2026-11-04 - Health and Wellness Advisory Committee

00:01Mine says it's being live streamed.

00:10>> Has it got a sound? Okay.

00:13You're good to go.

00:15>> All right. Good morning, everybody.

00:16Thank you for joining us on this uh

00:19Wednesday morning, November 4th, 2026.

00:22Want to call to order this health and

00:24wellness advisory committee. Um again,

00:27thank you for spending some time with us

00:29and uh

00:30helping us make the city of Charleston

00:32and the surrounding areas healthier. Uh

00:36want

00:37I've called them

00:38order the uh the meeting. Want to thank

00:41you for uh

00:42joining us the day after election day,

00:44too. Um hopefully everybody had a chance

00:46to get out and vote. Want to

00:47congratulate um a former member of our

00:50health and wellness advisory committee,

00:52Dr. um Annie Andrews. Um Senator Andrews

00:56now. Um

00:58and um

00:59just congratulate her. She she did a lot

01:02for our committee and we appreciate the

01:03work she's done and just congratulate

01:05her on her victory last night. Um

01:09all on our agenda next, we need to

01:12approve the committee minutes from

01:14September 2nd

01:16and August 5th. Is that correct, Paul?

01:20>> Um it's actually

01:22uh the September [snorts] the 2nd. The

01:25August 5th is incorrect. We've already

01:27approved those.

01:28>> Right. Okay.

01:28>> we deferred the ones for October.

01:32>> Okay. So we need an approval for the

01:34minutes for September 2nd, 2026, please.

01:42Can I get a motion to approve?

01:43>> Make a motion to approve the minutes.

01:45>> Thank you. We got a motion to approve.

01:47Can I get a second?

01:48>> Second.

01:49>> All right. A motion to approve those

01:51minutes and a second. Any additions,

01:52deletions, any other comments on that?

01:54If not, all in favor of approving those

01:56minutes, will you please say aye? Aye.

01:59>> Aye.

02:00>> Any

02:01The eyes have it. So,

02:03next up, Low Country Food Bank fall

02:05updates. Um,

02:07the CEO Nick Osborne, no stranger to any

02:10of us. Nick, we appreciate you jumping

02:12in and being our speaker today.

02:15>> Great. Thank you very much indeed. Uh,

02:17appreciate it. And Paul, if you're okay,

02:19I'm going to try and share my screen.

02:21I think you're good to go.

02:28Is it popping up?

02:35There you go.

02:40Have you got on?

02:43>> Paul, does that Can everyone see my my

02:46slides?

02:47>> Yes, Nick.

02:49>> Okay, let me just get it up.

02:51Okay.

03:01Oh, sorry everyone.

03:04Okay, you can still Sorry, Paul, just to

03:05check, you can still see that?

03:13>> Yes, we can.

03:14>> Yeah, I can see it, Nick.

03:16>> Paul, can you see it?

03:19Oh, sorry.

03:20>> Yes, yes, we can.

03:21>> Sorry, I'm struggling with the

03:22technology. I'm not used to using Zoom

03:24these days.

03:29>> You're good to go.

03:32>> Okay, well, thank you very much indeed,

03:34Paul. Uh, I'm As Paul has asked me to

03:36give a an update. Um, Paul, you framed

03:39this as a as a fall update. I'm going to

03:41give a little bit more of a broader

03:42update than just the fall per se.

03:45Um, so just to start with, just to put

03:48into a little bit of a context, um, food

03:50insecurity, and this is across our 10

03:52coastal counties of South Carolina that

03:54we serve as the Low Country Food Bank.

03:56So that's Horry County right down to

03:59Jasper Hampton.

04:00Um, I think we're all very well aware

04:02that there's been many many challenges

04:04over the past few years that have

04:06contributed in some way or another to

04:09the issues of hunger and food insecurity

04:12whether whether we talk about the global

04:14pandemic,

04:15government shutdowns,

04:17reductions in federal support and of

04:19course all a lot of this also

04:21contributes very much in terms of

04:22increased costs I mean the inflation as

04:24we've seen the tariffs, labor shortages

04:28and all of that has a huge impact on the

04:32neighbors that we're we're supporting

04:34and you'll see on the left here a chart

04:37that that maps out the blue bars there

04:40show the number of food insecure people

04:43over the years this is data that's taken

04:45from Feeding America's map the meal gap.

04:48As you can see there from 2020 21 22 as

04:53as sort of the pandemic hit we was we

04:56were seeing a trend that was favorable

04:58in some respects to reductions in in

05:01food insecurity but as you can see there

05:04is a certain lag time to some of this

05:05data as well but as we've gone into 23

05:0824 25 we continue to see

05:11sharp and

05:13very surprising increases in food

05:16insecurity and as we look into 2027

05:19in the year ahead

05:21and based on the map the meal gap data

05:23that we use published by Feeding America

05:25as I say we're looking at yet another

05:28increase in food insecurity

05:31where it's touching between 15 and 16%

05:34of our population across the 10 coastal

05:36counties that we serve as being food

05:38insecure which is a very alarming

05:40situation so as you can see from 2025 to

05:432027 we've seen a 33% increase in in

05:47food insecurity obviously that differs

05:50across the 10 coastal counties that we

05:52serve

05:53I mean one of the surprising and

05:54concerning elements of this is the

05:56impact that it has on on children

05:59in some counties where we're working as

06:01many as one in four children are are

06:03insecure

06:04across the 10 coastal counties. That

06:06that's on average about one in five.

