MULLINS, SC (WBTW) – Not just any kind of peanut butter fills these jars, but local, homegrown peanut butter. A group of Pee Dee peanut farmers are feeding hundreds of kids and families during the coronavirus outbreak.
Some farm-to-table, and other Marion County farmers, look to their community, and farm-to-those-in-need.
“There’s a lot of need out there with children being home from school and parents working so we decided to get together and do something about it,” Neal Baxley, with Baxley Farms, said.
The new coronavirus continues to spread. The pandemic is taking millions out of jobs and schools. Some families are now struggling to serve their family food.
This circle of Carolina farmers pulled together their loved ones on Friday. They are on a mission to serve Latta families in need. “Some people aren’t as fortunate to have food and water so we are giving them some peanut butter and be as fortunate as us,” Madison Kate Baxley, Neal Baxley’s daughter said.
Hundreds of peanut butter jars loaded and stacked for delivery. The farmers hope to save the Latta School District families a few dollars here and there with a nutritious donation. Like most districts in the Pee Dee, the Latta School District’s Superintendent, John Kirby, says nearly 75 percent of students receive free or reduced lunch during the year.
“This is a significant donation that every one of our families we have in our school district will see a benefit from this donation from the peanut farmers in the state,” Kirby said.
When life hits hard during times like this, you learn to lean on one another, giving and receiving during times in need. “We have plenty and God wants us to share,” Baxley said.
