When most people think about the challenges and solutions associated with hunger and lack of nutritious food, their first thought is often community gardening or donating canned goods. Many of us don’t think about sources high in protein like meat? An organization of avid deer hunters in Dorchester County is helping to fill the need for meat through a network of deer processors and hunters.
Pete and Lori Singletary founded Hunters Helping Hands in 2022 after retiring. Knowing they wanted to give back to their community, they found inspiration from many of Pete’s hunting excursions in the Midwest where there are state-funded programs that allow hunters to donate their harvest. Their mission is to provide high-quality, nutritious food to families and individuals in need by focusing on sourcing and distributing venison, and Wholespire is supporting their work with a mini-grant.
Often referred to as deer meat, venison is a valuable source of protein and rich in nutrients, but it’s often scarce in the diets of food-insecure families. Getting your hands on venison can be challenging, unless you know hunters. Thanks to Hunters Helping Hands, food-insecure families in the Lowcountry have a way to get one of the most valued sources of protein in their diets.
The organization’s process involves a network of partners, mainly meat processors to prepare the venison and spread the word to hunters about donating their harvest, and food banks, food ministries, and other agencies and nonprofits to distribute the venison to families in need. It’s a process that started out slowly but has grown quickly over two years.
“The first year we picked up 32 deer. So far this year, we’ve picked up about 280 deer. We give out 500-600 pounds of venison per week,” said Pete. “Right now, we’re continuing to grow and get help from people like you, and we certainly appreciate it. This is God opening the doors, and we’re going with it.”
Those are significant numbers indicating a large demand for donated meat in the Lowcountry. According to their HEAL Mini-Grant application, each pound of venison provides approximately five meals, making a significant impact on the families they serve. They’re currently working with 17 food banks, and the list of meat processors is growing, which means the potential of getting even more venison donations during deer season is very real.
“Our goal for 2024 is to process 15,000 pounds of venison, which will generate up to 75,000 meals. It’s an ambitious target, but it underscores our commitment to scaling our operations and reaching more families in need,” said Pete.
Their commitment is solid. One hundred percent of all donations and grants received covers the meat processing fees. All administrative costs of doing business come out of their pockets, as well as their Board of Directors’ pockets. They rely on volunteers to help pick up and deliver donations, take on staff roles, and pitch in when help is needed. All of their children, grandchildren, and their own siblings are heavily involved in the organization.
“A true blessing is giving and not receiving. That’s the way we look at it,” said Pete. “This has been an eye-opening experience. We’re just growing and growing. More and more meat processors are hearing about us and they want to join our efforts, so I need to make sure we have the funding to pay the processing fees and buy equipment to store the venison.”
Pete explained their very simple operating system. During deer hunting season (Aug 15-Jan 1), licensed hunters are limited to harvesting ten deer. Pete says that one or two deer can fill up a freezer. So, what is a hunter to do if they want to continue to hunt? Many hunters offer venison to family, friends or neighbors. Through the Hunters Helping Hands network of meat processors, hunters can drop off the deer and choose to pay a small dressing fee. Pete and Lori are notified when the venison is ready for pick-up and volunteers distribute the meat to partnering food banks.
“If you talk to a hunter who donates their deer, they’ll tell you this: it’s a win-win situation for a deer hunter. They can continue to hunt and feel good about helping people in need,” said Pete.
When deer season ends, the organization continues to receive venison from local farmers who experience severe or persistent crop damage because of deer. As Pete explained, hunters and their representatives can hunt deer during the off season with a special permit from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. This rule helps sustain the venison donations throughout the year.
“Before we came along, those deer would be destroyed. We picked up 170 deer before the season came in this year that otherwise would have been left in the field and destroyed,” said Pete. “And that’s what a processor in Orangeburg is wanting to do next year. Instead of destroying them, he wants to give them to us.”
Besides fruits and vegetables, protein plays an important role in the diets of everyone. While venison has been an option for generations of families, it is now a “new” healthy protein option for many Lowcountry families in need, thanks to the huge hearts of hunters.
