Duke Energy joins forces with Harvest Hope Food Bank as $250,000 monthlong effort to fight hunger in South Carolina continues
November 9, 2021
Each week in November, Duke Energy will highlight the critical community partners that address food insecurities and inequities across South Carolina.
This effort will provide nearly $250,000 to about 50 feeding programs leading up to Thanksgiving Day.
This week, we highlight Harvest Hope Food Bank. The Duke Energy Foundation is providing Harvest Hope $50,000 to fund mobile food pantries that serve our most rural areas in the Upstate and Pee Dee communities. The goal is to feed about 6,000 families in 11 counties.
Harvest Hope is South Carolina’s largest food bank, providing over 22.6 million meals annually to neighbors in need across the Midlands, Pee Dee and Upstate.
“Duke Energy has been supporting Harvest Hope’s work to build a hunger-free tomorrow for over a decade, and we’re so grateful,” said Erinn Rowe, CEO of Harvest Hope. “With one in nine South Carolinians not knowing where their next meal is coming from, Duke Energy’s ongoing commitment to promote the health and success in our local communities is truly making a difference in the lives of thousands across the state.”
Last week, Duke Energy kicked off the monthlong initiative by providing FoodShare South Carolina $50,000 to enable 13 community-based organizations across the state to distribute more than 63,000 pounds of fresh produce through 4,200 family food boxes through November. One of those organizations – Mill Village Farms in Greenville – is leading the effort that provides a dozen varieties of top-quality fruits and vegetables that are sourced as locally and seasonally as possible. Recipe cards in English and Spanish are also included.
“Finding healthy and affordable fresh food is a challenge for many of our friends and neighbors across the state,” Callahan said. “Every community is home to families who face hunger – a situation that many organizations across the state are working to reduce and hopefully one day eliminate.”
“Duke Energy is committed to building vibrant communities across the state,” said Mike Callahan, Duke Energy South Carolina state president. “As we approach the holiday season, we hope folks join us in doing what they can to assist those in our communities who might need a helping hand.”
Duke Energy employees and retirees will also be volunteering their time and efforts with these and other organizations throughout the month to assist in packing and distributing food boxes, stock food pantries, prepare and serve holiday meals as well as providing sweat equity to other feeding programs in their neighborhoods.
Volunteers from Duke Energy help stock food boxes at the Harvest Hope Food Bank warehouse at the Pee Dee State Farmer’s Market in Florence, S.C., on Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021. Duke Energy announced Tuesday it was contributing $50,000 to Harvest Hope Food Bank to fund mobile food pantries that serve our most rural areas in the Pee Dee and Upstate communities. This grant is part of a monthlong effort by Duke Energy to highlight the critical community partners that address food insecurities and inequities across South Carolina.
Duke Energy Foundation
The Duke Energy Foundation provides philanthropic support to meet the needs of communities where Duke Energy customers live and work. The foundation contributes more than $30 million annually in charitable gifts, and is funded by Duke Energy shareholder dollars. More information about the foundation and its Powerful Communities program can be found at duke-energy.com/foundation.
Duke Energy, a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America’s largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 7.9 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 51,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 27,500 people.
Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy strategy to create a smarter energy future for its customers and communities – with goals of at least a 50 percent carbon reduction by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The company is a top U.S. renewable energy provider, on track to own or purchase 16,000 megawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2025. The company also is investing in major electric grid upgrades and expanded battery storage and exploring zero-emitting power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear.
Duke Energy was named to Fortune’s 2021 “World’s Most Admired Companies” list and Forbes’ “America’s Best Employers” list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy’s illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
