Hundreds of extra officers are out protecting the public for Memorial Day weekend, and with all the barricades and extra traffic it can be difficult to get around, but they still need to eat; so the North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce teamed up with local businesses to make sure people on patrol have a hot meal.
Eric Skidmore is with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Assistance Program, whose mission is to provide food to the officers assigned around the area.
For the past five years, Skidmore has coordinated the meals, 150 lunches and 150 dinners each day Friday, Saturday,and Sunday for 900 total in just three days.
He says he relies on the community to make it happen, “we have donations of food, we have donations of equipment, we have donations of time and we have financial donations.”
Kaleb Wiggins was one of the volunteers working to deliver the meals to a hungry crowd and his commitment extended beyond manning the grill, “we actually go pick up the food from the supply place and prepare it as well.”
Wiggins has been volunteering his time the past few years, and says he is glad he can lend a hand, “we are thrilled to do this each year. Anything we can do to give back to the community, especially law enforcement.”
It gives officers a chance to take a break, get some food, and recharge during 12 hour shifts, “we have a place we can come and gather, and sit down for a few minutes with all the other law enforcement folks that are gathered here,” said Colonel Commander Mike Oliver with the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Oliver says it’s the same spirit of support he’s seen all along the Grand Strand, “it really makes us feel good, and we see it all up and down, it’s not just these large scale events people come up to us on at our patrol points, give us water, offer us food.”
At the feeding tent, new teams of volunteers take over each shift and there are other operations in Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach.
