Beaufort Co. schools’ free summer meals program for youths begins Monday
Beaufort County School District will be providing free meals for children of all ages starting Monday through the summer food service program, according to a press release from the district.
As of 2020, at least 6.1 million children were food insecure in the United States, meaning that they were without reliable access to food, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The rate of children who were food insecure at that time rose by 7.6%. Before then, the rate of children’s food insecurity had been in decline since a 2008 peak at 11%, the data showed.
In South Carolina, one in seven children faces hunger, according to Feeding America, a national hunger-relief organization. Of the households receiving aid from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the state, 48.3% have children.
Several summer camps, Beaufort County libraries and other organizations are joining in the effort to serve students in the area.
Where to eat
Lunch began being served at libraries in Beaufort County starting Monday and runs through July 29. This meal program is open to the public and will provide meals for children 18 years old and younger.
Beaufort — Lunch at the Beaufort Library on Scott Street begins at noon and ends at 1 p.m.
Hilton Head — Children can eat from 9:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. at the Hilton Head branch on Beach City Road.
St. Helena — Students can get lunch from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the St. Helena Library on Jonathan Francis Senior Road.
Lobeco — Lunch will be served at the Lobeco Branch Library from 1-2 p.m.
Bluffton — Children will be served at the Bluffton Library on 120 Palmetto Way from 11 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.
Children do not need to sign up for food programs at the libraries.
The Boys and Girls Club, Beaufort-Jasper YMCA and the YMCA Migrant Education Program summer camps will be serving meals to children enrolled in their camp services starting in June. Information on how to enroll your student in camp services can be found on the school district’s website.
Boys and Girls Club
- The Shanklin Club, located at Broad River Elementary School on Broad River Road, will serve breakfast for an hour starting at 7:30 a.m. Lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. until noon. The service run from June 28 until July 29.
- The Broad River Club in Beaufort will serve breakfast from 7:45 a.m. until 8:10a.m. and lunch from 11:20 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. starting Monday until July 15.
- The Bluffton Club on McCracken Circle will serve both lunch and breakfast from June 13 until Aug. 5. Lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. and breakfast will be served for an hour starting at 9 a.m.
- The club on Hilton Head on Gumtree Road will have breakfast from 8 a.m. until 10 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.
- The Sheldon Club on Agnes Major Road serves an hour-long breakfast that begins at 8 a.m. and an hour-long lunch that starts at noon.
Beaufort-Jasper YMCA
- The YMCA Summer Camp runs from June 1 until Aug. 13 and serves breakfast from 7 a.m. until 8:30 a.m. The camp is located on Richmond Avenue in Port Royal and also serves lunch from 11 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.
- YMCA’s Migrant Education Program begins Monday and will be held until July 1. The program, located on Sea Island Parkway in St. Helena, serves students from kindergarten until 12th grade. Program organizers stipulate that the student’s family must have moved to the area within the last 36 months to work in agriculture to make them eligible for enrollment. The program serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast begins 7 a.m. and ends at 8:30 a.m. Lunch is held from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. Students are served dinner from 4 until 4:30 p.m.
Island Recreation Center
- The recreation center, located on Wilborn Road on Hilton Head Island, serves lunch from 11:30 a.m. until noon until Aug. 12.
Camp Caroline
- Located on North Okatie Highway in Ridgeland, the camp will serve lunch from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. from June 22-23.
RSIA-Explorer’s Camp
- RSIA-Explorer’s Camp located at Robert Smalls International Academy will serve breakfast from 7:30 a.m. until 8:15 a.m. and lunch 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. the week of July 25.
Neighborhood Outreach
Neighborhood Outreach, a nonprofit organization serving over 500 children in Beaufort County, will serve lunch starting Monday and Tuesday of this week until July 27.
- Cordillo Learning Center will serve lunch from Tuesday until July 28 starting at 9 a.m. until 10:30 a.m.
- At the Lowcountry Presbyterian Church on Simmonsville Road will serve lunch from 10 until 11:30 a.m. starting Tuesday.
- New Oaks Learning Center will have lunch beginning Tuesday from 10 a.m. until 11:30 a.m.
- Mt. Carmel Baptist Church will serve lunch starting Monday from 12:30 p.m. until 1 p.m.
Summer Reading Program
Students enrolled in the school district’s summer reading program will be given breakfast and lunch at the following schools:
- Beaufort Elementary
- Beaufort Middle
- Beaufort High
- Broad River Elementary
- Coosa Elementary
- Lady’s Island Elementary
- Port Royal Elementary
- Robert Small International Academy
- Whale Branch Middle
- Whale Branch Elementary
- Hilton Head Island Elementary School
- Okatie Elementary
- Pritchardville Elementary
- Red Cedar Elementary
- MC Riley Elementary
- River Ridge Academy
- Bluffton Middle
- H.E. McCracken Middle
- May River High
- Hilton Head Island High
This story was originally published June 6, 2022 at 11:56 AM.
