When Sunrise Broadcasting and Bob King Buick GMC launched the Stop Summer Hunger Wilmington food drive to benefit the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina, the goal was simple: help feed local kids this summer. What happened next is a reminder of just how good this community can be.
About the Wilmington Food Drive
The Stop Summer Hunger Food Drive is a partnership between Sunrise Broadcasting, home of Sunny 103.7, Z107.5, Modern Rock 98.7, and Jammin’ 99.9, and Bob King Buick GMC. The drive accepts non-perishable food donations in person at Bob King on New Center Drive, and online monetary donations through JustGiving. Every dollar goes directly to the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina, putting real food on the table for local kids when school’s out and meals are harder to come by.
The Community Showed Up
The drive had been building momentum, but with the $1,000 goal in sight, things slowed down. That’s when Jim Roberts decided to do something about it.
Jim is the founder and sole employee of the Network for Entrepreneurs in Wilmington (NEW), a community of local business owners committed to supporting each other, and as it turns out, their neighbors. He personally donated $100, and a fellow NEW member made a matching donation in the organization’s name. He then put a challenge to his entire network in their morning newsletter: let’s get this food drive to its goal.
The response was immediate. NEW members started donating, some even before the newsletter hit their inboxes. Several chose to give anonymously but emailed Jim directly to let him know they had. By the end of the day, the Network for Entrepreneurs in Wilmington had contributed $900 of the $1,000 raised. You can see their generosity right there on the JustGiving page, with multiple donations listed “On behalf of Jim Roberts and the Network for Entrepreneurs in Wilmington.”
That kind of action: business owners rallying around local kids with no fanfare, some not even putting their names on it. That is exactly what makes Wilmington different.
In Jim’s Own Words
“As a non-profit who has been around for more than a decade, we know how hard it is to raise funds through sponsorships and donations in Wilmington. We are extremely lucky to have additional sponsors from the Raleigh/Durham markets who also contributed to this campaign. And as I have my own child and I am the child of two public school teachers, I am well aware of the financial struggle of parents within the public school system. Our organization is striving to help local tech and life sciences entrepreneurs create better paying jobs in the region to reduce this problem. I was simply listening to the radio in the car, heard the campaign and spread the word about the need in the community. THANK YOU for helping these children by creating the campaign and making the public aware of the need.”
Jim Roberts, Founder, Network for Entrepreneurs in Wilmington
The Goal Just Got Bigger
Jim’s parting words to us said it all: “I hope more of your listeners donate.” That’s exactly why we raised the goal to $1,500. His community got us to $1,000. Now it’s Sunny listeners’ turn to take it further.
Here’s how you can help:
👉 Donate online: https://www.justgiving.com/page/stopsummerhungerbobking
📍 Drop off food in person: Bob King Buick GMC on New Center Drive, Wilmington, NC
Thank you to Jim Roberts and every member of the Network for Entrepreneurs in Wilmington who stepped up. You showed Wilmington what’s possible when a community decides to show up for its kids.