06:10So what are what are we seeing? What are

06:11we been doing over over over the past

06:14years as as what we refer to as food for

06:17today? So it's meeting today's need with

06:18nutritious food. What I'm showing here

06:20on on the left here just gives you a

06:22picture of of the food that we have

06:25distributed to meet the need over the

06:28years. I think it's interesting just to

06:29see how how that has increased and you

06:32can see the the the jump there from 2019

06:35to 2020.

06:37Again, that's very much in response to

06:41COVID. But but since 2020 we've we've

06:44been consistently distributing

06:47over 40 million pounds of food each

06:50year.

06:51You can see in those bars as well how

06:53that is differentiated across different

06:55different sources as well.

06:57The the red bar on the bottom or the red

07:00part of the bars on the bottom there

07:01captures the food the federally funded

07:03food sources that we get.

07:05You can see that during 2020 2020 21

07:09that made up quite a significant

07:10portion. But as we've

07:12gone through more recent years that

07:13federally supported funding for food has

07:17has dropped off and and we but

07:19fortunately we've seen how that's filled

07:21been filled through some of our other

07:23sources. But that picture sort of gives

07:24you a sense also of of the diversity of

07:27of where the the the food that we

07:30were able to procure

07:32that's donated or that's purchased comes

07:35from. But but what's consistent there I

07:37think is over the past years

07:39the amount of food that we've been

07:41distributing across those ten coastal

07:43counties.

07:44Up on the top right hand side there

07:46you'll see the trends of pounds that

07:48have been distributed

07:50from a percentage perspective that we

07:52break down

07:54by produce protein and dairy and and and

07:57what we then refer to as all other. We

07:59we talk about produce protein and dairy

08:01in the context of whole food

08:04and that's really important for us in

08:06terms of being able to to

08:07push that percentage of what we

08:09distribute being increased as push it as

08:12hard as possible to to be made up of

08:14that whole food. So you can see there

08:16from 2018 up to 2025

08:20how the the the the the percentage or

08:24total percentage of what we've

08:25distributed in the context of in produce

08:27protein and dairy has increased.

08:30You can see it's gone from from roughly

08:3245% in 2018

08:36up to over 60% in 2025 and that's

08:41something that we pay a lot of attention

08:42to

08:44in terms of being able to meet the

08:46nutritional needs of the neighbors that

08:48we're serving and ensuring that that

08:50we're maximizing what we're distributing

08:52in the context of being a produce

08:54protein or dairy.

08:57On the on the chart below just shows

09:00some of the results or what we've been

09:02distributing from our retail program.

09:05We we get a significant amount of

09:08support from from our retail partners.

09:11So this is

09:12a program that that we refer to as our

09:15retail rescue program. This is food that

09:17that is donated by our retail partners

09:20whether that be Food Lion, Publix,

09:23Harris Teeter, Walmart, Sam's Club.

09:27You can see there how that is increased.

09:29The blue there

09:30shows the the amount that the blue bar

09:34shows the amount that's been rescued

09:36each year from 2019 to to what we're

09:39projecting in 2026. So we're projecting

09:42in 2026

09:44the highest amount of of food rescue

09:47from those retail partners. So we're

09:49we're we're anticipating somewhere close

09:52to about 18 18 and a half million pounds

09:56of of of retail rescue food that's going

10:01to come through our doors and get

10:02distributed back out through our partner

10:04agencies. And you can see how that that

10:06retail rescue is a significant portion

10:10um of uh of our total pounds that are

10:13distributed. And that's played a very

10:15important role for us as well, because

10:17as we've seen some of the other sources

10:18of food decreased, like our federally

10:21funded food sources, that has um

10:24fortunately been filled by um our retail

10:26rescue program. Uh and you can see the

10:29significant amount uh that we are

10:30rescuing as I say.

10:34Just to give you a sense as to meeting

10:36the needs of our neighbors this year in

10:382026,

10:40um you can see two charts here. We track

10:42very closely um against our targets that

10:45we set uh to meet that need across each

10:48of our counties. The the the the

10:51the chart on the left shows um in blue

10:55what our targets are. Uh and the orange

10:58shows how we're tracking against those

10:60targets cumulatively um over the course

11:02of the year.

11:03Um for us uh we are

11:06thankful and appreciative, and a lot of

11:08a lot of this is due to the hard work of

11:10the team, but also through uh the

11:13dedication and support from from those

11:16that we work with, our partners. Um

11:18we've been able to continue to both meet

11:21and exceed our distribution targets.

11:24Uh the chart on the right there shows

11:25how uh the pounds that that we set as

11:28targets on the blue are are set across

11:31each of the months, and the orange shows

11:33how we've been able to exceed that um on

11:37each each month. So we're particularly

11:39proud of of the fact that we've been

11:41able to not just meet the need that

11:42we've set against our targets, but we've

11:44been able to exceed that.

