Duke Police Begins Food Drive

Summer signals beach trips, family reunions and picnics, but for some children in the Triangle area, summer triggers hunger pains.

"For some students who receive free or reduced meals during the school year, summer is a tough time because their families might not be able to provide enough food for them," said April Morgan, outreach coordinator for the Food Bank of Central and North Carolina's Durham branch, which provides assistance in Durham, Orange, Chatham, Person, Vance and Granville counties.

Food donations typically drop in the summer, leading to bare shelves at the Durham Food Bank's pantry. But the Duke and Durham police departments are teaming up in June and July to organize the 2nd Annual Summer Food Drive.

Collection bins for donations of nonperishable food items will be set up on Duke's campus, including in the Bryan Center, and in Durham.

Duke Police Maj. Phyllis Cooper, who is coordinating campus collections, said she hopes Duke faculty, staff and students will bring in peanut butter, cereal, rice, pasta, canned soups, stews, tuna and other needed items.

"This is a cause that's very important to Duke Police because it involves the children in our community," Cooper said. "With the Duke community's help, we can help keep kids in Durham from being hungry this summer."

The Duke University Athletic Association has signed on as a sponsor and several Duke departments such as Residence Life and Housing Services are organizing efforts as part of the food drive.

Cooper encouraged other departments to join and explore different ways of gathering donations. For example, employees can bring one item for each completed project or the ingredients for their favorite childhood meal.

"This is a great opportunity for people to have fun and help others," Cooper said.

Last year, the Duke community donated 500 pounds of food, bringing the drive's total to 1,700 pounds. Organizers are hoping to collect more this summer.

In addition to hosting the annual food drive, Duke Police assist with other community service projects throughout the year. The department's A Squad provided clothing, toys and foods for a Durham family during the holidays and other officers helped build a playground at the Birchwood Heights Community Learning Center in Durham.

"We care about the Durham community," Cooper said. "We work here and many of us live in Durham and raise families here. It's our community."