By mid-morning Thursday, cars stretched across the Sampson Middle School parking lot, the hum of engines, the occasional honk, and the chatter of volunteers filled the air. With children in class, it was mostly parents and grandparents waiting patiently as volunteers loaded boxes into trunks. From school resource officers directing traffic to the movement of forklifts unloading hundreds of boxes, and many hands of volunteers preparing packages, almost forming an assembly line, if you will, gave the scene an organized energy.

The rally, hosted by Smithfield Foods, Feed the Children, and Clinton City Schools, provided support for 400 local families. Each received a 25-pound box of shelf-stable food, a 15-pound box of daily essentials, proteins such as ham, lunch meat, and bacon donated by S

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