Donation to support COMET fresh produce sales

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The Hoyt Duncan Legacy Fund, through Central Carolina Community Foundation, has donated $2,500 to support the Central Midlands Transit Authority’s sale of fresh produce to COMET riders each Tuesday at the Sumter Street Transit Center.

“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,” John Andoh, COMET executive director and CEO, said in a news release.

The produce sale is in partnership with Columbia-based nonprofit FoodShare South Carolina, which provides fresh food boxes filled with a variety of fruits and vegetables. The donation will help fund operational costs of an electronic benefit transfer machine, procured by FoodShare, to make transactions at the transit center faster and more efficient, according to the release.  

“Our goal is to connect those who are most in need with fresh, affordable produce,” FoodShare spokesperson Beverly Wilson said. “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.”