11:46As I said, one of the reasons for that

11:48is um there's multiple reasons for that,

11:50but one of the one of the reasons for

11:51that is our retail rescue program, which

11:53continues to perform well. Uh and we're

11:5514% ahead of target there.

11:58As I said, with whole foods, protein,

12:00dairy, and uh produce, uh we we have a

12:04target of 60%. We're currently running

12:06at 68% of of what we distribute is um is

12:10whole food, which again is making sure

12:12that we're getting a nutritious food um

12:15into the community and onto the tables

12:18of of our neighbors that need it.

12:21We pay particular attention to our

12:23produce. Um the the the percentage of

12:26produce that we're distributing now is

12:28running at 49%

12:30uh of everything that we distribute. Um

12:32that is up from to somewhere around

12:35about the 20% in um back in 2018.

12:39So there's a tremendous effort to to

12:41really push um the the the the fresh

12:45produce. Uh that's challenging because

12:47obviously fresh produce comes with a lot

12:49of logistical challenges because it

12:51needs to be refrigerated and it needs to

12:54be um distributed as quickly as it

12:57possibly can so as to ensure that that

12:59it has uh the the most beneficial use to

13:02to our neighbors.

13:06Just to give you a little bit of a sense

13:07of uh another focus for us is obviously

13:09engaging with our neighbors and

13:10obviously a lot of work that we do

13:12around um amplifying the voice um and

13:15hearing and listening to our neighbors.

13:16I mean we couldn't do the work that we

13:18do without the partnerships that we have

13:21um across our 10 coastal counties. We

13:23work with approximately still continue

13:25to work with approximately 240

13:28uh partner agencies um across those 10

13:31coastal counties. These are food

13:33pantries, community-based organizations,

13:36and we spend a lot of time in the

13:37community um listening to to what our

13:40partners have to tell us, listening to

13:42what our um our neighbors tell us as

13:45well. We we do a lot of listening

13:47sessions, a lot of neighbor surveys, uh

13:50and get a lot of feedback um from from

13:52those that we're serving.

13:54At the same time, we engage with with a

13:57lot of other um like-minded um entities.

14:01Um you'll see um some pictures there of

14:03some of the events that that we we

14:05engage in throughout the year. Um FTC

14:08days, FTC is Feeding the Carolinas. This

14:10is an association of food banks in both

14:13North and South Carolina that that we're

14:15part of. So the 10

14:17food banks that cover north and South

14:19Carolinas

14:20are formed into an association called

14:23Feeding the Carolinas and and obviously

14:25we're engaged in a lot of advocacy and

14:27actions around that as well together

14:30with Feeding America um the FRAC policy

14:33conference but also events like the

14:34Carolina College Food and Security Day

14:36as well that that we're very much

14:38present and engaged in on a on an

14:40ongoing basis.

14:44Just to give you a a snapshot of some of

14:46the areas that we're in we've invested

14:48in um over the course of of the years

14:50and some of our programs that that that

14:52we do um which is really about um

14:55through a focus on cultivating those

14:57partnerships and developing uh capacity

15:00um not in any particular order but but

15:03down in the right hand corner there you

15:04will see uh a picture there of the Gulla

15:07Farmers Cooperative Association.

15:09Um this is this is a partnership that

15:12that we've had for many many years going

15:13back to the early 2000s 2005 2006

15:18um where we work very closely with the

15:20association but it's very much in

15:21support of our local farm producers.

15:24Um we are um a market for a lot a lot of

15:28our local farmers

15:30um but also a lot of the produce that

15:32our local farmers are producing is then

15:34going back into the community and

15:36supporting communities as well. So that

15:38partnership with with our local farm

15:40producers is incredibly important for us

15:43and one that we've nurtured and

15:44developed and will continue to support

15:46um over the years.

15:49Um you'll see on on the bottom there as

15:51well a couple of pictures of of that

15:53that capture some of the

15:55the nutrition work that we do again the

15:57importance of our nutrition education uh

16:00meeting with our partners engaging with

16:02our partners the importance of nutrition

16:04education and making sure that that um

16:07our neighbors um understand and have the

16:10information that they need to make wise

16:12choices um in in light of the the budget

16:15and the income constraints that they

16:17have.

16:18In the center there at the bottom that's

16:20a picture of of a of a school market.

16:23With this is a market that's established

16:25within one of our school partners. It's

16:27set up as a client choice.

16:29The purpose of that is that that our our

16:32communities can come in and shop freely,

16:36make the

16:37acquire the education to help them make

16:39choices that that are nutritionally

16:42relevant, but also gives them the the

16:44confidence to come in and shop in in any

16:46normal way that anyone of us would do if

16:48and when we go into a grocery store.

16:52Up on the right hand corner there is is

16:53an initiative that we have. This is a a

16:56mobile pantry truck. This is we call

16:59this the green goddess or GG.

17:02This is a truck that that

17:05enable has the ability to go anywhere in

17:08that it is divided into both a

17:10refrigerated part and a dry part of the

17:13truck. So the front part of the truck is

17:15refrigerated. The sides open and go up

17:18which allow us to take food directly off

17:20set up on the tables and operate things

17:23like a fresh floor farmers market.