Oakwood-Windsor Elementary School students have access water while enjoying recess.
Sometimes, even the best plans run into unexpected challenges, especially during the procurement process. When your mini-grant project doesn’t go as planned, it can be discouraging, but it’s important to remember that setbacks are a normal part of the process. Leaders at Oakwood-Windsor Elementary School in Aiken County found out firsthand how a project of installing an outdoor water fountain/water bottle refill station and soccer goals can have challenges.
Oakwood-Windsor, located just outside of Windsor, South Carolina, is a Title I school with a high poverty rate. Thirty percent of its student population represents the Hispanic community, and many families work multiple jobs to make ends meet. Even though Title I schools receive federal funding for programs and instruction, there are no funds available for improvements to the environment, such as purchasing and installing an outdoor water fountain/water bottle refill station or play equipment.
Due to its rural location, the playground is a busy place in the evenings and on weekends. Unfortunately, it did not have a lot to offer. During school hours, the principal observed her students using cones and other objects to mark imaginary soccer goal lines, and there was a lot of traffic entering and exiting the school building for a drink of water. She wanted to make recess more fun and water more accessible. She also had the community in mind. Her goal was to increase the use of the playground and encourage healthy living among all of the school’s stakeholders.
“When I first got here, there were things that I wanted to be able to provide for my kids, but I just didn’t have the funds to do so. I don’t have an active PTO, and even when we did have one, it wasn’t a big money-making enterprise, if you will, like in other schools. So, I needed to look for different opportunities that were out there,” said Principal Davina Truitt.
In 2021, Principal Truitt learned about the Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL) Mini-Grant funding opportunity and wasted no time submitting her application. She said, “I was very shocked and thankful in a wonderful way to learn that we received the grant. But then it went downhill because it took us so long to make it come to fruition.”
Hurdle 1: Grant proposal was partially funded
When Truitt received her award letter, she learned that she would not be receiving the entire budget request of nearly $5,000. Facing limited funds, Principal Truitt did what she knew best. She talked about it. The self-proclaimed Chatty Cathy was honest during casual conversations with community partners who were interested in updates about what was happening at Oakwood-Windsor. Because she cares deeply about her students, she engages with community partners by talking about them, the projects or initiatives that are happening, and the needs and wishes of her school.
“I just shared with a member of the Rotary Club of Aiken Sunrise the excitement that we received this grant, but we don’t have quite the funds. But it’s okay because we’re going to figure it out,” said Truitt, “and they said, ‘You know what? I’m noting this. Let me go back to my board, and we’re going to be in touch.’ And next thing I know, they did a fundraiser because they wanted us to be able to afford everything we needed for this project.”
The Rotary Club of Aiken Sunrise was able to raise more funds than anyone had expected. They matched the amount received from the HEAL Mini-Grant, plus more. According to Truitt, “We were able to get soccer balls and an even nicer set of soccer goals than the ones I initially picked out.”
As to why the grant was partially funded, Wholespire Executive Director Meg Stanley said, “We were trying to fund as many qualifying and good applications as we could. Using the knowledge we had of cost estimates and resources, we decided to partially fund this project. If we could go back and change that, we would. We do not take that approach today because we now know that each school or entity has their own procedures and processes for selecting vendors or equipment. Partial funding can decrease the impact of community projects. However, our funder does have the authority to not fund a specific line item in a proposed budget.”
Hurdle 2: The procurement process has its challenges
The goal of a procurement process is to ensure you get the best value for your budget while ensuring that the quality, timing, and other factors meet an organization’s requirements. When you’re not familiar with your organization’s process, seek advice and guidance from colleagues in the procurement department or, in Oakwood-Windsor’s case, colleagues in the district office.
The Aiken County School District requires at least three quotes from external contractors. You would think that finding a qualified plumber is simple, but that’s not always true. The first quote was easily obtained through the district office’s preferred plumber, but the installation quote was extremely high. Many businesses Truitt reached out to didn’t respond to her request for a quote or the contractor could not fit an onsite visit into their schedule. Truitt turned to community partners for recommendations, but to no avail; she could not get responses.
