Harvest Hope Food Bank is in critical need of canned food donations or financial donations which can be used to buy canned goods.
Denise Holland, CEO of Harvest Hope Food Bank said there is a critical need for shelf-stable foods such as meats, fruits, and vegetables.
“Each month we serve nearly one million meals in the Pee Dee area,” said Holland. “While we’ve been blessed with people and businesses giving us fresh produce this summer during the summer, our pantry has become almost bare of canned goods. Now that people are back from summer vacations and getting kids back to school, we need their help to aid families and children in need in the 20 counties we serve throughout South Carolina.”
According to Holland, Harvest Hope has the opportunity to purchase much needed canned foods at a special rate. She said, “A tractor trailer load of canned goods costs $21,000. Each can cost 58 cents.”
For Dillon County from April-June 2016, Harvest Hope provided 555,548 lbs. to 7,300 food insecure people. The number of families served is 4,580. The number of meals was 138,225. Currently, Harvest Hope is seeking monetary contributions or locally-sponsored food drives to replenish their canned goods. Following is a breakdown of what a specific donation can provide:
Monetary Contribution
-$17 feeds a family for one week.
-$30 feeds a child for one month.
-$50 provides 250 meals to those in need.
-$100 provides 500 lbs. of food.
Donations can be made online at https://donate.harvesthope.org or mailed to Harvest Hope Food Bank, 2513 W. Lucas Street, Florence, SC 29501.
Food Drive
Neighborhoods, schools, churches, businesses or organizations can also help by hosting a food drive. There are two ways to host a Harvest Hope food drive:
-Hold a physical food drive during a specific time period. Contact Katie Denton at 803-254-4432, ext. 3100 or email kdenton@harvesthope.org to organize a food drive.
-Hold a Virtual Food Drive, a new and easy way to get food to Harvest Hope Food Bank without the hassle of cans. Individuals, businesses or organizations can email a virtual food drive link to their friends or post a virtual food drive link on their Facebook page and Twitter. Visit http://www.harvesthope.org/virtual-food-drives to learn more about Harvest Hope’s Virtual Food Drives.
For more information please visit www.harvesthope.org.
