SUMMER PROGRAM

During the summer when the children are out of school it is much more difficult for families to provide three meals a day. In response to this concern, a unique summer program was developed. All children in the BackPack Buddies Programs receive vouchers at the end of the school year to be used at the Bluffton Farmer’s Market in Old Town Bluffton. Each week when they are out of school, the children and their families are able to use the vouchers to shop for fresh produce, meat, and dairy products from the local farmers. This program is a win/win for ​all involved as the children and their families are able to shop for the healthy food they need, and we are supporting the local farming community.

Additionally in the Summer of 2024, when families came to the Farmer’s Market, we began providing a meal themed grocery bag full of all of the ingredients necessary to make an entire meal for their families. Each week the theme was different, ranging from breakfast bags, lunch bags, taco bags, pizza/pasta bags, barbecue bags, etc. Some weeks we also gave additional vouchers for meat, milk, or eggs to complete the meals. The children and families loved this addition to the summer program and were very appreciative of the additional food, the convenience of the complete meal and the thought that went into each bag.