Our Story

Fuel Up at Perry Harrison School has served over 520 children in northern Chatham County since 2008. Our organization started in 2007 when Holly Duncan, parents and community partners decided that Perry Harrison School needed a backpack program to meet the nutritional needs of children during weekends and breaks in the regular school year months. 

Each weekend volunteers pack and distribute bags of food that contain two breakfasts, two lunches, three dinners, two milks, two snacks and 4 pieces of produce. More food is provided for for long weekends and school holidays. In addition, we provide special programs to cover the nutritional needs of children during Winter Break, Spring Break and throughout the summer.

Food is provided through donations only, no tax dollars are spent on the program. 

How our program works:

• • Applications are available for all students attending Perry Harrison School in Pittsboro, North Carolina.

  • The school counselor processes the application and assigns a Fuel Up Number.

  • Food donations and money are collected from Perry Harrison School families and from the community.

  • Volunteers purchase shelf stable food in bulk from local grocery stores, CORA. For our longer breaks we purchase locally grown produce from Farmer Foodshare.

  • All food are individually packaged and stored in our closet.

  • Volunteers sort, pack and distribute weekend food during the school year.

  • Teachers discreetly hand out bags to children so they can take home food each Thursday (allowing an extra day if a child is absent).

  • Volunteers sort, pack and deliver groceries for winter break, spring break and over the summer.

Click here for more information about backpack food programs.

Thank you for being a partner in alleviating food insecurity in our community. We would not be able to operate without your support.