Onslow Memo­r­i­al Hos­pi­tal and Unit­ed Way of Onslow Coun­ty Team Up to Fight Child­hood Hunger

Onslow Memorial Hospital has teamed up with the United Way of Onslow County this Thanksgiving to make sure students in our community have food during the extended holiday break.

On November 16^th Onslow Memorial Hospital (OMH) will host their second CHEW! (Children Health Eating on Weekends) food drive and pack-out event for the year. OMH will continue to collect food donations until November 15^th for the United Way CHEW! Program that supports food-insecure children in Onslow County. The goal for this event is to pack 750 backpacks for students before the Thanksgiving break.

In March, OMH hosted a food drive and collected enough food donations to pack 730 backpacks of food that were delivered to 24 Onslow County Schools. The need continues to grow in the community and, this time, OMH will be collecting and packing food for 38 schools and packing 750 bags.

Items needed are:

• 1284 cans of meat (chili, Vienna sausages, canned tuna, canned chicken)
• 650 packs of ramen
• 691 kinds of pasta (Mac and Cheese Cups, Single Serve Pasta dishes)
• 593 breakfast items (pop-tarts, oatmeal, single-serve cereal)
• 1148 snacks (individual packages of cookies, fruit snacks, individual popcorn bags, etc.)
• 724 cans of vegetables

"Food insecurity is a real issue across the country and in our community. In fact, food insecurity was identified as an area to assess in our Community Health Needs Assessment,” said Erin Tallman, Senior Vice President of Patient Advocacy/Compliance Officer at Onslow Memorial Hospital. “We are honored to serve our community by partnering with the United Way for this CHEW food drive. We know that well-fed children live happier and healthier lives.”

Childhood hunger in Onslow County is rampant. Kids without adequate food over the weekend often suffer from stomachaches, the inability to focus, chronic absences, and frequent headaches. Long-term food insecurity can also result in behavioral problems, lower physical functions, and depressive disorders, especially in adolescents.

“The recent data from the USDA reveals a distressing reality: 1 in 7 Americans, including 1 in 5 children, live in households with limited access to food,” said Raquel Painter, President of United Way of Onslow County. “This unfortunate situation is sadly expected, as the termination of pandemic aid and rising food prices have made it even harder for individuals to meet their basic needs. The community can help through the CHEW Program”.

Community members can drop off food donations until November 15th at the OMH Main Lobby. The food items the team is most in need of include canned meats, canned vegetables, single-served cereals, individual snacks, individual crackers, and pasta.

For large food donations or monetary donations please reach out to Shelly Kieweg, Community Impact Director at (910) 347-2646 or email skieweg@uwonslow.org for additional information.

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About Onslow Memorial: Onslow Memorial Hospital (OMH), originally founded in 1944, stands as a 162-bed acute care, community hospital located in coastal North Carolina, serving the city of Jacksonville and greater Onslow County. Onslow Memorial Hospital is nationally accredited by The Joint Commission (TJC) and a proud affiliate of UNC Health Care.

About United Way of Onslow County: United Way of Onslow County is a locally based organization dedicated to strengthening lives, helping people, and improving community conditions in our local community. We convene and collaborate with partners from across the community - nonprofits, government, businesses, and volunteers - to create opportunities for a better life for Onslow County's most vulnerable residents.