Hilton Head People

SECOND HELPINGS HELPS CONNECT GROCERY SURPLUSES WITH THOSE IN NEED

Outfitted in white polos and tennis shoes — the signature look of Second Helpings volunteers — a group of volunteers gathered in a parking lot on the north end of Hilton Head Island. Aside from a few minutes of light chatting, little time was wasted as they all climbed into their assigned trucks and took off on a mission to provide food to those in need all around the Lowcountry.

Founded in 1992, Second Helpings is a nonprofit organization working to alleviate hunger in the Lowcountry by distributing food from donors like grocery stores and restaurants to local food banks and other organizations helping to feed the hungry.

LOCAL WOMAN MAKES HISTORY COME ALIVE IN CHARACTER 

Bluffton resident Margaret “Peggy” Pickett has done a little bit of everything over the years.

For a while, she was a trainer for IBM, teaching customers how to use their new equipment. She also taught pre-school, and was a language therapist working with at-risk students.

TIDEWATCH EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT NOW OPEN

Coastal Carolina Hospital will now include the Tidewatch Emergency Department. The 10,000 square foot facility has 12 treatment areas, 24/7 physician coverage and represents a $15 million investment in the community. The types of acute illnesses and injuries treated at a traditional ER can now be treated at Tidewatch Emergency Department. These include allergic reactions, bone fractures, chest pain, head injuries, seizures, stroke and other urgent medical conditions.

Most families who have loved ones in assisted living communities want to spend time together and plan regular visits. They also want their seniors to remain active, engaged and healthy. To make the most of visits, many experts recommend coming equipped with a list of activities that everyone will enjoy.

As an added bonus, many of these activities can be beneficial for older adults with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. 

Most of us like to give and want to help out worthy causes. But new, higher standard deductions have made charitable contributions less beneficial and often non-deductible. So what is a person to do? Although everyone’s specific financial and tax situation is different, leveraging their IRAs to keep giving has been beneficial to many seniors.

HILTON HEAD CENTER CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF ‘PURE FUN’ FOR SENIORS

On a recent Wednesday, the main activity room at the Hilton Head Island Senior Center was full of laughter. Summer typically isn’t as busy at the center as winter — when snowbirds, visiting the Lowcountry to escape winter’s harsh chill, flock to the center to chat with friends, play cards and enjoy the camaraderie.

But this Wednesday — cards day at the center — the room was full. Settled in for a game of hand and foot, Marge Brennen, Grace Johnson, Helen Norton and Connie Dowell traded good-natured barbs as the cards flew around the table. In between jokes, they tried to explain the game.

Through the ages

THE CHURCH OF THE CROSS ROOTED IN THE PAST, EMBRACING THE FUTURE

On June 27, The Church of the Cross marked 165 years since construction began on its eye-catching, Gothicstyle building on the edge of the May River in Bluffton.

The historic church survived not only the burning of Bluffton during the Civil War, but also the hurricane of 1898 and other storms over the years.

HHI GETS NEW ART STUDIO

Sonja Griffin Evans has opened a new art studio and gallery bearing her name at 32 Palmetto Bay Road Suite10A. Her paintings, mixed media art and handmade jewelry are influenced by Gullah culture. Griffin Evans is an internationally acclaimed artist who was born and raised in Beaufort.

In the Bible’s first creation story in Genesis 1, human beings are commanded to care for the Earth and all living things.

A group of members at Lowcountry Presbyterian Church are taking those words to heart, making it their mission to do what they can to protect and clean up the land that humans have polluted for hundreds of years.