Turning Point Community Development Corporation kicked off a summer meal distribution program today that will continue providing meals for children daily through mid-August.
Chalis Henderson, Turning Point’s director, invites the community to drive through and pick up hot meals for children Monday through Friday between noon and 1 p.m.
The meal program is a collaboration with the N.C. Food Bank, Henderson told John C. Rose on Monday’s Town Talk. It will be located at the Oasis of Hope Ministries and Turning Point CDC, 2495 Hwy 158, near the intersection of Norlina and Warrenton roads.
Hot, nutritious meals will be prepared and delivered each day, Henderson said. She has a team of volunteers who will load the meals into vehicles – it’s set up to be a “grab and go” event, she added.
Henderson said folks can just show up to pick up food – there is no need to register or to show any identification – but it is a first come, first served event. The hot meals will be served Monday through Friday, and extra food will be given on Fridays to help over the weekend.
Turning Point CDC is 20 years old this year, Henderson said, an organization started by her parents. It moved to Henderson from Oxford in 2012 and Henderson has been the director since 2018. She said Turning Point’s vision is that “rural communities can thrive and flourish,” and she is committed to continuing her parents’ mission and vision to serve rural communities.
Transportation and limited internet connectivity sometimes hinder access to community resources, she said. That is one reason Turning Point is putting a computer lab on wheels – to bring the resources to those who live in more rural areas. Henderson will be hiring a program director soon to launch the Creating Success Mobile Learning Lab, which is a former school bus upfitted to house a bank of computers for adults and children to use.
The bus is undergoing final inspections to get it road-worthy, she said, and the new program director will be in charge of scheduling and logistics for when and where the bus will be visiting. She hopes the mobile learning lab will be up and running as early as July.
“It’s a unique position,” Henderson said, adding that the perfect candidate would be someone with innovative ideas who isn’t afraid to try new things. She hopes to host as many as 20 community events in the next year with the mobile learning lab.
To learn more, call 252.621.5190. Visit www.turningpoint.org to learn how to become a volunteer or to donate.
For complete details and audio click play.