17:26The advantage of this is that this truck

17:28can go anywhere.

17:30It can go on on unpaved roads because

17:33it's not required doesn't require a

17:35pavement with a with a tailgate

17:37enables huge flexibility in terms of the

17:40locations that we can go to

17:42across our 10 coastal counties.

17:45In the middle there again a lot of a lot

17:47of what a lot of the challenges that our

17:48partner agencies face is transport. So

17:51we've we've we've been supporting with

17:54with smaller refrigerated

17:58trucks box trucks with our agencies

18:01which enables those agencies to be able

18:04to pick up effectively and efficiently

18:05from from retail partners, but also be

18:07able to transport

18:09transport the food that's required

18:12whether it be local produce or frozen

18:14produce.

18:16On the left hand side there you will see

18:18a a locker. This is an

18:20that we started

18:22um approximately two years ago. These

18:24are um refrigerated and frozen um

18:28lockers.

18:29Uh these are set up at the partner

18:31agencies. We currently have three of

18:33these established with partner agencies

18:35up in Orie County.

18:37Um the beauty of these is it's just like

18:39an Amazon locker in that um they are set

18:43up outside a partner agency. Um our

18:46neighbors can shop um online, pick the

18:49food that they require, place an order,

18:52and then the agency is then able to

18:54stock the locker

18:56uh with the food that that that a

18:57neighbor has chosen.

18:59Uh and then our neighbors have the

19:00flexibility to choose the time that they

19:03can come and pick that food up. Uh they

19:05come they they they tap in um the the

19:08code and they can open the locker and

19:10take the food that that they require.

19:13We found these these lockers to be

19:14incredibly beneficial um in locations um

19:19where um neighbors don't have the time

19:22um to take time off of work to be able

19:25to access food. They can then build um

19:29accessibility to food in with their own

19:31schedule. So when they're on the way to

19:33or coming home from work.

19:35So so these these this these are

19:37wonderful initiatives and proven to be

19:39incredibly um successful.

19:41Uh we're currently in the process of

19:43establishing or or looking to establish

19:45a fourth um set of uh lockers um here in

19:49Charleston County and working with our

19:51partner agencies to identify an

19:54appropriate site for that. As I said on

19:56on one half of that will be refrigerated

19:59and one half of of those that that set

20:01of lockers will be um able to keep food

20:03frozen.

20:07Um just to say as well down in the I

20:09just wanted to highlight as well like I

20:11may have talked about this before but in

20:13in the southern region I done in our

20:15southern part of our service area uh

20:17we've we've made a significant

20:20investment in a new facility. You'll see

20:22on the left hand side there,

20:23uh, a picture of what was our old

20:25facility in Yemassee. Uh, this was a

20:28small six and a half thousand square

20:30foot facility that was wholly inadequate

20:32in in terms of being able to service,

20:35um, our neighbors down in the south.

20:37Uh, in the right hand side there, you

20:39will see a a picture of a our new 20,000

20:42square foot facility that that's been

20:44constructed in Hampton in Early Branch,

20:47uh, which we we were able to uh, receive

20:50um, funding and invest resources that we

20:53had uh, to build this facility and to

20:55build it in a way that can best serve

20:57our neighbors, but also serve not just

20:59not just our southern region, but but

21:01the entirety of our our coastal um,

21:04service area because we've been able to

21:06incorporate significant refrigeration

21:08space in there, which is incredibly

21:10important uh, in light of the increase

21:13of fresh produce that we have been

21:15distributing across our service area.

21:18But we've also incorporated meeting

21:20space in there. Um, there's a a large

21:23uh, meeting space conferencing facility

21:25in in the building as well, which

21:28provides opportunities for our partners

21:30and our neighbors to convene and and and

21:32meet and use the space

21:34um, in an area where where there's very

21:36little um, options for our our partners

21:38to do that.

21:40We've also incorporated a teaching

21:42kitchen in into the the the building as

21:44well, which enables us to um, conduct

21:47on-site nutrition education and teaching

21:49demonstrations. But what we're also

21:51using the teaching kitchen for is to do

21:53live stream and also recorded nutrition

21:56lessons as well, which we can then um,

21:59share out with our our partners.

22:03And then finally, just to to give a

22:05quick snapshot of just looking ahead,

22:07and we'll obviously we will continue to

22:09focus on meeting the sustained needs of

22:12of of our neighbors. Obviously we we

22:14have the the holiday period coming up.

22:16This is our most busiest time of the

22:18year um, as we go into the the holiday

22:21period with Thanksgiving

22:23uh, and obviously we we've we've been

22:25gearing up and continue to gear up for

22:27for the last three months of the year,

22:28but also as we go into the start of the

22:30new year as well.

22:32Uh and obviously very mindful of some of

22:34the changes in SNAP benefits and what

22:37that will mean

22:38in terms of placing additional demands

22:40on us um as we see um a lot of our

22:44neighbors being constrained in their

22:46access accessing SNAP benefits and what

22:49that means in terms of putting

22:51additional uh demands on us being able

22:54to meet that gap.

