Two Lowcountry Food Bank partner agencies, Samaritan House and The Shepherds Table, receive pantry makeovers from Food Lion Feeds

Food Lion volunteers donate significant time and resources to makeover two Lowcountry Food Bank partner agency pantries.

The Great Pantry Makeover addresses food insecurity; supports individuals and families who experience hunger

Lowcountry Food Bank partner agencies Samaritan House and The Shepherds Table have received makeovers from Food Lion Feeds to help improve operations, increase their capacity to nourish food-insecure neighbors and purchase needed equipment. Samaritan House and The Shepherds Table received the funds through the Food Lion Feeds annual event, The Great Pantry Makeover. In addition to providing funds for the capital improvement project, local Food Lion associates provided support by donating volunteer hours as part of its largest associate volunteer initiative.Food Lion Feeds was founded in 2014 by Food Lion to address food insecurity in the towns and cities it serves.

The pantry makeover helps create sustainability in operations and allows the pantry to serve more people. “We are so excited to have a new, glass-door commercial refrigerator that makes it easy for our neighbors to see what’s inside when they shop for food with us,” said Sara Tenny, Interim Director at Samaritan House. “20 Food Lion team volunteers worked all afternoon applying fresh paint in our pantry and offices. Their dedication and time will make such a difference for our neighbors who experience food insecurity.”

“Food Lion donated and permanently installed new pantry shelving for us,” said Lakeya Davis, Assistant Director at Shepherd’s Table. “The new shelving is just like you see at Food Lion grocery stores, and it will help neighbors feel exactly like they do when grocery shopping. We also have a new glass-front commercial refrigerator and a stand-up freezer to give us even more capacity to make more healthy food available.”

Lowcountry Food Bank has designed a strategic layout for the pantries to help neighbors easily find all the foods they need to stay healthy. Colorful signage and posters provided by the Food Bank and donated by Food Lion will provide nutrition information and knowledge about upcoming pantry events. Additionally, the pantries will receive a nonperishable donation to stock the pantries.

The annual campaign takes place every September to align with Hunger Action Month, a time when Food Lion Feeds deepens its extensive partnership with Feeding America® to highlight the impact food can have on a person’s life and inspire action to end hunger within their communities. Since 2015, Food Lion Feeds has renovated or supported more than 280 food pantries through The Great Pantry Makeover.

“We are proud to partner with Lowcountry Food Bank during Hunger Action Month to help raise awareness of this nationwide effort to help end hunger,” said Kevin Durkee, Manager, Food Lion Feeds, Food Lion. “The Great Pantry Makeover provides our associates with a great opportunity to connect with their neighbors while nourishing the towns and cities we serve.”

Now in its ninth year, Food Lion associates support these local efforts by volunteering to complete pantry improvements. During this 30-day effort, Food Lion associates volunteer for activities such as painting and cleaning pantries to install shelving, freezers, coolers and other equipment to expand the capacity for fresh fruits, vegetables and other products. In addition to performing the work, Food Lion associates will stock the pantry shelves with food.

 

About Cherry Hill Missionary Baptist Church 

Samaritan House Food Pantry

Samaritan House Food Pantry was established in February 2005 to address food insecurity within the Conway community. Many individuals, especially senior adults, have a monthly household income of less than $800. The Samaritan House envisions a community where no one, regardless of their financial situation or background, will have to worry about where their next meal will come from. A recent study conducted by Lowcountry Food Bank showed that neighbors from all over Horry County travel to this pantry to obtain food assistance.

Cherry Hill recently received a refrigerated container from Lowcountry Food Bank that significantly increases their capacity to store fresh produce and other refrigerated items that they pick up from Food Lion and the Lowcountry Food Bank.

The Food Lion Great Pantry Makeover will help transform this pantry into a Choice Style Pantry, allowing neighbors to shop in a market-style setting. While providing a sense of dignity for neighbors, a Choice Style Pantry also provides better nutritional options and items that suit their dietary needs. The pantry is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 1pm to 3pm.

 

About The Shepherd’s Table

The Shepherd’s Table is a Christian-based nonprofit soup kitchen in Conway, SC whose mission is essentially “Sharing God’s Love, One Meal at a Time.” In 2007, Lyn Snyder saw a need, so she went to local churches and the city and in October of that year, The Shepherd’s Table was born. There are no restrictions as to who is served, as anyone is welcome to receive a free meal. Most guests are neighbors with low household incomes or people who are unhoused.

Over the years, what started as an occasional food distribution is now a regular event with the opening of a pantry. Knowing that there are a handful of other pantries in the area, they operate during the hours and days that other pantries are closed, since most pantries are open during the day while many neighbors are at work. This new pantry will be located right next door to the Shepherd’s Table kitchen and dining room. They will offer a full choice-style market, which allows neighbors to shop and choose the foods they want and need.

Future plans include a full resource center for neighbors who may need additional assistance, job training, educational classes, medical needs, and more. Lunch and dinner are served Monday through Friday and guests are given a weekend bag to take home. Once a month, the agency hosts a Fresh Xpress, which consists of five pallets of fresh produce for their neighbors who seek food assistance. In 2022, they served 25,489 hot meals, distributed 3,459 weekend bags, and 3,713 boxes of food. They distributed a total of 335,701 pounds of food to the community.

 

About the Lowcountry Food Bank: Feed. Advocate. Empower.

The Lowcountry Food Bank serves the 10 coastal counties of South Carolina and distributed more than 40 million pounds of food in 2022. The Lowcountry Food Bank helps fight hunger by distributing food to more than 230 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.

 

About Food Lion

Food Lion is an omnichannel retailer committed to nourishing its neighbors during the moments that matter most. More than 82,000 associates across 1,100+ stores deliver an easy, fresh and affordable shopping experience throughout 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states. Through its ‘Count on me’ culture, Food Lion fosters a sense of belonging for all associates, promoting a diverse and inclusive environment that has supported LGBTQ+ equality for nearly two decades. Food Lion is the only company in the country to be named an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for 22 consecutive years. It also pioneered a food rescue program to support food-insecure neighbors. Through Food Lion Feeds, the retailer has donated more than one billion meals to individuals and families since 2014 and has committed to donate 1.5 billion meals by 2025. Founded and based in Salisbury, N.C., since 1957, Food Lion is a company of Ahold Delhaize USA, the U.S. division of Zaandam-based Ahold Delhaize. For more information, visit foodlion.com.