With the City of West Columbia recently breaking ground on the world-class Enabling Park on the corner of Hudson and Oliver Streets last month, local area businesses are beginning to provide additional accommodations for individuals with special needs.

Tim Smith, Manager of the BI-LO in Parkland Plaza, collaborated with West Columbia’s Mayor Pro-Tem Tem Miles to obtain a Caroline’s Cart for the store to create a convenient shopping experience for all families. The BI-LO in Parkland Plaza is less than a mile away from West Columbia’s Enabling Park, making it convenient for parents to shop after a day at the park.

Caroline’s Cart was created for individuals with special needs. It provides caregivers with a viable option to transport an individual with special needs through a store while shopping, without the impossible task of maneuvering a wheelchair and a traditional shopping cart at the same time.

Recognizing the communities’ need for Caroline’s Cart, BI-LO Store Manager Tim Smith was able to obtain a Caroline’s Cart for the store by working with his team at Southeastern Grocers. “At BI-LO it is important to meet the needs of all our customers, especially our special needs customers. We anticipate with the new inclusive playground those needs will increase and we want to provide an easy shopping experience for existing and new customers,” Smith stated.

Mayor Pro-Tem Tem Miles said, “I am so thankful for the investment that BI-LO has made to make grocery shopping in our community accessible for families with special needs. This is particularly important given that this store is the closest grocery store to our new Enabling Park. As the father of a child in a wheelchair and shopper of this store, I can’t say thank you enough.”

The cart is similar to a traditional shopping cart. It contains a seat built to face the shopper. The seat holds a child as small as 2-years-old or an adult up to 250 pounds, meeting a need that, especially with a larger child or an adult, has no other way of being met.

BI-LO Store Manager Tim Smith said, “As a manager, I am very thankful to work for a great company like BI-LO that understands the needs of our customers and supports our community. As a father of a special needs son, I am humbled to see our communities support of Enabling Park and I am grateful that BI-LO has the opportunity to support our West Columbia special needs families.