Serving the Community for Decades
In 1986, Bluffton’s Ida Martin opened a nearly empty refrigerator in the home of a single mother with five children and immediately filled it and that’s how her dream for a better future for her community began.
Ida Martin recognized a great need that was not being met for working families and senior citizens in the area, and so began Bluffton Self Help, which was chartered a year later in October of 1988. The name Bluffton Self Help fit the organization’s mission, and it fit the woman who got it going and helped it keep pace with Bluffton’s incredible growth, particularly over the past several decades. As the town and surrounding area boomed, so did the need for emergency financial help, food, and clothing.
OUR HISTORY
Bluffton Self Help
1987
Rooted in Community
Bluffton Self Help founded by Ida Martin, to serve working families and seniors in need.
2011
Bluffton Self Help moved to a new building in Sheridan Park, Bluffton from the former jail in Old Town Bluffton.
President Barack Obama presents Ida Martin with the Presidential Citizens Medal, recognizing her service to the community.
2019
2021
Expanding Access & Opportunity
Bluffton Self Help got hunger relief on the move with their Mobile Food Pantry to help break down barriers of transportation. A van provided by grants through Palmetto Electric and Belfair Community Foundation.
Bluffton Self Help merges with The Literacy Center in a joint effort to dramatically expand the availability of basic education and training programs in order to meet the growing needs of the economically at-risk in Beaufort and Jasper counties.
In partnership with the City of Hardeeville, Bluffton Self Help opens a second Education & Resource Center inside the Hardeeville library.
2022
The Resource Hub is established, shifting from one-time assistance to relationship-based support through client advocacy.
2025
Building for the Future
Expansion to 59 Sheridan Park circle creates a permanent home for Getting Ahead, The Clothing Closet, and expanded Client Advocate services.
2026
The refrigerated Mobile Market launches, bringing fresh food directly into neighborhoods while breaking down access barriers.
A permanent Hardeeville Education & Resource Center opens, expanding access to education, workforce development, and community resources.
