PRODUCE PROGRAM

Historically, children in the Bag Program only received shelf stable food due to packing and distribution constraints. However, in late 2024, a new produce bag program was successfully piloted that included an additional bag of fresh produce once a month. These bags contain items such as oranges, baby carrots, celery sticks, apples, green beans, broccoli, apple chips, etc. These bags are distributed with their regular shelf stable bag of food one Friday each month. BackPack Buddies purchases and distributes about 215 bags of fresh produce each month.  

Focusing on the nutritional benefits of fresh produce, in 2020, we were able to partner with a local farmer (Tuten Farms of Hampton County) to provide monthly boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables for the families in the Box Program. Each box contains a half bushel of farm fresh produce including an incredible assortment of fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables. Families pick up these boxes once a month when they get their shelf stable boxes. We are currently purchasing and distributing approximately 160 boxes of fresh produce monthly.