Happy Anniversary, Fill the Need!
On Thursday, October 13, Palmetto Breeze staff and Second Helpings volunteers and staff gathered to celebrate five successful years. Covering the event were WHHI-TV, the Bluffton Sun, and Sun City TV, while the mayors of Hilton Head and Bluffton proclaimed October Fill the Need Month.
Fill the Need was formed through a collaboration between Palmetto Breeze Transit and Second Helpings to serve the commuters who ride buses for up to several hours each way to work on Hilton Head Island and in Bluffton. “It really is a true partnership,” said Program Manager Margie Tomczak. Second Helpings volunteers drop off the food several times per week, and Palmetto Breeze staff put it away. Every Thursday afternoon, Second Helpings volunteers – most of whom have been with the program since its inception – prepare a “farmer’s market” of food for the riders.
“We have fresh produce, canned goods, pastries, and a good supply of meats,” Tomczak explained. “(The riders) are so pleasant and so grateful. They have worked all day, they still have another hour or two to go home, and they are still so happy. We are so pleased to provide this service.”
