FoodShare South Carolina, in partnership with the Northeastern Rural Health Network, has opened a FoodShare hub in Bennettsville.
The grand opening for the hub, which is at the Marlboro School Community Center, 612 King Street, was held May 7.
FoodShare Marlboro hub will service food insecure communities in the county with affordable fresh fruits and vegetables via purchase with SNAP.
In the county, 17 percent of the population is described as food insecure. Through the SNAP Healthy Bucks program, families in Marlboro County can purchase a locally sourced 15-pound box of fresh fruits and vegetables for $5 on EBT or $15 in cash.
Brittney Stewart, director of the Northeastern Rural Health Network, the idea for the program was to help people that were having hardships during the pandemic.
NRHN reached out to FoodShare South Carolina and came up with a plan in identifying the hub that would allow them to get a lot of produce to the community and partner with community leaders.
“FoodShare allowed us to think outside of the box in how we can expand what had started during the pandemic,” she said.
The Northeastern Rural Health Network is a collaboration of health and human service providers in Chesterfield, Dillon and Marlboro counties, which make up the poorest, most rural region of South Carolina.
FoodShare South Carolina is a network of hubs across the state with the goal of enhancing the quality of life of families by creating access to fresh affordable food, quality cooking and skills education.
Their work revolves around three tenets: community empowerment and engagement, increased financial opportunity, and physical revitalization.
Gabriel Wilhelm, community outreach coordinator for FoodShare South Carolina, said they were ecstatic to put a hub in the county.
“We know this will not just be the Bennettsville community, but the greater northeastern part of the state will be served through the county’s hub,” he said.
FoodShare South Carolina started in 2015 in Columbia. Two years ago, there were only three hubs but now there are 13. The organization hoped to continue to grow over the next five years across the state.
Wilhelm said purchasing a box will help to sustain the program and keep it here.
He added there is nowhere in the United States that someone can get $25 to $30 worth of produce for either $5 or $15.
“We do understand it is a nontraditional way of getting your produce but the main thing we are trying to do for those folks who want to eat healthy but say they can’t afford it, is give a way that they can afford it,” Wilhelm said.
Tyrone Davis, chairman of the Marlboro School Community Center, said they partnered with FoodShare South Carolina because they thought it would be a great thing for the community.
“We are here to serve the community with healthy food,” he said. “This is a way for people to get healthy produce at a reduced cost.”
He added they would love to partner with churches. Davis encouraged people to purchase because the produce is healthy and fresh.
May 7 was the grand opening, but several soft launches were held so Stewart and others could become familiar with the process.
Included in each box are recipes and information from partner organizations such as CareSouth Carolina and McLeod Health.
“They are not just getting food but resources they can utilize within the community,” Stewart said.
NRHN partnered with Healthy People, Health Carolina initiative, which is a part of the Duke Endowment.
Each month, Stewart said they hoped people would purchase 200 boxes. The money received will be used to get more boxes to help the program grow.
“They are helping the community,” she said. “The longer we have people buying the boxes, the longer the program stays. “
FoodShare Marlboro has partnered with organizations in Dillon and Marion counties but are looking for other partnerships.
For more information or to order a box, call Stewart at 843-601-3561.
Volunteers are needed to help pack the boxes. If interested, email foodsharemarlboro@gmail.com