Lowcountry Food Bank receives inaugural non-profit impact award from Coastal Community Foundation at its 50th Anniversary Gala
December 5, 2024
Inaugural Richard Hendry Nonprofit Impact Award and $30,000 grant demonstrate outstanding service to coastal SC communities
Coastal Community Foundation (CCF) presented Lowcountry Food Bank (LCFB) with a prestigious non-profit impact award, along with a $30,00 grant, on November 23rd at its 50th anniversary gala. The Richard Hendry Nonprofit Impact Award, named for CCF’s longest-serving employee, recognizes a non-profit organization that has demonstrated outstanding service and has significantly impacted the coastal communities of South Carolina.
“The Lowcountry Food Bank was first established thanks to a grant from Coastal Community Foundation in 1982,” said Kerri Forrest, VP of Grantmaking and Community Leadership. “Richard Hendry was there to give encouragement and guidance to what was then-called The Food Trust. It has now flourished into the thriving organization that impacts hundreds of thousands of people annually in our region. The Lowcountry Food Bank represents the innovation, collaboration, and demonstrated community impact that this award was designed to recognize. Plus, its deep roots in CCF and origins during Hendry’s early days at the Foundation make it the perfect fit to receive the first-ever Richard Hendry Nonprofit Impact Award.”
Darren Goss, Coastal Community Foundation President and Chief Executive Officer presents CCF Nonprofit Impact Award to Brenda Shaw, Lowcountry Food Bank Chief Development Officer
Since Lowcountry Food Bank’s inception, the organization has received well over $1 million from CCF through their general competitive grants programs, endowment funds established by individuals, families, businesses and organizations, and disaster relief grants.
This vitally important funding has been used across all facets of LCFB’s work to serve its coastal South Carolina communities, including Fresh for All, Fresh for Seniors, and Fresh for Kids produce distributions, the BackPack Buddies weekend childhood hunger feeding program, and School Pantries, which conveniently reach students and their families at their own school campuses.
Brenda Shaw with Richard Hendry, for whom the CCF Nonprofit Impact Award is named.
“We are honored to be the inaugural recipient of the Richard Hendry Nonprofit Impact Award,” said Nick Osborne, Lowcountry Food Bank President and CEO. “In Richard Hendry’s own words, ‘That’s really how philanthropy works best – when we come together for a focused common cause and remember that everyone is at the table – because they want to make something positive happen.'”
Over the past 40 years, Lowcountry Food Bank has received grant funding from many of CCF’s competitive grant programs that support a nourished coastal South Carolina, including HOME Community Fund, Volvo Car USA Operations Grants fund, Open Grants, Dorchester County Fund, Giving Back to Berkeley County Fund, The Beaufort Fund, and Winthrop Family Fund.
Criteria for the CCF inaugural Richard Hendry Nonprofit Impact Award include demonstrated impact, innovative approaches, collaborative partnerships, inclusive engagement, financial stewardship, long-term sustainability, and community support.
Excerpts taken from Coastal Community Foundation website.
About the Lowcountry Food Bank: Feed. Advocate. Empower.
The Lowcountry Food Bank serves the 10 coastal counties of South Carolina and distributed more than 42 million pounds of food in 2023. The Lowcountry Food Bank unites our community in pursuit of equitable, dignified, and consistent access to nutritious food. Lowcountry Food Bank distributes food to more than 240 partner agencies, including on-site meal programs, homeless shelters and emergency food pantries. The Lowcountry Food Bank advocates on behalf of those who experience hunger and helps empower people to make healthy and nutritious food choices. For more information, visit the Lowcountry Food Bank website.
