By Abraham Kenmore
SCDailyGazette.com
COLUMBIA — Expanding a farmers market program for seniors and finding more nonprofits to host summer meals for children are among recommendations for increasing South Carolinians’ access to affordable, nutritious food.
The South Carolina Food Security Council approved 15 recommendations Tuesday, Dec. 19 to release for public comment for a report due to the Legislature at the end of January.
Others involved increasing eligibility for food benefit programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, what used to be known as food stamps. More modest suggestions included creating a comprehensive map of grocery stores and so-called food deserts in South Carolina where affordable, healthy food is limited.
As of November, about 588,000 South Carolinians in more than 281,000 households received SNAP food benefits, according to the state Department of Social Services.
The temporary eight-member council — made up of representatives of various education, food- and health-related state agencies — was created by the Legislature as part of the budget package approved last summer. The group was tasked with examining existing programs addressing food insecurity, identifying gaps and suggesting ways to bridge them.
A budget clause directs the group to provide the Legislature a list of recommendations by January 31, after which the group will dissolve.
Go to scdhec.gov/fsc for more information. The public comment period will close Jan. 2. The council expects to hold two more meetings in January before sending its report to the Legislature.
Abraham Kenmore is a reporter covering elections, health care and more. He joins the S.C. Daily Gazette from The Augusta Chronicle, where he reported on Georgia legislators, military and housing issues.
