North Myrtle Beach Fire Department Food Drive for Sea Haven’s “Combat Hunger” Program Comes to a Successful End

During the month of August, the North Myrtle Beach Fire Department collected canned and non-perishable food goods in support of Sea Haven’s “Combat Hunger” project. Members of the public dropped food off at the City’s fire stations.

According to North Myrtle Beach Firefighter/EMT Aaron Asbury, who helped manage the Fire Department’s month-long food drive, the effort was a solid success.

“We thank everyone who donated food to this good cause,” Asbury said. “Because of them, homeless and at-risk high school and middle school students in our area will have food for the weekends. This will make all the difference in their ability to continue to focus on achieving success in their lives.”

Begun in 2011, Sea Haven, Inc.’s Combat Hunger project focuses on providing local homeless and at-risk high school and middle school students with weekend food and informational materials. Combat Hunger currently benefits homeless and at-risk students in six local high schools and two middle schools. Backpacks containing food and informational materials are delivered by Sea Haven staff and volunteers to the schools on Friday, and school guidance counselors and other selected staff members distribute the packs in confidence to the students in need.

The students work hard in school, and school programs provide them with breakfast and lunch during the school week, but they are on their own during the weekends and during school vacation periods, and that is when Sea Haven’s Combat Hunger project plays a crucial role. Without it, many of the students will go home from school on Friday afternoon and not have the opportunity to eat again until they return to school on Monday.

While some of the students helped by Combat Hunger are homeless, others are not homeless but are part of low-income families that find it hard to access food supplies or the students live in homes where others may consume the little food there is, leaving students to fend for themselves.

Sea Haven, Inc., located at 3892 Highway 9 in Little River, is a nonprofit organization that provides emergency crisis services for area youth ages 13-21. Its mission is to extend a helping hand to young people whose lives may be in disarray. Through positive intervention Sea Haven promotes opportunities for growth, learning, and happiness that might not be available in the experiences of such children. Sea Haven’s efforts are supplementary to existing public sponsored programs.

For more information about Sea Haven, Inc., visit http://www.seahaveninc.com or contact Wendy Gore, Development Director, Sea Haven, Inc., 843-399-8519.