Cecilia Rawlins Fund in the News

From food shuttle volunteer to staffer, Raleigh mom finds career helping kids

Former CRF Board President Julie Cox:

"I discovered Inter-Faith Food Shuttle while my children were at Wiley Elementary. Along with some other parents, I helped start The Cecilia Rawlins Fund, a foundation named after a former Wiley principal. We raised money to fund part of Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s BackPack Buddies program at Wiley (the rest of the bags are sponsored by St. Michael’s Episcopal Church). The CRF also helps pay for crisis needs of Wiley students and their families - glasses, shoes, one-time bill assistance. The CRF started with BackPacks for 11 students and, last year, provided weekend food for 26. At Wiley, I also volunteered in the classroom and served on several Support Circle groups to help families transitioning out of homelessness."

BackPack Buddies

CRF is a proud supporter of the BackPack Buddies program.

BackPack Buddies provides children from food-insecure homes with healthy weekend meals during the school year. The children, selected by school principals, guidance counselors, and supervisors of various after school programs, receive a backpack containing six balanced meals and two healthy snacks at the end of every week. 

Hunger in Wake County

19.6% of children in Wake County live in food insecure homes.  These are our neighbors, our friends, our families.  

Wake County

Overall percent of population who are food insecure	14
Number in population who are food insecure	121,650
Number of children eligible for free and reduced price school meals	56,280
But of those, how many actually get the meals?
Percent of eligible children actually getting free and reduced price school lunch	71
Percent of eligible children actually getting free and reduced price school breakfast	34
Percent of eligible children actually getting free summer meals	9
Amount of Federal money available for free and reduced price school lunches but NOT accessed due to children not participating	68,893
Amount of federal money available for free and reduced price school breakfast but NOT accessed due to children not participating:	50,192
Amount of federal money available for free summer lunch but NOT accessed due to children not participating	172,429