The Bluffton Community Kitchen (BCK) prepares and serves hundreds of meals-to-go on a weekly basis, throughout the year.

Every Monday, 300 - 350 hot meals are boxed up and handed out at a walk-up window at the Campbell Memorial Chapel in Old Town Bluffton.

On Wednesdays, the same number of meals are handed out at the window, plus another 200 are loaded up and delivered by volunteers to members of the community who may not be able to get to the Soup Kitchen. No proof of need is ever required to receive a hot meal (or two).

My role as a volunteer on Tuesdays, along with fellow Colleton River member Ceci Clark, is to peel and chop fresh vegetables which will be used in the meals on Wednesdays. When fresh veggies are unavailable, BCK orders canned or frozen vegetables in bulk, which volunteers will bag up and freeze for future use.

Thursdays, BCK holds an outdoor Food Pantry with fresh produce, bakery items and meats donated by local grocery stores and delivered by Second Harvest. Betsy Hammond from Colleton River is a regular volunteer on Thursdays helping with the Pantry.

In addition to the regular outdoor pantry, the second and fourth Thursdays of the month, BCK also distributes household goods and personal care items with a program called “Ida’s Closet”, named for the founder of BCK and Bluffton Self Help, Ida Martin. We distribute up to 60 pre-packaged bags of items such as paper towels, toothpaste, hand soap, and deodorant. The clients then may choose three additional (usually more expensive) items such as laundry detergent, disinfectant wipes, baby diapers, bleach or toilet paper from the “closet”. Items in the bags and Ida’s Closet change every time it’s open. These products do not qualify for Food Stamps, so our clients are grateful for the opportunity to get them free from BCK.

Last year, the Colleton River Charitable Fund generously provided a $20,000 grant to BCK to support this important, worthwhile program. I’m honored to participate in this phenomenal cause.

If you want to get involved with The Bluffton Community Kitchen, give me a shout!