The coronavirus pandemic has had a catastrophic impact on families throughout the country. In South Carolina, school closures mean that the nearly 486,000 kids who rely on school meals are at risk for going without the food they’ve depended on during the school year.
When their communities needed them more than ever, schools, food banks, pantries and community organizations all across the state stepped up in incredible ways. Because of them, kids throughout South Carolina have remained nourished during the crisis.
These frontline hunger heroes – school nutrition and transportation professionals, community leaders, administrators, teachers, and volunteers – have done everything they can to ensure that kids continue to have access to meals. They’ve worked tirelessly, often for longer shifts and without days off. They’ve also found creative ways to get meals to kids, providing curb-side meal pick-up and even delivering meals directly to kids’ homes. These hunger heroes have shown tremendous dedication over the past weeks, all while juggling mounting stress and uncertainty.
Given the extraordinary need that families are experiencing, we urge our legislators to prioritize food access for vulnerable families and their children. No Kid Hungry has developed a new resource – Supporting school, communities, and Nutrition Programs During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Recommended State Policy Actions – that list options available to state policymakers to unlock the potential of federal and state food nutrition programs and ensure that families and children have the support they need.
- In Rock Hill, South Carolina, SFE / York #3 – Rock Hill School District is providing some 3,000 meals for kids each day while schools are closed.
- School District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties in South Carolina is getting breakfast and lunch to hungry kids at five school feeding sites, three low-income apartment communities, and via home delivery for families without transportation.
- Greenville County Schools have served an estimated 25,000 meals per day while schools are closed
- Charleston County School District is providing 10,000-weekend backpacks full of shelf-stable food for the kids who need it most
These are just a few of many hunger heroes across South Carolina.
Since the pandemic began, No Kid Hungry has provided $145,000 in emergency grants to support the work our hunger heroes are doing across the state. This month, we want to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Throughout May, we’ll be celebrating and lifting up the amazing work that’s been happening across the state by:
- Sharing stories all month long on our Twitter, Instagram and Facebook
- Highlighting the work of partners, grantees and folks on the ground on our blog
JOIN US
We know you have hunger heroes in your community you want to thank too. You can:
- Celebrate your local hunger heroes on social media. To make posting as easy as possible, our team put together this toolkit. Be sure to include #ThankAHungerHero and tag us so we can lift up what you’re sharing!
- On Wednesday, May 27, No Kid Hungry, and our state campaigns are coming together for a moment of gratitude. We’ll be thanking hunger heroes all across the country. You can join in by engaging when we thank heroes from South Carolina. We’ll be posting across No Kid Hungry’s Twitter, Instagram and Facebook in the lead-up to the big day, so be sure to follow along.
No Kid Hungry couldn’t be more grateful for each and every one of these individuals and organizations and for all of the hunger heroes on the front lines. Let’s come together to shower them with much-deserved gratitude and appreciation.