ASHEVILLE, N.C. — In what is being called a “dramatic” move tofight hunger among school age youngsters, a group of North Carolinacredit unions said this week they are helping finance a localcharity's six-county project to distribute daily food snacks indozens of classrooms.

The project known as Food for Thought has been on the drawingboards for months “and now we're ready to kick off the distributionof snacks to a much wider area where there is tremendous need,”said Sheila Biddix, president of Oteen V.A. Federal Credit Unionand of the Western Chapter of the North Carolina Credit UnionLeague.

Working with the Carolinas Credit Union Foundation, whichawarded an initial $10,000 to get the project started under itsMicro Community Grant program, the 13 CUs have agreed to pay fordaily distribution of fruit and granola snacks this fall to nearly40,000 school children in dozens of western North Carolinaschools.

The CUs have also committed to a $6,000 yearly fee to continuethe program in the future being run by Eblen Charities ofAsheville.

In its weekly newsletter, Eblen, an agency serving adults andfamilies suffering disabilities and illness, lauded the CUs forthis “dramatic reach forward, expanding into four additionalcounties this fall.” The counties include: Henderson, Haywood,Transylvania, and Madison counties joining Asheville and Buncombecounties.

“Operating under the premise that children cannot learn if theyare hungry, this partnership ensures our school children will nothave to face the day hungry,” said Biddix.