Growing Calhoun, Orangeburg, Bamberg believes in tomorrow and is on a mission to improve the health of the community, low-income households and schools through access to sustainable gardens, fresh food and education.
Growing COB was founded in December 2017 when End Child Hunger, a group out of the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health, reached out to leaders in the community to start an Orangeburg chapter. Discussions showed there was an interest in starting a community garden. After meeting for a few months and bringing on new members, the group decided to expand its outreach to Calhoun and Bamberg counties.
One of the group’s projects is the Orangeburg County Community Garden located at South Carolina State University, which opened on Oct. 13, 2018. Every Wednesday, organizers give away free produce from the garden to community members. Jamison’s Pharmacy in Orangeburg serves as the food hub, and hundreds of people show up to get fresh, local produce.
“We started the garden when we were awarded funds from Eat Smart Move More South Carolina from their Let’s Go 3.0 grant in August 2018. We were able to receive funds to start the garden through the Tri-County Health Network and the Regional Medical Center, our fiscal agents,” a press release from Growing COB states.
The staff of Orangeburg County has supported Growing COB through the donation of multiple compost bins and additional resources.
The organization to date has been fortunate to partner with the following:
Bamberg County Community Rural Art Works League
Caring Always Matters Foundation
Clemson Extension
Eat Smart Move More SC
Jamison’s Pharmacy
Orangeburg Consolidated School District 4
Orangeburg County
Orangeburg County Library, Orangeburg Branch
Orangeburg County Soil & Water Conservation District
South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control
South Carolina State University, Department of Biological & Physical Sciences, Environmental Action Group
Small Business Development Center
Southeastern Housing & Community Development
Regional Medical Center
Tri-County Health Network
USC Arnold School of Public Health
In the past, Growing COB partnered with the Smart Box Food Pantry and Amazing Grace Ministries to distribute water in Denmark. They’ve also held spaghetti dinner fundraisers to help sustain the garden.
Members of the organization meet monthly at various locations in Calhoun, Orangeburg and Bamberg counties. Those who would like to attend the meetings are asked to email GrowingCOB@gmail.com.
This year, on Tuesday, May 7 Eat Smart Move More South Carolina (ESMMSC) is participating in Central Carolina Community Foundation’s 6th annual Midlands Gives day, a one day online giving extravaganza for nonprofits in the Midlands region. We invite you to join the movement and help us reach our goal of $5,000 on May 7.
With a donation of $20 or more, you can help ESMMSC and make our community a healthier place where we live, learn, work, play, and pray. A percentage of the funds raised will go towards a special project yet to be determined!
Here’s how you can join the movement:
Be a philanthropist and give on May 7th!
Your gift matters! On May 7, if you donate to ESMMSC on MidlandsGives.org/ESMMSC between 6 am and midnight your dollar will help us win prizes sponsored by local businesses. Not available on May 7th? No worries! Schedule your donation between April 23 and May 6 to make your gift count!
Spread the word!
Tell your friends and loved ones about ESMMSC and our Midlands Gives fundraising campaign! Don’t forget to tag @eatsmartmovemoresc (Facebook), @esmmsc (Twitter), and @thehypeprojectsc (Instagram) if you’re posting online. Encourage your friends and family to join you in being a philanthropist.
Be a Champion!
Create your own personal campaign to raise money for us! Choose a goal and share with family and friends. You can create Champion Pages at MidlandsGives.org/ESMMSC. With your help, we WILL reach our $5,000 fundraising goal on Midlands Gives!
Last year, more than 370 organizations across our region came together to celebrate Midlands Gives and raised over $1.7 million. Since 2014, Midlands Gives has inspired giving from thousands of philanthropists in our region and nation, resulting in increased donations and services provided in the Midlands of SC.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram so you can share in the excitement of a day of giving and remember to give on May 7th.
You can make a difference in communities around the state by presenting at the ESMMSC Leadership Summit for Healthy Communities on October 29th in Florence.
Breakout sessions are designed to provide best practices and resources for attendees to use in their work to reduce obesity and chronic disease in their communities. Being a speaker is a great opportunity to share your work as well as meet, interact, and network with other leaders in the state advocating for healthy eating and active living.