The key to this hurdle is keeping everyone in the loop. Truitt continued to keep Wholespire and the school district office updated on her progress and the challenges she was facing, which kept Oakwood- Windsor in good standing with Wholespire in spite of the unexpected delays. She eventually found a plumber who provided a quote that fit her budget, but she still needed one more quote. Fortunately, her school district contact understood the challenge, the time invested in getting the second quote, and the fact that she was well beyond the nine-month timeframe of the mini-grant. In the end, the school district contact agreed that she could complete the procurement process with only two quotes.
Hurdle 3: The contractor was difficult to reach
Truitt found her plumber, but there was a small glitch that turned into a big, time-consuming hurdle. After ordering the water fountain/water bottle refill station recommended by the plumber, there was a communication failure. Getting in touch with the contracted plumber was difficult. It took months to reach him.
“It honestly became a bit of a nightmare,” said Truitt. “We tried contacting him by phone but couldn’t leave a voicemail. We would send emails back and forth. We finally got in touch with him, and he partially installed the water bottle refill station.”
Electricity became a factor that the plumber could not address. So, she reached back out to the school district office for guidance, and they sent their electricians to finish the job. Now, it was time to address the soccer goals.
“We worked again with a member of our school district office staff. He’s very knowledgeable about all things playgrounds, and he guided us on purchasing good-quality soccer goals,” said Truitt. “He even helped us put them together and installed the goals.”
It was a long, drawn-out process, but Truitt remained committed to the project, the excitement of her students, and the benefit of the community.
The successes outweigh the challenges
Looking back, the Oakwood-Windsor Elementary School HEAL Mini-Grant project was successful in many ways. First and foremost, the students don’t have barriers to accessing water while outside, giving them more time for outdoor physical activity. They no longer have to imagine soccer goal lines and can kick the balls as hard as they want.
Students have more fun at recess, thanks to the new soccer balls and goals.
“Our students have already commented on how much more they enjoy going on the playground now that they can play soccer. And, now that our hydration station has been installed and is functional, our students (and visitors to the playground) won’t miss physical activity time by having to go inside or leave the playground altogether to get some water. We have already seen more students being physically active on the playground in the short amount of time they’ve had with the project components.”
Other successes of the project include the school district office being flexible with the procurement process, community partners leveraging funds through a fundraiser, being able to purchase better quality soccer goals and soccer balls, and school district employees completing the water fountain/water bottle filling station and volunteering their time and knowledge on soccer goals and installation.
Asked if she has any advice to other grant recipients, Principal Truitt said, “My words of advice would be to just keep the focus on the purpose of the project and not get discouraged if there are challenges or roadblocks. For us, it was the commitment to providing our Wise Owls with a healthy space to do something they enjoy, playing soccer! Keep reaching out to others who can help your project come to fruition and be persistent.”
Perhaps one last success was the flexibility and understanding of Wholespire. Even though the HEAL mini-grant requires a nine-month implementation time frame, challenges and roadblocks do arise that prevent the project from being completed on time.
“Oakwood-Windsor is not the first mini-grant recipient to face uncontrollable roadblocks that delay project completion. We greatly appreciate Ms. Truitt’s continuous communication with us during the project implementation process. Her communication allowed us to be more understanding and provide explanations to our funder,” said Stanley.
Whether it’s because of challenges you didn’t see coming or changes in the situation, the Oakwood-Windsor hurdles offered valuable lessons. The key is to stay flexible, keep lines of communication open with the funder, and use what you’ve learned to improve future efforts.
Rural municipalities are relying on increased community engagement to enhance amenities and opportunities for families to explore local businesses, as well as provide inclusive play opportunities for children of all abilities. Focusing on these types of improvements means looking at the built environment, which influences healthy eating and physical activity.
The built environment includes the man-made spaces where we live. When community leaders value the surroundings and what they offer to attract residents and visitors, there is an opportunity to create more liveable, thriving spaces for recreation and transportation purposes. In Ridge Spring, SC, community leaders are investing in changes to the environment to increase walking, bicycling, outdoor playing and the local economy.