22:55And continuing to invest in our our

22:57partner agencies. As I said, I talked

22:59about the additional food locker that

23:00we're establishing here in Charleston

23:02County. We're also piloting um home

23:06delivery

23:07program as well and looking at a variety

23:09of different techniques and mechanisms

23:12uh to be able to um put in place home

23:15delivery um and enabling our partner

23:18agencies to engage um in in that type of

23:21program and we're we're very much

23:22learning from that and we will pilot it

23:24as said with a view to investing in

23:26expanding that in in the course of the

23:28the coming year.

23:31So Paul, I I will stop there.

23:39>> Thanks Nick. I

23:40>> Sorry, I was happy to take any

23:41questions.

23:42>> Sorry.

23:43We are I tell you Nick, we're so

23:45appreciative of

23:47of what you all are accomplishing. Those

23:49are just amazing numbers. How how is has

23:53the SNAP

23:54I guess the reduction in SNAP and and

23:57the fact is that's what's driving more

23:59and more demand to y'all?

24:02>> I think it's a it's a it's many

24:04different reasons Paul. I think

24:06fundamentally I think just the increase

24:08in in costs associated with the

24:10inflation,

24:12the increased cost in in food prices and

24:14that continues to put huge pressure

24:17um on our neighbors um and people's

24:20limited budgets. I mean again, I I look

24:22at this from a perspective when you look

24:24at a household budget and you have to

24:26pay for the

24:28of things like rent, utilities,

24:30um

24:31transport costs.

24:33You can't pay for half a rent and you

24:35can't pay for half of of of a transport

24:39cost if you like, if you're driving

24:40somewhere. But what happens is where

24:43where our neighbors are are are cutting

24:45back is on the purchase of nutritious

24:47food and so therefore that is creating

24:50additional demand and that's where we're

24:51picking we're having to pick

24:53increasingly that that gap up.

24:55Um so it it's a variety of things and

24:58obviously as we start to see um the

25:00implications of of SNAP we're seeing

25:02we're seeing a falling number of of of

25:05our of of households applying for SNAP

25:07benefits given some of the the

25:09challenges. But at the same time a lot

25:11of households we we we've recently did a

25:13listening session up in Orie County to

25:16understand a bit more about some of the

25:18challenges and issues

25:19in relation to SNAP benefits, the

25:22challenges that that that our neighbors

25:24face in terms of the application

25:26process, the length of time that it

25:27takes for the application.

25:29A lot of the households that are

25:30receiving um SNAP benefits are actually

25:33getting very little. I mean in in the

25:35range of of of $30 $40 a month so

25:38there's there's not the benefit is not

25:40um being able to to cater for um their

25:44whole uh food requirements during the

25:46course of any particular month so

25:47they're having to turn increasingly to

25:50um food pantries to to fill that gap.

25:55>> But

25:56I guess Kevin if I could just one more

25:58question the this

26:00the fall time's coming up we've got

26:02Thanksgiving and the holidays and I know

26:04the demand is going to be bigger are is

26:07there any message you have for for us or

26:10how we can all reach out to help the

26:12food bank during these next couple of

26:14months?

26:16>> I mean I would I would reiterate

26:17messages that I've said before Paul I

26:19mean again continue to

26:22let anyone that needs assistance

26:24referring them to um our website the the

26:28find food tool that's on our

26:30is um very easy to use. It provides a

26:35lot of information in terms of where the

26:37nearest food pantry um is to where they

26:41may be located. It gives information of

26:43the types of services that food pantries

26:46are providing, their opening times. So

26:48again, anyone that needs assistance um

26:51please use our website uh to find where

26:53that food assistance is. On there as

26:55well, there is calendars that show the

26:57distributions that we're doing as well.

26:59And similarly, anyone that wants to

27:01support the work that we we we do as

27:02well. Um so donations, whether that's a

27:05food drive, a fund drive. Again, there's

27:07a lot of information on our website in

27:09terms of how to

27:11how to manage those and how to to to do

27:13those. And we have staff here that that

27:15that can provide any informational

27:17support that's needed to be able to do

27:19that.

27:21>> And that

27:22that email address is

27:27>> the

27:28>> Which which email address uh Paul?

27:29>> That the um the website address.

27:33>> lowcountryfoodbank.org

27:36>> There you go.

27:37>> Yeah.

27:39>> Nick, thank you so much. Um a heartfelt

27:42thanks for all of your uh long service.

27:44I think you've been CEO for six years.

27:47Is that right?

27:48>> Coming up for six years, Kevin. Correct.

27:49>> for six years and um

27:52you know, you you sure make a a

27:53difference and um you have affected the

27:56lives of thousands of people in our

27:58community and across those 10 um

28:00counties and um

28:02you know, we just can't tell you how

28:04much um

28:05we appreciate you. Um incredible,

28:08incredible work and thank you for the

28:10work that you've put in on this

28:11committee as well. Um thank you so much.

28:14>> I appreciate that and I thank everyone

28:16as well for all of your support and

28:17engagement with the work that we do as

28:19well. We we couldn't do the work that we

28:20do like many of us.

28:22We couldn't do the work that we do

28:23without the collaboration and the

28:25commitment and the partnerships that we

28:26have with you all and everyone in the

28:28community as well. So a huge thank you

28:30from all of us here at the food bank as

28:32well. It it it really a lot to us that

28:34those partnerships.

