History of Help 4 Kids
In 1989 after Hurricane Hugo, three women set out to do a little volunteer work to help out. Immediately they were horrified to find so many children on the back roads of Horry County who did not have the basic necessities of life much less any extras like school supplies, new clothes and shoes.
In the first years we were so busy trying to help people with food and shelter it was like trying to put out little fires while the big ones kept burning.
We helped people with no bathrooms get septic tanks and their first bathroom ever. We saw children drop out of school because they were ashamed to be with the other kids because of the way they looked and the lack of school supplies.
We slowly made progress and came to realize that keeping kids in school and not being hungry was the most important thing we could do to help. We then began to concentrate on that, while also doing a mobile food pantry so that the third week of the month when the food stamps ran out the kids would not be hungry.
We now have more than 400 children and their families in our programs. Our volunteers are committed to doing all that we can to help them.
Our Program now includes:
Back Pack Buddies-Food on weekends when school is out.
It's Your Birthday: Each child receives a Cake and
Present on their Birthday
Back to School in New Clothes, Shoes, Book Bag and
supplies when school starts.
As we call the Senior Citizens in our program (Big Kids), receive food
as there are no "Meals On Wheels" on the back roads.
They have food insecurity and sometimes have special dietary needs
because of medical conditions. We also help with RX's when no other
option is available.
Hunger doesn't take the weekend off,
neither do our volunteers" is our Motto.