Summer should be a time for kids to learn, play, and enjoy their break from school. But for many families across South Carolina, summer can also bring challenges when school meals are no longer available.
That’s why No Kid Hungry South Carolina is working alongside local schools and community organizations to help ensure children continue to have access to healthy meals throughout the summer months.
This year, No Kid Hungry South Carolina is supporting 11 summer meal sponsors with over $120,000 in grant funds as they expand rural non-congregate summer meal service in communities across the state. These sponsors are helping reach more children in rural areas through innovative approaches such as additional grab-and-go meal distributions, extended meal delivery routes, and multi-day meal pickups that make it easier for families to access food where they live.
The following organizations are receiving support this year:
- Boys and Girls Clubs of the Pee Dee Area
- Cellis Major Driffin I-Cedric Moses Driffin Pantry & Resource Hub
- Cherokee County School District 1
- Francis Burns UMC
- KT Destiny Center, Inc.
- Marlboro County School District
- Performing Arts And Sciences Academy
- Partners for Change of the Carolinas
- Spartanburg County School District 4
- The SmartBox
- Universal Community Improvement Organization
While every community’s approach looks different, each sponsor shares the same goal: making sure more kids have access to nutritious meals all summer long.
See How Sponsors Are Expanding Summer Meals This Year
Across South Carolina, our grantees are finding new ways to reach more children, serve additional communities, and strengthen existing programs. Here are just a few examples of what that expansion looks like this summer.
Boys and Girls Clubs of the Pee Dee Area
This summer marks the first year of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Pee Dee Area offering rural non-congregate meal service. Through a hybrid model operating at nine sites, the organization will combine multiple meal service approaches to meet the needs of children and families across the communities it serves.
Francis Burns UMC
Francis Burns United Methodist Church is bringing rural non-congregate meal service to children in Sumter County for the first time. A longtime sponsor of congregate summer meals, the organization is expanding its reach by launching non-congregate operations at two rural church locations, helping families access meals in communities where transportation and distance can create barriers.
Marlboro County School District
After operating a smaller rural non-congregate program last year, Marlboro County School District is increasing its efforts by offering “Groceries To Go” meal distributions at four sites. Three grab-and-go sites will operate during the morning hours, while an additional site will provide evening pickup options to better accommodate working families. The district is also aiming to serve approximately 80,000 meals throughout the summer.
These examples represent just a snapshot of the work happening across South Carolina this summer. No Kid Hungry South Carolina is proud to support these efforts and help communities build stronger summer meal programs that reach more children where they are.
