anyone away.”

The idea for the food drive began with an appeal from the NC Community College System inviting the state’s 58 community colleges to participate in a statewide effort to serve their communities. The initiative is called “58 Strong in 100 Counties.”

“That memo stayed on my mind,” Washington explains, “and I continued to brainstorm about what we could do to support our community. I sent an email to Larry Morris, director of partner services for the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC, asking if we could partner to provide food to a few families.

“He responded right away, suggesting that the Food Bank could provide 500 boxes. I was floored. Their offer far exceeded anything I could have dreamed of!”

The drive-thru event will be held with safety precautions in place. Volunteers will wear face coverings, and residents are asked to remain in their cars. Anyone can receive a free box of food, while supplies last, no questions asked.

For more information on the September 4 food drive at ECC, please contact Washington at washingtonl@edgecombe.edu.