Lowcountry Food Bank receives $310,000 donation from Publix Super Markets Charities

Lowcountry Food Bank announced it received a $310,000 donation from Publix Super Markets Charities to purchase and equip a mobile food pantry truck where food-insecure neighbors can choose the food they want to take home. Publix will also donate 500,000 pounds of fresh produce during the first year to stock the pantry. Lowcountry Food Bank serves 200,000 people who face food insecurity in the 10 coastal counties of South Carolina.

The mobile pantry truck is specially designed to serve hard-to-reach communities, like senior centers and rural areas where a lack of transportation or the proximity to a grocery store presents a barrier to food access. The mobile pantry truck is refrigerated to keep the products inside fresh and wholesome.

“This mobile pantry enables us to distribute a variety of foods to our neighbors in remote areas where we don’t have partner food pantries to reach them,” said Nick Osborne, President and CEO of Lowcountry Food Bank. “Volunteers can more easily set up and distribute from the mobile truck with no special equipment or pavement needed, which would be a requirement using one of our traditional food delivery trucks. We are so grateful to Publix for not only equipping us with this mobile pantry, but also for the fresh produce they will supply for our neighbors for an entire year.”

“So many of our neighbors struggle with accessing nutritious food, but with this donation to purchase a mobile food pantry and donating fresh produce, we hope to change that,” said Publix CEO Todd Jones. “We are proud to continue our commitment of providing hope through nourishment for people in our communities.”

The donation from Publix Charities to Lowcountry Food Bank is one of 22 donations made this year to help mobile food pantries. With this $3.85 million gift, Publix Charities has donated $9.5 million to Feeding America member food banks and other nonprofit partners in 2022.