With assistance from the Upper Savannah Council on Governments, the Town of Ridge Spring applied for a Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL) Mini-Grant to purchase and install bike racks and inclusive playground equipment. The small, rural Saluda County town wanted to encourage residents to become more active. They proposed installing bicycle racks at the farmers market and interactive sensory equipment at the community playground.
New and updated riders
According to their application, several public hearings related to streetscape (view of a street) projects and potential improvements related to walkability (a measure of how friendly an area is to walking) were held and residents responded. They were interested in being able to walk and bike to places more safely. There was also a desire to update the community playground. Like many rural community parks, the equipment was outdated, unsafe and unappealing.
With HEAL Mini-Grant funds, Ridge Spring installed a bike rack at the farmers market, providing opportunities for cyclists to secure their bicycles and feel comfortable while they browse and shop. At the playground, new sensory-related equipment was installed, which helps make the space more inclusive of children’s needs. Observations indicate increased usage of the playground and children are playing longer.
Through the mini-grant, the town found a new partnership with Kids in Parks, a non-profit organization focused on getting families and children to spend more time outside. The new partnership could lead to additional funding opportunities to assist with future projects. Leaders also have their eye on improving another community playground and placing more bike racks in other areas of the town.
Nestled between Oconee State Park and Lake Keowee in Oconee County, students at Tamassee-Salem Elementary School are reaping the benefits of active pathways, also known as sensory pathways, and blacktop games, and so are community members. In 2022, former Physical Education Teacher Leah Ryan made it her mission to give the students, teachers and community an outlet for brain breaks and fun physical activity. She applied for a Wholespire Healthy Eating and Active Living Mini-Grant and got it!
Sensory pathways have become a popular tool for school administrators and teachers to help students stimulate their cognitive activity with movement. They are a series of visual cues on the ground that guide students along a particular path. From jumping, leaping, and walking a line, students follow the guided paths for a fun break between classes, during indoor recess and other ways teachers choose to incorporate them into their lesson plan.
In his letter of support, Tamassee-Salem Elementary School Principal Bobby Norizan said, “What I love about this initiative is that it is sustainable, and simply put, it is something that will help make physical activity more enjoyable. We have several families use our walking track outside of school hours, but I feel like we will be providing more opportunities other than simply walking the track if we are able to add the active pathway activities.”
Principal Norizan said, “The Four Square games not only provide an opportunity for physical activity but also opportunities for students to socially interact within the rules during active play, which is vital regarding the developmental growth of their students.”
Tamassee-Salem Elementary School received funding for the purchase of reusable stencil kits and paint. They leveraged 12 hours of volunteer time to place and paint the pathways. Pathways were placed on the walking path, a paved sidewalk that circles the school. Four Square games were placed in the recess area.
Mrs. Ryan said in her application, “A couple of teachers use the path as a brain break for their students. This active pathway will encourage more teachers to take their students outside more, and students will get to benefit from the open play. I teach students how to play Four Square in my physical education class. It is an easily accessible and simple game to play. Having the courts will give students access to a physically active game they can play at recess.”
Community members in Tamassee and Salem who use the walking path for physical activity benefit from the active pathways too. The School District of Oconee County adopted an Open Community Use Policy, which allows community members to use outdoor recreational facilities on school grounds for physical activity and play. Now, children aren’t the only ones who can jump, leap and walk a line as they navigate the path. Adults can too!
Physical activity is not just a vital component of a healthy lifestyle; it also plays a crucial role in academic success and overall well-being, especially in the school environment. More and more school administrators and teachers are emphasizing the integration of physical activity into the daily lives of students. Administrators and teachers at rural Tamassee-Salem Elementary School are part of the growing innovation in creating healthier school environments.
Greenwood County is home to one of our nation’s most influential civil rights leaders — Benjamin Mays, one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s mentors. If you look deep into the historical records of this rural county, you will find other interesting facts that have shaped the lives of community members today.
