COLUMBIA — ColaEats, an initiative to address food insecurity among Columbia students, made its official launch April 26. The program will run with the support of Columbia-based community partners, including Columbia Food Policy Committee, Columbia Urban League, No Kid Hungry and Wholespire Richland.
“This is a very essential initiative, and an issue that we’ve got to address,” said James T. McLawhorn, Jr., president and chief executive officer of the Columbia Urban League. “If we don’t address food insecurity, we are really not maximizing opportunities for young people to become productive, contributing members of society.”
The program will operate in three Midlands school districts: Richland One, Richland Two and Lexington-Richland Five. During this year’s summer break, the districts will identify 1,500 total eligible students to receive a $120 gift card to supplement food purchases during the summer months.
“We all know that a lot of kids eat the majority of their meals at school,” said Robin Cooper, chair of Wholespire Richland, an organization with the mission to improve public health, education and accessibility across Richland County. “We’re recognizing the gap, stepping in and coming up with some programming to help adjust it.”
While Wholespire is not providing funding for ColaEats, the organization is focused on raising awareness about the program. “We’re hoping to get the word out, with the hopes of garnering financial support,” said Cooper.
Cooper believes ColaEats has a special relevance in the wake of Gov. Henry McMaster’s recent decision to not participate in the Summer 2024 Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) program. The state’s lack of EBT funding added urgency for this initiative, Cooper said.
“ColaEats came about, with the various partners at the table, wanting to make an impact on that.”
Citing McMaster, McLawhorn said South Carolina “has become an economic development mecca,” like the $2 billion Scout Motors plant under construction in Blythewood. With more economic opportunities, McLawhorn said, comes more hurdles.
“Our challenge is to make sure that we have a ready workforce for those opportunities,” said McLawhorn. “The significance is more than just being hungry. Food insecurity has devastating consequences for us as a society and our future, because children are our future.”
According to ColaEats, each participating school district will select 500 students with “highest risk factors for food insecurity” to participate in the program. The basis for these criteria may include students from families without a fixed residence, students who cannot afford or access summer meals and students receiving support from other local initiatives. Students must also have attended a National School Lunch Program (NSLP)-participating school and be approved to receive meals with NSLP or the School Breakfast Program (SBP).
McLawhorn emphasized the correlation between food security and student success rates.
“Food insecurity has adverse impacts on physical growth, cognitive development and socio-emotional behavior,” said McLawhorn. “In addressing food insecurity we’re going to help young people in dealing with situations.”
“We know the issues, we know what the data says and we know what the needs from the community are, whether it’s because we’ve lived those experiences or we’ve heard from the community directly,” added Cooper. “I love that ColaEats has been a leader in taking a proactive approach to assist students.”
Gift cards will be available for use at any Food Lion grocery store location, and can cover cooking ingredients, gardening seeds, meat, dairy products, baby formula, cereal and bread products, snacks and diabetic foods. Students will receive the gift cards, via a parent or guardian, on May 22.
With less than a month until students will begin benefitting from the program, Cooper looks forward to seeing the results of Wholespire’s partnership with ColaEats.
“Healthy kids are better learners,” she said. “We’re proud to be a part of a committee that really stepped up to do something about this.”