Proposals must address an evidence-based policy, systems, and/or environmental (PSE) change approach to healthy eating, active living, and/or obesity prevention, health disparities, and social determinants of health. They must also explain the process of a project and not just the outcome.
Eat Smart Move More South Carolina (ESMMSC) is partnering
with the 7th Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church
to teach teens about the Healthy Young People Empowerment (HYPE) Project and to
help guide them through a public health project that focuses on healthy eating
and/or active living in their churches or communities. Up to ten HYPE teams from
the AME’s Young People’s Division (YPD) programs around the state will be
selected to receive up to $1,000 each to implement their project.
“Providing our youth with opportunities to form leadership
skills and to then use those skills throughout life to better their church and
communities is what our YPD is all about,” said Dr. Ila McFadden, YPD Director
at the 7th Episcopal District of the AME Church. “The HYPE Project will
influence our youth to become leaders in public health and to consider health
equity as being just as important as all other inequities in life.”
Currently, African-Americans experience disparities in
access to healthy and affordable foods and safe places for physical activity,
which are key factors in reducing obesity. To help rectify such disparities, selected
HYPE teams will help their churches and communities by completing projects,
such as community gardens, advocating for healthy eating and/or active living
policies with their church, disability and inclusion for physical activity
spaces, and healthy concessions/vending.
“The faith community has a long history of meeting the needs
of their congregations and local communities, and this is especially true for
African-American churches,” said Trimease K. Carter, Manager of Youth
Engagement at ESMMSC. “This means the AME church will have an even larger
impact on health equity and youth development.”
The 7th District covers all of South Carolina with close to 675
churches and 556 YDP organizations. The YPD program reaches more than 6,600 youth in South Carolina. Their focus it to provide meaningful
youth training programs and opportunities for leadership experience in all
areas of church life, as well as to advocate for the integrity of childhood and
the dignity of all children and youth in the religious, civic, and political
structure.
“Our partnership with the AME Church seems like a natural fit
because we both have missions that address increasing opportunities for those
in need in our communities. We’re looking forward to working with these youth
and forging a great partnership with the 7th Episcopal District of the AME
Church,” said Carter.
Once the HYPE teams are selected, ESMMSC will provide the
HYPE curriculum training at the YPD Retreat on March 8 in Columbia. Afterwards,
the teams will return home and begin the process of choosing their project,
working with church and community leaders, and implementing their plans.
Registration is open for the Faith, Activity, and Nutrition
(FAN) Train the Trainer on March 15 in Columbia. Eat Smart Move More South
Carolina and the Prevention Research Center at the University of South Carolina
Columbia is teaming up to train community coalitions and state-level technical
assistance providers on FAN training for churches. Participants will be able to
train local church leaders on how to make healthy change happen in their
church.
Download the FAN Flyer
A one-day in-person FAN Train the Trainer training is being
offered to community coalitions from across the state. FAN will train two Community Health Advisors from community
coalitions who will be able to deliver a full-day, interactive FAN workshop to
churches. The FAN training is $25 per person, and congregational associations
and other state-level technical assistance providers are invited to attend as
well. Participants will leave prepared to train church committees in FAN.
FAN is a community-based, physical activity and healthy
eating program, previously found to be effective, that seeks to help churches
create a healthy church environment that supports physical activity and healthy
eating. More than 200 South Carolina churches of all denominations have
participated in FAN, and ESMMSC wants to positively impact even more churches.
FAN is not an exercise program or a cooking class. Instead,
the goal of FAN is to reach the entire congregation by creating a church
environment where members regularly see and hear health messages and have
healthier options available.
FAN encourages churches to increase physical activity and
healthy eating among members using four key strategies:
• Increase opportunities for physical activity and healthy
eating in the church setting (e.g. tasty, healthy meals & snacks for church
events)
• Create healthy church guidelines and practices
• Keep the Pastor engaged and excited about FAN goals
• Get health messages out to church members through familiar
channels (e.g., bulletin inserts, announcements, messages during worship
service)
