The Bluffton Boys and Girls Club welcomes 225 children and teens for days full of hands-on learning and physical fitness. Their summer camp theme was “Wild Adventures,” focusing on animals in faraway habitats. “[The Bluffton Boys and Girls Club is] a camp where students want to be,” explained Jaala Miller, Program Director.
At the end of every day, however, students and staff must return to the realities of daily life. Miller and Antonio Scott, Facility Manager, take on another mission: to ensure that the families of their students have enough food for the evening and beyond. They assemble a food pantry, provided by Second Helpings, and encourage their families to take what they want and need.
Second Helpings provided more than 38,000 pounds of produce, bakery items, meat, dairy and other foods in 2021 to this evening food pantry, which is visited by nearly all of the families of the 225 children and teens who attend the daily programs. It includes food rescued from local grocery stores, fresh produce from local farmers, and supplemental produce and protein purchased through Second Helpings’ Healthy Food Initiative.
“It’s a huge need, and you guys do a great job,” said Miller about Second Helpings. “And your volunteers are very friendly and helpful.”
