Durham teacher’s foodraiser tackles local food insecurity for 10th year

A North Carolina teacher is behind a “foodraiser” giving hope to Durham families facing food insecurity during school breaks.

For the past decade, Turquoise LeJeune Parker, a media coordinator at Lakewood Elementary School, has led a growing effort to combat food insecurity among her students. Through her nonprofit, Bull City Foodraiser, also known as “Mrs. Parker’s Professors Foodraiser,” Parker has provided thousands of bags of food to families in need when school is no longer in session.  

This winter marked the 10th Bull City Foodraiser, a biannual event that packed thousands of bags of groceries for students at 12 elementary schools and one middle school in the Durham Public Schools system. With the help of volunteers from across the community, the nonprofit makes sure families that rely on free or reduced-price lunches during the school year have enough food at home for the winter and spring breaks in December and March.  

Parker said even packing 4,750 bags this year, she still can’t believe that what started as a call to action for one of her students is still happening 10 years later.

“This all started in 2015 when one of my students’ parents came to me and said, ‘Ms. Parker, I don’t have anything at my house at all,’” Parker said, recalling that afternoon. “She asked if I knew anywhere she could get food for her kids over the break. My husband, Donald, and I made sure they had everything they needed, but the Lord kept pressing on my spirit—if one family needed this, plenty more probably did too.”  

Determined to help, Parker sent out a mass text to friends, family, and colleagues asking for donations. Within 36 hours, she had enough groceries and gifts to send home with all 25 of her students.  

The following year, the foodraiser expanded to include the entire third grade at her school. By 2018, Parker and her growing network of volunteers were feeding entire schools, and by 2021, the foodraiser had grown to support 12 schools, becoming the massive community effort it is today.  

“We don’t do this alone,” Parker said, emphasizing the importance of community partnerships. “This takes so many organizations, students, and volunteers. And on behalf of my kids and me, I just want to thank everyone. You don’t know how much this means to the families we serve.”  

 

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Building a movement  

The foodraiser has become a lifeline for families in Durham. Each food bag contains nonperishable items like oatmeal packets, macaroni cups, ramen noodles, canned beans, and bread to meet the needs of students and families who may not have access to full kitchens.  

Volunteers from across the city come together to make the event possible. This year, Parker proudly noted that they finished packing ahead of schedule—an improvement over earlier years when they worked late into the night.  

“We finished the last bag at 4:40 p.m. [on Thursday], and that has never happened,” Parker said. “In 2020, we were still packing bags at 10 p.m., working in the pitch dark to load trucks. To see how far we’ve come is unbelievable.”  

This year’s volunteers included over 300 volunteers from local sororities, fraternities, high school bands, and students from nearby colleges like North Carolina Central University and Duke University.  

“This is probably my third year doing this,” said volunteer Pamela Hester, who joined after Parker reached out to their NCCU alumni chapter. “It’s a great fundraiser that truly helps fight food insecurity in our community. I’d highly recommend everyone come out and support it every year.”  

Jahara Davis, an assistant principal intern at Lakewood, has been participating in the fundraiser for seven years. She said as a college friend to Parker, parent, and teacher, she wanted to make sure that she’d be one supporting this cause. 

It’s also why she brought her 5th grade daughter, Carter Bhaymoa, who goes to school at Lakewood, to help out as well for her third year. Bhaymoa said that to her, volunteering “feels great” and that she loves it.

“This is such an exciting feeling,” Davis said. “And to see how excited [Parker] is at just how so many people are coming out—more than that used to be—it just takes seven days to do it, and now she gets to just be done by the end of the week. It is such a blessing to see her journey.”

 

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Food insecurity in North Carolina  

While Parker’s efforts focus on Durham, food insecurity remains a statewide issue. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, more than 60% of North Carolina public school students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, leaving many families vulnerable during school breaks. And while consumer prices have declined gradually, it wasn’t long ago that these prices sky-rocketed from 2022—especially for food.

Thanks to Parker’s determination and the dedication of the volunteers, thousands of students will enter the holiday season with food security—and the knowledge that their community cares.  

“I was truly just doing something that a family asked me, and I love my kids in my class, in my school, so much that I was planning anything, anything they asked,” Parker said. “It took one small idea to start this, and then it grew. I’m just a teacher at Lakewood, and it was just a genuine idea to help a family.” 

The foodraiser stands as a testament to the power of community and compassion, proving what’s possible when people come together to support one another. Parker also said that it will continue even after this year, and is always accepting donations. 

“I’m still amazed at what this all has become,” Parker said. “Because there are so many families who genuinely need this, and they might not feel comfortable asking, but everybody gets on so it doesn’t even matter.”

For those wanting to donate this holiday season, the link is provided below.

https://www.paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/4154805

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