South Carolina Food Banks to Gather at SC Statehouse to Launch Hunger Action Month
September 5, 2017
The four food banks which cover South Carolina, a representative from the Food Bank Association of the Carolinas, and Ronald Jones, Director of the SC Department of Education’s Office of Health and Nutrition, will gather at the SC Statehouse at 10:00am on September 6thfor a press conference which will serve as the unofficial kickoff of Hunger Action Month. September has been declared Hunger Action Month by both Governor Henry McMaster and the SC General Assembly. The month serves as both a call to action and a reminder that nearly 750,000 South Carolinians struggle with hunger.
Golden Harvest Food Bank, Harvest Hope Food Bank, Lowcountry Food Bank, and Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina combine to help provide food for the approximately 1 in 6 South Carolinians who struggle with hunger. In fiscal year 2017, the food banks provided just under 65,000,000 meals to those in need.
“Hunger is often a silent disease for those who are impacted by it,” said Denise Holland, CEO of Harvest Hope Food Bank. “No one wants to admit they need help, but the numbers served by the food banks in South Carolina show just how desperate the need is. The food banks are always working together to help provide each other resources, from food to information, so that we can combine to assist the families who struggle to put food on the table.”
The press conference will also serve as the first public event for Laura Caldwell, Executive Director of the newly formed Carolina Association of Feeding America Food Banks. “I am honored to be able to work with food banks across North and South Carolina,” stated Caldwell. “It’s wonderful that we can work together to make a difference in the lives of those who would otherwise go to bed hungry each night.”
Harvest Hope Food Bank
Harvest Hope Food Bank was founded in 1981 as the result of a shared vision of business leaders and the faith community who set out to provide for the hungry in Columbia. Harvest Hope distributed over 28 million pounds of food last year and feeds approximately 50,000 people a week. Harvest Hope is proud that we have been awarded the Platinum status from GuideStar, their highest level of transparency. Their main offices are located in Columbia, but the organization also has satellite locations in Greenville and Florence.