28:36>> Thank you so much.

28:37>> Kevin, if I could just share that

28:39website one more time with the with our

28:43with everybody

28:44um listening in or or watching, but

28:47the the information Nick's talking about

28:50is right there. Find food.

28:53Um if you want to volunteer to get

28:54involved with anything going on, ways

28:56you can give,

28:58and then more just about the impact and

29:00everything they're doing. But

29:02um please

29:03please help pass this out because we

29:06really

29:07we all can make a difference and

29:08everybody has different roles. So if you

29:11could help out, we appreciate it.

29:15>> All right. [snorts] Thank you very much.

29:16Anybody else before we move on?

29:20All right. Well, I'll

29:22call on our community engagement manager

29:24for the Low Country region of South

29:26Carolina Department of Public Health,

29:27Mr. Lamar Hodges, for our community

29:30health update.

29:36>> Good morning. Um I do apologize. I am

29:41not able to show my face this morning,

29:43but I am traveling um as it pertains to

29:46in the Low Country area. However, I

29:49definitely want to um give some updates

29:52in regards to um community engagement.

29:55Of course, I am the community engagement

29:57manager for the Department of Public

29:58Health serving Charleston, Dorchester,

30:01Berkeley uh counties. And um I just want

30:04to share some information first off. Um

30:06this is update in this keeping in mind

30:09that it is flu season.

30:11Um as it pertains to flu season, I want

30:14to just kind of provide provide some

30:15reminders and some healthy habits.

30:18Um just making sure that of course that

30:22during this time we are all um going to

30:25experience that time frame but just

30:27understanding that the flu is present.

30:30Um one of the things that we some just

30:32some tips and things that we want to be

30:34reminded of uh as it pertains to um

30:37doing the flu season is making sure that

30:39we

30:40continue to make sure we wash our hands

30:43when it comes to covering our mouth and

30:45nose possibly with a tissue or

30:48as it pertains to in your elbow

30:51to just when you cough and you're

30:52sneezing

30:54usually avoid touching your eyes, nose

30:56and mouth

30:58during those times as well as making

31:00sure that we limit our contact with

31:01those who are

31:03sick.

31:04Often times the situations that's

31:06usually

31:08where we kind of forget those things as

31:11it pertains to

31:13ways to prevent the spread of the flu.

31:17We always recommend that children who

31:19are younger than 5 years and 5 years and

31:22adults who are older than 65 years

31:27who have any chronic illnesses

31:30like diabetes and heart disease

31:33you're more so at higher risk

31:35for those complications from the flu. So

31:38definitely want to make sure that you

31:40know we keeping in mind of those

31:43persons

31:44who experienced those chronic illnesses.

31:48Definitely in the space as always we

31:51recommend

31:52for the flu vaccine

31:54and of course this is a flu vaccine.

31:56Anyone who's at the age of 6 months or

31:59older

32:01should be able

32:02is recommended to get the flu vaccine.

32:06Of course adults who are 65 years and

32:08older should receive you know two types

32:11of if there is

32:14case of like the pneumonia vaccines

32:17and then of course those just being

32:19cautious of those who do smoke

32:22just with those health conditions that

32:25we recommend that you get the vaccine

32:27even earlier due to those complications

32:30and those conditions.

32:33Other things that we want to just make

32:35sure that we were reminded is that for

32:36those who

32:38um uh those who are currently pregnant,

32:4165 years and older, and with those

32:43chronic uh medical problems,

32:46uh just making sure that you um get the

32:49vaccines, but of course you always go in

32:51the space of consulting with your

32:53healthcare provider, um your primary

32:55care physician. Uh but of course and

32:58always just note that um places where

33:01you can get the vaccine is of course at

33:04the uh with your healthcare provider, um

33:07as well as the local um

33:09local pharmacies in your community, as

33:13well as of course

33:15we always offer it at our local health

33:18departments. So of course

33:21definitely opportunities there for um

33:24everyone in the community to be uh uh uh

33:28safe in that space, but in that space we

33:30want to make sure that we are protecting

33:32ourselves as well as each other. So um

33:35that is uh where we want to go when it

33:38comes to the flu for this season.

33:41Um moving forward, I just want to share

33:43some updates in regards to some

33:45community events that uh

33:48uh

33:49Paul is going to share on the screen. Um

33:51some great community events that are

33:53coming up. Um starting with uh the first

33:55one for this coming upcoming Saturday.

33:59Uh uh the Sunflowers of Hope

34:02Incorporated, they are hosting their

34:04second annual Day of Hope and Faith is a

34:07community outreach event on this coming

34:10Saturday uh at 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

34:14They're actually hosting the event at uh

34:16of course our local health department,

34:18Charleston Health Department, the Teddy

34:20Pryor building. Um and of course they

34:22are providing um so many different great

34:25resources. Um they are uh providing one

34:29of the great things is they're doing

34:30food giveaway. Um and of course they

34:33actually go in a space where you

34:36actually pack the items in which that

34:38you need. Uh there is not prepackaged,

34:41so that's a great way um to make sure

34:43that the community members get what they

34:45need and not just a a bag of items that

34:48are prepackaged. They're also going to

34:50be providing um utility assistance. Um

34:54so those um but they do recommend that

34:56if you are seeking assistance with your

34:59utility to make sure that you bring the

35:02um current bill um so that therefore

35:04they can be able to um assist with that

35:07matter.

