Kids can get free meals from Beaufort County schools over winter break. Here’s how

All children in Beaufort County are eligible to receive free meals for the entirety of Beaufort County School District’s winter break, the district announced Tuesday.

The district and its food contractor Sodexo have distributed over 1.4 million free meals since S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster closed school buildings across the state in March with a pick-up and delivery system that has continued into hybrid learning.

“To reserve meal packs for the holidays, families should call 843-322-0800 by 3 p.m. on Dec. 18,” district spokeswoman Candace Bruder wrote in a press release.

Any child under 18 can get a Home-for-the Holidays meal pack, which include breakfasts and lunches for an entire week. Family income isn’t a factor.

The meal packs will be distributed in two waves: one on Dec. 22 and one on Dec. 29.

They’ll be available for pick-up at the following locations: Beaufort Middle, Bluffton High, Hilton Head Island High, Lady’s Island Middle, Okatie Elementary, Robert Smalls International Academy, St. Helena Elementary, and Whale Branch Early College High.

Rachel Jones

The Island Packet

843-631-6039

Rachel Jones covers education for the Island Packet and the Beaufort Gazette. She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and has worked for the Daily Tar Heel and Charlotte Observer. She has won awards from the South Carolina Press Association, Associated College Press and North Carolina College Media Association for feature writing and education reporting.