Let’s take Promised Land Association, Inc. It’s a historic neighborhood just outside of the City of Greenwood that represents the promise of a better life. Promised Land is an African American community created by former slaves in the aftermath of the Civil War in 1870. For over 150 years, the people who call Promised Land home have endured unspeakable challenges and hardships, yet they remained strong with a steadfast eye on keeping their community safe and the people healthy and thriving.
Wholespire learned about Promised Land during the 2022 Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL) Mini-Grant call for applications, and even more so during a recent site visit. “It’s such a remarkable and inspiring story to hear. This community is determined to give their neighbors the resources they need to lead healthier lives,” said Kelsey Sanders, MPH, CHES, community relations manager at Wholespire. “We feel honored to play a small role in the history of this neighborhood.”
Before taking her walk, Promised Land community member and organizer Jeanette Austin met Wholespire staff at the project site and provided an overview of the walking trail project and future plans.
For the Promised Land Association, things have fallen into place for them over the years. In 2016, Greenwood County voters approved $66,326 for the construction of a pedestrian trail in the Promised Land community as part of the Capital Project Sales Tax initiative. The pedestrian trail was constructed on a large tract of land owned by the Association where the Promised Land ballfield and the old school are located in Bradley, SC.
“Previously having to walk on the roads with the traffic, I wouldn’t hear the cars until they were right up on me. So, my husband got concerned about my safety and wasn’t comfortable with me walking by myself,” said Jeanette Austin, Promise Land community member and organizer. “The walking track is so beneficial for the people living here and especially for the seniors. A walking trail helps those of us with our health. You can come on out and walk.”
She says the Association saw a need for a few basic amenities to keep the area attractive to new people. They turned to the Upper Savannah Council of Governments for assistance with writing their HEAL mini-grant application. The application was accepted and the community received funding for a picnic table, two swings, and a trash can.
“There’s a small core group that keeps the Association going and we don’t have the interest yet within the community but we’re working on doing some things,” says Austin. “We’re pleased with our progress and we’re looking forward to great things here in Promised Land!”
The Promised Land Association wants to turn the old school into a community center.
What kinds of great things are they looking forward to? They want to eventually transform the paved trail into a rubberized surface. Also, there’s an old school adjacent to the walking track and ballfield. They want to preserve the history of the building by turning it into a community center. It’s an ambitious goal but given the history and resilience of Promised Land and its people, it will be a celebrated accomplishment when they cross the finish line.
Volunteers in Society Hill unload supplies for the community garden.
Driving 30-45 minutes to buy groceries is a burden that residents in Society Hill face every day because there isn’t a grocery store in the community. Residents only have access to unhealthy food at local convenience stores and the local Family Dollar. CareSouth and community volunteers are changing that by creating a community garden where residents can plant and grow fruits and vegetables for free.
CareSouth was one of 13 organizations that recently received a healthy eating and active living (HEAL) mini-grant from Wholespire to address food insecurity. The community garden is located on the historical site of St. David’s Academy, a property that CareSouth acquired for renovation and office use. They generously agreed to reserve part of the property for the community garden.
“The raised bed gardens have already been built for community members to plant and maintain their fall gardens,” said Christy Beasley, community health educator at CareSouth. “Retired farmer and community garden volunteer Dick Baird is leading the project by starting seeds on flatbeds, helping families plant their gardens, and providing expertise on maintenance.”
Volunteers in Society Hill start constructing gardens beds for their community garden.
Beasley says four families have planted fall gardens, and they expect more families to take advantage of this free resource in the Spring. She says Society Hill is buzzing about the gardening opportunity and four people donated money to the project.
“I have met personally with members of the community at the local school. Teachers, parents, staff and community members are extremely interested in a community garden to learn about gardening, nutrition and working with others in the community,” says Beasley.
In addition to encouraging community members to plant and maintain their garden plots, project plans will include education about planting seeds, pests and weeds, seed saving, and harvesting and cooking the fruits of their labor. Ultimately, Beasley hopes this gardening experience will give community members the confidence to grow gardens in their backyards.
Clinton High School students build the fueling station structure.
