Building Community, One Box at a Time

Since 2017, Calvin Hamilton has traveled to the FoodShare organization in Columbia, S.C., every other week. There, he and his sister pick up a corrugated box that has become part of a familiar routine in their lives. True to its “Fresh Food Box” branding, the box contains around 20 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables sourced from a local food distributor. A curbside cadre of FoodShare volunteers packs it and puts it into Hamilton’s car.

Hamilton says having dependable and ready access to fresh produce has made a big difference in his health. He was introduced to the program while in the hospital. “I love it. My health is fine now with [the help of] these vegetables and fruits. It makes me feel real good,” he says. Hamilton is one of more than 12,000 residents across South Carolina who obtain a Fresh Food Box every other week from a growing number of FoodShare program locations.

Each Fresh Food Box includes nine to 11 varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables, along with recipe cards tailored to the produce inside. To Hamilton and his family, the box holds more than just produce. As Hamilton arrives at FoodShare on a hot summer afternoon, a group of volunteers call out to greet him. Hugs, handshakes and smiles are shared all around. Hamilton grins and says, “I’ve been coming here for so long, you know, and feel like this is my family.”

In South Carolina, the benefits of access to fresh produce are especially important. “South Carolina has a very high rate of Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and other chronic diseases that can be positively impacted through diet,” says Kelly Duane, director of culinary medicine at FoodShare. “Fruits and vegetables are integral to positive health outcomes and management and prevention of chronic diseases because they are dense with vitamins and minerals,” she shares.

Omme-Salma Rahemtullah, interim executive director of FoodShare, offers compelling data from a recent survey that illuminates the dietary challenges facing many South Carolinians. “In South Carolina, 20 percent of those surveyed say they do not consume a vegetable every day, and that rate is 40 percent for fruit. When asked the reason for that, the top three answers for this low consumption of produce is A, too expensive; B, don’t know how to cook it or consume it; and C, consumption of too much fast food,” she says.

Fresh Food boxes are the primary tool FoodShare offers to address these core challenges. Community members receiving SNAP benefits can purchase a Fresh Food Box at the affordable price of $5.

Hamilton appreciates that the included recipe cards are valuable for many people, but says proudly, “Oh, I’ve been cooking since I was little!”

For those who are not as adept in the kitchen, FoodShare will soon open a new Culinary Medicine Teaching Kitchen inside new facilities. These kitchens will include classrooms and community spaces where educational programs focused on cooking and preparation of fresh produce will be offered. “Our whole ‘food is medicine’ and culinary medicine programming address nutrition, education and the consumption of produce through the lens of health care,” says Rahemtullah.

The newly opened FoodShare facilities also include expanded warehouse and refrigerated storage space, as well as packing and distribution facilities to meet a growing demand for Fresh Food boxes from 20 hubs across the state. FoodShare is a program of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, providing opportunities to build connections among food, nutrition and health. The teaching kitchen is integral to FoodShare’s culinary medicine elective class for fourth-year medical students.

“For the medical students, a lot of them come in thinking that cooking is hard, or that it’s expensive, or that it takes too long. When they’re able to do it themselves, they’re able to take it out into their residencies and into their practices,” says Duane.

In 2023, FoodShare distributed more than 89,000 Fresh Food boxes to nearly 12,000 participants across South Carolina, thanks in part to support from The Duke Endowment through its on-going Healthy People, Healthy Carolinas initiative. “That commitment to produce access that The Duke Endowment is bringing to South Carolina is so important. It’s not just about the money. It is bringing communities, organizations and resources together. It’s helping us create a collective goal towards health,” says Rahemtullah.

Volunteers contributed over 2,000 hours with FoodShare in 2023, packing Fresh Food boxes and distributing them through local sites. Volunteers also brought nearly 1,800 boxes directly to the homes of over 100 travel-challenged participants through the NeighborShare program. “The interaction with people through NeighborShare is so important. This is one reason we say that FoodShare is more than just a box,” says Rahemtullah.

Duane shares a perspective widely held by staff, volunteers, participants and stakeholders of FoodShare. “We are, at our core, a community organization. Ultimately, it all comes down to food access and empowerment for everyone,” she comments.

As a participant and a dedicated volunteer, Hamilton’s connection to FoodShare puts both the food access and empowerment aspects of the organization’s mission into action. “I’ve been handing out fliers for people to come to get more benefits. They read up on it and give one to a friend, and then their friend tells another person, and then it goes down the line like that,” Hamilton says. “Yes, I’m very passionate about this program,” he concludes.

Learn more about FoodShare SC.