CALHOUN COUNTY, S.C. — A new program in Calhoun County aims to address food insecurity and cut down on food waste. The Share Table Initiative at St. Matthews K-8 school kicked off this spring.
“I want people to know sharing is caring," said fourth grader Sara Gregg. “You can be nice and give something to somebody if they don’t want it or need it.”
Any student can visit the sharing table each day during breakfast, lunch, and afterschool either to pick up food or leave a donation of unopened packaged items like fruit and yogurt that students didn't eat.
“A lot of food in America is being thrown away and there are so many students that we don’t know of that don’t get the proper amount of food or the type of food that they should eat daily and we just wanna be a help to them," said teacher Tamika Fordham.
The DHEC-sponsored program aims to get students involved in recycling while also making sure no child is left hungry.
“Everything starts small, but over the years we’ll really see how we helped," said Fordham.
The Calhoun County Soil and Water Conservation District serves as a mentor to the program and secured donations for the fridge where the items are stored. The goal for the program is to continue expanding throughout the county.