Residents in Clinton and its surrounding areas have limited opportunities to be active and obtain nutritious food, however, local leaders are in the process of changing that. Wholespire recently awarded the City of Clinton a healthy eating and active living (HEAL) mini-grant to build a fueling station housed at the YMCA of Clinton.
According to their mini-grant application, the City of Clinton is partnering with the YMCA of Clinton to create an onsite fueling station that will supply nutritious foods to the community free of charge. They recruited students from Clinton High School to build and assemble the shelving unit located at the YMCA. High-quality and nutritious food will be gathered, gleaned, and purchased from local food partners including local farms, grocers, and donors.
“The most common complaint shared by guests of the YMCA is the high expense of food, especially healthy food. They try to balance a healthy lifestyle by working out, but more often than not, they will go home and eat something that is not very healthy,” said City of Clinton Community Relations Specialist Lacresha Dowdy.
Residents have access to only two grocery stores, but they are both on one side of town, which puts many of people at a disadvantage in accessing affordable or good-quality fresh food. Data from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control indicates that Laurens County has a 26.2% higher food insecurity rate among children and 24.1% among adults when compared to the state average. Health outcomes are also poor with high rates of diabetes (13.8%), obesity (38.5%) and elevated child BMI demonstrated in school surveillance data.
Clinton High School students are ready to get started on the fueling station structure.
Dowdy added, “The data tells us that the problems of hunger and food insecurity and the epidemic of diabetes, obesity and obesity-related chronic disease have become daunting concerns. The statistics speak for themselves in that 100% of middle and high school students are eligible for free or reduced lunch; and 13% of adults record having limited access to healthy foods, higher than 9% rank for SC.”
Providing free food to the community isn’t the only purpose of the fueling station project. In addition to providing produce and other food items from their farm, LushAcres Farm will allow gleaning field trips for Laurens County School District students. This experience will allow youth to be more conscience of healthy food environments and increase their understanding of the larger food system.
Another component of the project includes educating the community on nutrition, proper food preparation, kitchen safety and cooking skills provided by Clemson Youth Learning Institute SNAP-Ed. Classes will be held for youth, teens, and adults.
The City of Clinton is one of 13 communities that received funding for projects that support populations in need of community resources like the fueling station, playground equipment, school gardens, and hydration stations.
After collecting feedback from residents for an updated bicycle and pedestrian plan, the City of West Columbia will install bicycle racks in various locations throughout the city. The addition will complement the connectivity of parks, trails, and bike lanes and provide cyclists with a safe way to temporarily store their bicycles.
The City of West Columbia is one of 13 communities that recently received a healthy eating and active living (HEAL) mini-grant from Wholespire, a nonprofit that helps organizations and community coalitions increase access to healthy choices. The mini-grant allows West Columbia to purchase 12 bike racks and install them at locations such as parks, the River District, Triangle City, and other highly traversed areas of the city.
“Over the last several years we’ve worked to expand safe accessibility for bicycles and pedestrians throughout the city. We are thankful for these bicycle racks so that people can ride around town, stop, and enjoy the local parks, businesses, and restaurants, all while never having to get into a car,” said Mayor Tem Miles.
“As an individual who is a recreational cyclist, an occasional bicycle commuter, and a father who enjoys a family stroll through the neighborhood and parks, I see the addition of bike racks for public use in West Columbia as the logical next step to aid both current and prospective bikers to move around town,” says Joel Mathwig, West Columbia resident. “Having a convenient and safe location to temporarily store a bike – whether to enjoy a park, go shopping, get to work – can only encourage more bicycle use and more physical activity.”
The West Metro Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan identify a clear strategy for near- and long-term active transportation projects within the West Metro area. The goals identified by the plan are to:
Complete a connected and accessible network of bike and pedestrian facilities,
Improve safety for all modes of transportation,
Provide a comfortable network that encourages biking and walking for users of all ages and abilities, and
Provide equitable access to bike and pedestrian facilities and cultivate an environment of respect for all modes of transportation.
The City of West Columbia, the Central Midlands Council of Governments, the City of Cayce, and the City of Springdale created The West Metro Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan in 2017 and adopted the plan in 2018.
