What: Secret Meals Block Party.
This event at local bars will raise money and awareness for child food insecurity. People who purchase a wristband can go to any of the sponsoring bars without having to pay cover charge and will receive special drink specials.
Who: All are welcome to come to this event which supports Secret Meals For Hungry Children.
WHEN: Friday, Nov. 10 from 5 – 9 p.m.
WHERE: Rounders, The Red Shed, High Tide Bar, and Philly Boyz Cheesesteaks on University Boulevard.
WHY: Layla Arcoub, a senior public relations major and organizer of the event, said the event raises awareness about child food insecurity in Alabama.
“One in four children in Alabama suffer from food insecurity and not enough people know about that,” Arcoub said. “This event is meant to raise both money and awareness about this issue. We want everyone to be aware of it because this city isn’t just the University and our football team, there are real issues affecting our community. The more aware we make people, the more effective we can be at tackling the issue.”
Many kids in Alabama are dependent on free or reduced meals offered at their school. While this helps keep children fed during the school week, many go hungry during the weekend. Secret Meals for Hungry Children offers food packs that teachers can slip into kids’ backpacks that can feed them for the weekend.
With Alabama being one of the poorest states in the country, 27 percent of children in Alabama live below the poverty line. It costs $140 to provide a child with a weekend meal pack for an entire school year.
“Right now, our goal is to feed at least 50 kids,” Arcoub said. “I’m hopeful that we’ll go way past that. In years past, the entire event would just be at one bar, but this year we want to go bigger.”
All of the proceeds from wristband sales will go straight to Secret Meals for Hungry Children. Additionally, all of the sponsoring bars and restaurants will be donating all of the cover they collect and a percentage of sales from the night.
Wristbands can be bought for $10 during the presale or for $15 at the event. Presale for the wristbands will be available up until the event. Wristbands can be ordered through Venmo @SecretMealsBlockParty, their facebook, or at High Tide Bar.