35:08Um they will have um medical checks,

35:11games, um a lot of fun for the children

35:14as well as the gift card giveaways. So,

35:17definitely a way to um impact our

35:19community with different ways of

35:22resources that they may need during this

35:24season.

35:26Moving on, so we have the next community

35:30event um that it's on the uh

35:35on the screen is of course the Join the

35:36Movement. Um it's the Low Country 5K, a

35:39competitive race um in Charleston is

35:42going to be on November the 21st. Um

35:44we're going to walk, we're going to run,

35:46we're going to move. Um and of course

35:48it's definitely why one of our community

35:50partners they're going to be hosting

35:51that initiative um as it pertains to the

35:55in the Charleston area. Um I know that

35:57we will uh the contact information is

36:00located there. You will need to

36:01register. So, you'll see the QR code

36:04that is uh located there on the screen

36:07at the top of the flyer as well.

36:10And moving on to the next uh community

36:13initiative.

36:17All righty. And the next community

36:19initiative I'm going into December um

36:22with the community baby shower and this

36:24is just so that therefore just in case

36:26if we are not scheduled for a meeting

36:29next month I just want to make sure this

36:30information is given in that space for

36:34uh diapers, wipes, and much more. Um of

36:37course the community baby shower is

36:38going to be down there in the Mount

36:39Corner uh library. Um opportunity uh

36:43don't have to be a resident in the uh

36:46county, but of course, if you need those

36:48resources, we are partnering with our

36:50friends with Absolute Total Care, um as

36:52well as the Berkeley County Library

36:54System to provide um those resources to

36:58those families uh from 10 a.m. to 12

37:01p.m. on December the 12th, 2026.

37:08And of course, the last uh uh more

37:11second to the last community initiative,

37:14uh one of the ones I am so proud to be a

37:17part of as I serve as one of the

37:20coordinators for this initiative is uh

37:22the annual Thanksgiving giveaway. Um of

37:25course, we are partnering with our great

37:26friends with Community Impact Outreach.

37:29Uh uh they're in North Charleston. Um uh

37:32we are having our annual Thanksgiving

37:34giveaway. It's going to be at the 2429

37:37Millen Park Road um on November the

37:4021st. Um it's starting at 10 a.m. We're

37:43going to be providing um turkeys as well

37:46as fresh produce. Um as always, we

37:48appreciate all the great work that Nick

37:51and his team is doing because they will

37:52also be assisting us with providing uh

37:55fresh produce to the community. Um as

37:58one of those community partners that is

38:00partnering with them, um we'll be uh

38:02providing some fresh produce as well. Um

38:05our great friends with MUSC is going to

38:08be providing vaccinations. So that's a

38:10great way to get those vaccines in,

38:13especially for our uh

38:14kids um during the time of school. A lot

38:18of times we

38:19deal with the barriers of

38:22uh a lot of times we're the we would

38:24like not to take the kids out of school.

38:27So this is a great a Saturday initiative

38:30that, you know, we can be able to

38:31provide those vaccines. However, you

38:33will need to register. So the contact

38:36information for the vaccines to register

38:38is uh there are two phone numbers there

38:40listed on the flyer. Um of course, we're

38:43uh right now we have at least over 25

38:47community partners who will be there

38:49tabling the community event as well. So

38:52we won't just have the turkeys and the

38:54fresh produce as well as the vaccines.

38:56We're going to have a lot more uh

38:58different information out there and and

39:01community partners who have valuable

39:03resources related to families from all

39:06parts of the lifespan. So we definitely

39:08appreciate um all of our community

39:10partners including Low Country Food Bank

39:13who has um diligently every year helped

39:16uh us celebrate and and be able to put

39:19this initiative together. And of course,

39:21we look forward to definitely seeing

39:24everyone there as we do have um

39:27plenty of items to give away for the

39:30families.

39:34All ready.

39:38All right, there it is. I was wondering

39:40if about the last one. So the last uh

39:42community initiative which is also um

39:45this fri- on this Saturday.

39:48Um it is a community safe day. Um as a

39:50member of the uh Safe Kids uh coalition

39:54in the Charleston area, um we're working

39:56with our partners

39:58um with that initiative and it's a

39:59community safety day. Um it's going to

40:02be this Saturday on November the 7th

40:04from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 um to 2:00

40:07p.m., excuse me, at the Michael Brown

40:09Community Wellness Center. Um it's a

40:11great initiative. We're going to have a

40:13lot of different opportunities for the

40:16family um to definitely learn a lot

40:19about safety, not just only we're

40:21providing um car seat um checks for

40:25those families who are definitely need

40:27those in um this time, making sure that

40:29all of our little ones are safe

40:31um and buckle down properly.

