Hoyt Duncan Legacy Fund donates funding to The Comet for supporting foodshare program at The Comet

The Hoyt Duncan Legacy Fund through Central Carolina Community Foundation has made a generous donation of $2,500 to support The COMET’s effort in selling fresh produce to its riders at the Sumter Street Transit Center every Tuesday.

This unique partnership has brought fresh produce for The COMET passengers through FoodShare.   The funding provided by the Hoyt Duncan Legacy Fund will support the operational costs of an EBT machine to allow for faster, efficient transactions at Sumter Street Transit Center, which was previously done manually.

“We are very grateful of the efforts of FoodShare and Central Carolina Community Foundation to support helping The COMET have access to fresh produce when those passengers may not have the ability to make it to the grocery store” said John Andoh, Executive Director/CEO of The COMET.

Beverly Wilson with FoodShare says, “Our goal is to connect those who are most in need with fresh, affordable produce. If our families who lack transportation can’t make it to us, what better way to serve them than to put fruits and vegetables in the middle of the city right in the transit station. The SNAP/EBT device will allow the Comet’s window representative to quickly take orders for Fresh Food Boxes. This eliminates the time it takes to call in the charge over the phone and allows the rider to quickly pay for the box and make their next bus. By treating food as medicine, we hope to improve many of the disparities faced by marginalized and underserved residents of our community.”

“Our community is stronger when we work together to identify and solve community needs. This partnership is a perfect example of nonprofits, public entities, and philanthropy coming together to try something new, meet people where they are, and make our community a better place for all.” states Erin Johnson, Vice President for Community Investment at Central Carolina Community Foundation.

FoodShare has procured the EBT Machine and provided to The COMET to use and efficiency in selling the FoodShare produce boxes has increased tremendously.

For additional The COMET information, please call (803) 255-7100, TDD/TTY: 711 through the relay service, email: [email protected] or visit www.catchthecomet.org.

About The COMET

The COMET is a service of the Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority and provides countywide public transit services on 38 fixed routes, two ReFlex services, with a vanpool service, subsidy programs with Lyft and Uber, 10 bikeshare stations in Columbia and DART ADA complementary paratransit service throughout Richland and eastern Lexington Counties. The COMET transports approximately 2.8 million passenger trips a year on a fleet of 81 buses and vans. Transit services are provided under contract with Transdev Service, Inc of Lombard, Illinois. For additional The COMET information, please call (803) 255-7100, TDD/TTY: 711 through the relay service, email: [email protected] or visit www.catchthecomet.org. Catch The COMET…We Will Take You There!

About FoodShare

The vision of FoodShare South Carolina is to ensure access to fresh produce for all in our communities. This access is currently limited by where people live, their racial and ethnic background, age, income, and whether or not a family has reliable transportation. That is why we have partnered with reputable organizations in the community to expand the reach of this program. We also value and provide opportunities for community members to be leaders in the FoodShare movement through our Partner Site, Neighborhood Coordinator and NeighborShare programs.  For additional information about FoodShare, visit www.foodsharesc.org or call (803) 851-4461.

About Central Carolina Community Foundation

Central Carolina Community Foundation, the Midlands’ center for philanthropy, is a nonprofit organization serving 11 counties in the Midlands by distributing grants and scholarships and linking the resources of donors, nonprofits and area leaders to communities in need. Major initiatives include the online giving challenge Midlands Gives, On the Table, Connected Communities grants, the One SC Fund, the Best of Philanthropy Awards, annual scholarships, and more. For more information about the Foundation, visitwww.yourfoundation.org or call 803.254.5601.