Olsen Orthodontics will host their inaugural Summer Fest at their facility to help raise funds for the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina on June 30.

“This will be our very first Summer Fest! We wanted to kick off the summer with some fun for our patients, family, friends, or really anyone interested in taking a shot at dunking one of our doctors in the dunk tank,” said Samantha Wells, organizer of Summer Fest.

The Food Bank is a nonprofit organization that has served 34 counties in North Carolina since 1980. It is an affiliate member of Feeding America. They have partnered with shelters, soup kitchens, food pantries and other organizations.

The reason the orthodontics office is hosting the event and donating to the food bank is because they believe in kindness.

“It’s one of our core values that you will find in our waiting area in our office. We try to spread kindness whenever and wherever we can, so we decided a food bank would be a great place to send the funds we raise — now that school is no longer in session,” Wells said.

She added that without school, families may be in need for breakfast and lunch. She said their thought was to help increase the supplies for the summer.
Summer Fest has no cost to get in, but she said for those interested, donations for the food bank will be welcomed.

The food bank’s website said that every $10 donated provides 50 meals. The Food Bank accepts food and non-food essentials such as cleaning items, hygiene items or paper products.

“Donations alone won’t be the only source of raising money; as we will have Sunset Slush and a food truck on site that will potentially be donating a portion of their proceeds,” she said. “We also have raffles with some fantastic prizes you can win — such as a gift certificate for a massage from Renaissance Day Spa and free Invisalign treatment with us!”

She said raffle tickets will range from $5-$25 depending on the prize. They are available for purchase on the day of the event.
Summer Fest will take place at 4116 Raeford Road from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on June 30.

For more information on the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina, visit https://foodbankcenc.org/

Cumberland County Schools announced that kids age 18 and under can enjoy lunch at no cost through the Summer Meals 2023 program. The program runs through July 27 and no sign-up is needed.Families are encouraged to stop by designated locations Monday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The meals must be eaten on-site. A detailed list of serving locations and times can be found at https://www.ccs.k12.nc.us/Page/8195