Winston-Salem To Begin 'Think Orange' Campaign To Combat Hunger, Food Insecurity

The City of Winston-Salem announced a new campaign Friday to help reduce hunger and food insecurity in the community. It's one of six cities selected to receive a federal grant known as CHAMPS (Cities Combating Hunger Through Afterschool and Summer Meal Programs).

Winston-Salem was awarded $115,000 for its "Think Orange Campaign." The color has become a symbol nationwide for fighting hunger and food insecurity.

The bulk of the money will be used to provide a mid-week farmers market at the fairgrounds - an area defined as a food desert. A portion of the grant will also provide extra dollars for anyone who uses the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.  Both Cobblestone and the Fairgrounds Farmer's Market will work together on the project.

Winston-Salem Director of Marketing and Communications Ed McNeal says the partnerships with local nonprofits and other groups are key.

“That's one of the things that is so exciting about this. Because when you get all of these people from different disciplines together and start working together and understanding the problem, we discovered that this person has a piece to what we need. This person has the solution. We think this is a great place to start from," he says.

Money from the grant will also be used to help market summer feeding sites for students and a childhood hunger summit in the community.

*You can follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news