Genesis and partners give food boxes, school supplies
Genesis Healthcare, Inc., along with several partners, distributed delicious hot dogs, large food boxes and a variety of school supplies last week. PHOTO BY STEPHAN DREW
By Stephan Drew, Editor
editor@newsandpress.net
Families across Lamar and the surrounding area came together recently for a morning of generosity, community spirit, and back-to-school preparation as Genesis Healthcare’s Lamar Family Care hosted its annual Back to School Bash.
The event, held from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Lamar Family Care, 301 West Main Street, drew a large and steady crowd throughout the morning. Attendees left with free food boxes, school supplies, and hot dogs fresh off the grill — a combination that organizers say reflects the event’s mission of meeting both a family’s nutritional needs and its school-year needs in one stop.
By the time the event wrapped up, organizers had distributed more than 125 food boxes, each packed with enough provisions to feed a family for five days. The boxes, provided by Harvest Hope Food Bank, gave many families a meaningful head start heading into the new school year — one less expense to worry about as households across the region shift their budgets toward backpacks, notebooks, and new shoes.
Alongside the food boxes, tables stocked with school supplies gave children and parents the chance to pick up the essentials needed to start the school year off right, while the smell of hot dogs on the grill added a festive, community-cookout feel to the event.
Thursday’s Back to School Bash was made possible through the sponsorship of Genesis Healthcare Inc. and a coalition of dedicated community partners, including:
• Harvest Hope Food Bank
• Molina Healthcare
• Humana
• First Steps South Carolina
• MAP (Medication Assistance Pharmacy) — a Welvista program
Genesis Healthcare Inc. and Harvest Hope Food Bank partner with hundreds of local agencies across the region to provide emergency food and fresh produce to families in need, and Thursday’s event stood as a clear example of that mission in action.
Events like the Lamar Back to School Bash highlight the growing role healthcare providers are playing outside their medical facilities — stepping into the community to address the practical, everyday needs that can weigh on a family’s overall well-being. By pairing healthcare partners like Molina Healthcare and Humana with food security organizations like Harvest Hope and educational advocates like First Steps South Carolina, Genesis Healthcare’s initiative underscored a whole-family, whole-community approach to health.
“This event is really about meeting local families where they are,” said Howard Nettles, Director of Community Outreach and Engagement for Genesis Healthcare Inc. “When a parent doesn’t have to worry about how they’re going to feed their children this week, they can focus on getting them ready for school. That’s what this partnership is all about — taking care of the whole family, not just what happens while they’re in the exam room.”
As the school year approaches, organizers say the impact of the event will be felt at kitchen tables and in classrooms alike — one food box, one backpack, and one hot dog at a time.