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Hoke Youth Opportunities for Summer Enrichment and Feeding

The Blue Springs-Hoke County Community Development Corporation, since 1997 has served as the local sponsoring agency to host the Hoke Youth Opportunities for Summer Enrichment and Feeding (HYOSEF). HYOSEF combines support from community agencies, organizations and businesses, churches, and volunteers to implement a significant undertaking of providing summer feeding opportunities, partnered with enrichment activities for disadvantaged and at-risk youth through an innovative project. Since 1997, more than 1500 young people have been served nutritious meals by more than 100 community volunteers and summer workers through the efforts of 20 churches and community-based summer camps. It is an additional interest of BSHC CDC to expand the program annually by joining in collaboration with more churches and community-based organizations.

HYOSEF offers a range of activities, over a five-week period of time, aimed at deterring and combating juvenile delinquent behavior by providing youth with nutritious meals, positive involvement alternatives, and interactive enrichment experiences. The time frame of these scheduled activities --- coincide with the close of school and the reopening of the year round school calendar in Hoke County. The entire K-8 school system in Hoke County transformed from a traditional system to a year-round system in 1997. The tremendous dire socio-economic needs many families face in this community of persistent poverty further supports the need for this innovative community-based program which often provides the only alternative for a positive use of leisure time for many of the county’s students in those age groups (5-14 years of age).

The corner-stone of the usually five-week enrichment program is a summer-feeding service program supported by the United States Department of Agriculture and monitored by the North Carolina Department of Environment, Health and Natural Resources. Hoke County has a 67% qualification index for free and reduced meals. This reality, translated, means that virtually every Hoke elementary and middle school student may eat free nutritious breakfast and lunch meals when schools are in session; however, there is no alternative program when schools are closed.

HYOSEF features the preparation and delivery of lunch meals at community-based sites. The program operates daily from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Academic, recreational, and cultural enrichment programming is provided to youth participants during the hours of operation at the sites. Activities are coordinated by identified staff and community volunteers and each site has the responsibility of securing volunteers, providing physical management and oversight of the feeding and enrichment programs on-site. The Blue Springs-Hoke County Community Development Corporation serves as the project’s overall program manager.