40:34We also have our uh local uh fire

40:37department, our North Charleston fire

40:38department who will be there to share

40:40great information about fire safety as

40:43well as our local police department that

40:45will be providing us how to make sure we

40:47stay safe during this time. Normally in

40:49the spaces a great initiative for

40:51families, I love to see this initiative

40:54going because it also sets up to in the

40:57space of setting up stations

41:01in the wellness center so that therefore

41:06families can go in the space of

41:08educating

41:09just how to even, you know, properly be

41:12safe or crossing the street, things of

41:15that nature, riding a bike with the

41:17helmet on. So all of those great

41:19initiatives to make sure we are doing as

41:22much as possible to do a lot of injury

41:25prevention and accidental deaths. So

41:29great family-oriented initiative to come

41:31out to on this

41:33coming upcoming Saturday as well at

41:3511:00. And that is all I have. Any

41:38questions?

41:41>> Any questions for Lamar Hodges?

41:44>> I just want to reiterate something Lamar

41:47says every meeting, but they are our

41:50public health

41:52department is always open to be at your

41:54event. So if you've got one, try to look

41:57up Lamar and give him a call.

42:02>> Very good.

42:06Lamar Hodges, thank you very much for

42:07that great report. A lot of great

42:09activities going on. Thank you for

42:10sharing with us and

42:12appreciate all that you do.

42:14>> Awesome. Thank you so much.

42:16>> All right. So we have our community

42:18health and wellness updates and I'll

42:20just kind of look to see if anybody

42:23has anything to share. If you raise your

42:24hand

42:26on the

42:28anyone.

42:31All right.

42:33Morgan Huey.

42:35>> Hey y'all.

42:36Nick Nick, thanks so much for your

42:38presentation today and thanks Lamar for

42:40your updates.

42:43I just have a quick note from my role in

42:45Charleston Moves.

42:48We have our big fundraiser for the our

42:50biggest fundraiser of the year tomorrow

42:53um at Edmonds Original, the Bower um

42:56from six to nine. It's called Pedal and

42:57Panache. It's our 10th annual. Um and so

43:00we're celebrating a lot of progress with

43:02the um

43:04Ashley River Crossing project and among

43:07other safe uh safety projects for

43:09biking, walking, and public transit. Um

43:13so I'm going to put that link

43:15in the chat. Feel free to join us.

43:17Tickets include food, drink, and live

43:19music if you're able. I know there's a

43:21lot going on in the community. Um but

43:24also the silent auction is open to

43:26anyone. You don't have to attend the

43:28event. There's some really great local

43:29art um

43:31restaurants. Everything that's raised

43:34tomorrow night goes directly to

43:35Charleston Moves and directly to

43:37advocacy in our community. So um I'll

43:40put that in the chat and thank you.

43:43>> Great. Thank you, Morgan. Um great

43:45organization that Morgan's a part of.

43:47They do a lot of great things uh with

43:49making pedestrian and bicycle friendly

43:51areas and um they're at city council and

43:54um a lot and county council and we

43:57appreciate all the all that you do

43:58there. So hopefully some people can get

44:01out and join you. Hope you have a very

44:02successful fundraiser.

44:04>> Yeah, and the city's been um really

44:06great partners and we have some really

44:08uh great pedestrian projects and

44:10initiatives coming up um on the horizon.

44:13So it's it's exciting.

44:15>> Very good. Thank you so much.

44:17Anyone else want to give a health and

44:19wellness update?

44:22Just kind of looking.

44:27Uh Dr. Durst?

44:28>> Hi, good morning. I just want to

44:30emphasize what I put in the chat. Um you

44:33know, thanks for Nick for definitely the

44:34Low Country Food Bank. I know our

44:37organization, the Medical Society's work

44:39some with them um especially in our

44:42school health wellness committees where

44:44we work with doing the gardens in the

44:46schools and looking for different

44:48initiatives. Um Dr. Key and our group

44:51are still working with the local health

44:54departments and also the local police

44:57departments, working with some school

44:59health initiatives. Um, I'm sorry I

45:01don't have such an update right now.

45:03They were going to send me some

45:04information, but we're continuing with

45:07that. We meet once a month.

45:10Like Lamar said, we're really looking at

45:12helping prevent diseases for the kids,

45:14for the washing hands, vaccines, and

45:16definitely the flu shot, you know, like

45:18he said.

45:20And I really liked

45:22also what Nick had talked about the

45:24teaching kitchens, and I know Dr.

45:26Johnson, I don't know if she's here, but

45:28I know we had a big initiative looking

45:30for lifestyle medicine, and then also

45:33the initiative with the

45:34city of Charleston with wellness looking

45:36in nature and medicine and food is

45:39medicine in the communities and

45:41businesses, and we thank y'all for your

45:43support for that.

45:45>> Thank you, Dr. Durst.

45:47All right.

45:50Anyone else have anything

45:53like to share this morning?

45:58All right. Well, thank you again to

45:59Lamar Hodges and and Nick, our heartfelt

46:02thanks for all that you do and the

46:04thousands of lives that you've touched

46:07and and improved

46:10through all through all that you do. So

46:12thank you so much and thank you for

46:13taking time to give that great report

46:15today as well. So appreciate it.

46:18If there's nothing else to come before

46:21this committee, we stand adjourned.

46:23Thank you.

46:25>> Thank you.

46:26>> Councilman, thanks, Paul.

46:28>> Thanks, Paul. Thanks, everyone.

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