Thornwell Supporting Neighbors Facing Summer Food Insecurity | Grab n’ Go 2024
Grab-N-Go Meal Pickups Kick Off June 5th
With Summer upon us, Thornwell is excited to share our initiatives to support community families facing food insecurity. Historically, pockets of Clinton and Laurens County have been known as “food deserts,” or areas where it is difficult to buy affordable or good quality fresh food. According to Stacker, Laurens County currently has a child food insecurity rate of 18.3% (2,700 total), which is 25.3% higher than the national average, and families in this county experience an annual food budget shortfall of more than 4 million dollars.
The return of daily Grab-N-Go meal pickups begins Wednesday, June 5th. This program is open to all children under the age of 18.
In partnership with the USDA, Grab-N-Go was initially developed as a direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Grab-N-Go meal program is designed to ease the parental burden by providing free healthy meals to children and ensuring children in the community will not go hungry. Since March 2020, Thornwell has served more than 200,000 meals and is committed to continuing these efforts daily during Summer 2024.
“Summer should be a time that children look forward to and not one that they fear because they do not know where the next meal might come from. We are so grateful to offer a program that takes that worry out of the minds of children and families,” said Director of Child Nutrition Food Service, Alice James.
Daily Pickup Details
- June 5th through July 26th
- Monday through Friday | 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM
- Thornwell Dining Hall | 302 South Broad Street, Clinton, SC 29325
- Parents/Guardians can pick up breakfast and lunch for all qualifying children in their household.
- This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
For more information, please email Alice James at alice.james@thornwell.org.
SNAP and Healthy Bucks at LushAcres Farm
Did you know?
LushAcres Farm’s Market accepts SNAP and Healthy Bucks – two programs that can help families purchase healthy and fresh foods. SNAP, which stands for Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, is a federal initiative providing monthly benefits to low-income households to purchase healthy foods. As an official provider, LushAcres is committed to being an extension of Thornwell’s mission to support healthy communities in the name of Jesus Christ.
For more information, please visit http://lushacresfarm.com.
About Thornwell
Since 1875, Thornwell has been a leading expert in child and family well-being in South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia. As its 148-year history demonstrates, Thornwell has worked to better the lives of countless children and families. Thornwell addresses the well-being of children not as a singular event but as a comprehensive, ongoing cycle of services and support designed to help children and families, no matter what stage of life they’re in. In 2023, Thornwell was named one of the “Best Places to Work in South Carolina” by SCBiz News and Best Companies Group. Thornwell is a Platinum award recipient for financial transparency by Candid and a 4-star charity by Charity Navigator. Thornwell believes in maintaining the highest levels of financial transparency and accountability. Learn more about Thornwell and its services for children and families at https://thornwell.org.