Beaufort County schools to continue free meals program after federal funding extended

Beaufort County children will continue receiving free meals after federal funding was extended for a summer meals program.

Beaufort County School District delivers meals to youths 18 and younger, regardless of whether the child is enrolled in a district school or has a meal card. Free food delivery has been in place since the novel coronavirus pandemic closed schools in March.

Meals are delivered from 9 a.m.-noon on Monday, Wednesday and Friday along regular routes, with stops lasting 20 minutes. Parents can also pick up meals those days from 9 a.m.-11 a.m. at Battery Creek High School, Beaufort High School, Hilton Head Island High School and Bluffton Middle School.

Delivery routes are posted on www.beaufortschools.net by clicking “Community” and “COVID-19 Updates.”

The meal delivery is continuing after the U.S. Department of Agriculture extended money available through its Summer Food Service Program, Beaufort County schools spokeswoman Candace Bruder said. The district has delivered 857,669 meals since March 16, she said.

Stephen Fastenau

The Island Packet

706-631-6079

Stephen Fastenau covers Beaufort, Port Royal and the Sea Islands for The Beaufort Gazette and The Island Packet. He has worked for the newspapers since 2010 in various roles as a reporter and assistant editor. His work has been recognized with awards from the S.C. Press Association, including first place for public service as part of a large team reporting on environmental contamination in a Beaufort military community. Fastenau previously wrote for the Columbia County News-Times and Augusta Chronicle. He studied journalism and political science at the University of South Carolina in Columbia and lives in Beaufort. Support my work with a digital subscription