Nicole Rabbit

By now, we all have been affected by the changes society has taken to combat COVID-19 and to “Flatten the Curve”. Many are teaching and learning from home, working from home, staying indoors, and finally getting around to those home projects that had been previously put off.

However, many are still working their jobs and we are so thankful for the members of our community who are essential and working the front lines in the medical field, in grocery stores, at gas stations, as first responders, and in countless more essential businesses.

Unfortunately, a lot of Upstate residents have been unexpectedly laid off and are now out of work. With the increase in financial uncertainty, many local charities and nonprofits are experiencing a higher than ever need surrounding food insecurity.

A Rising Need

Tessa May, Interim Executive Director of Loaves and Fishes, a food rescue organization that delivers food to their 101 partner agencies in Greenville County, says “We have definitely seen an increase in need due to the pandemic and we expect the need to grow as the economic impact of the virus is felt in the coming months. We expect many people to experience food insecurity perhaps for the first time in their lives. Additionally, as a part of the Greenville Emergency Food Providers Collaboration, we have joined forces with the United Way, Project Host, Meals on Wheels, Harvest Hope, and LiveWell to provide weekend food boxes for the children being served breakfast and lunch by Greenville County Schools Food and Nutrition Services.”

Many other local organizations are feeling and experiencing the same, an increase in need. Paulette Dunn, Chief Executive Officer of Project Host, a local nonprofit that alleviates hunger and provides job training, says they are “now feeding between 850-950 a week out of the soup kitchen, approximately 500 weekly on the food truck…and we are distributing meals for another 160 weekly to assist several other nonprofits.”

Just last week, Harvest Hope Food Bank served 1,404 households, totaling to 5,665 individuals. Many of those who have never received SNAP or food stamps benefits ever before. With many of these families now going multiple weeks without an income, these programs are experiencing a greater need than ever.

Adapting to Social Distancing

With such a great need for food, there is an even greater need to stay safe. Just like restaurants and other businesses, these organizations have had to adapt to a new way of food distribution to accommodate everyone’s safety. Project Host has moved to mainly distributing bagged lunches prepared but their Soup Kitchen and while following the highest level of sanitation they ask guests to pick up their lunches through the front doors where staff members are wearing masks and sit behind tables to comply with social distancing. Similarly, The Samaritan House of Greenville, a food pantry that is maintained by five area churches, has moved its operations to a “walk-thru” line to limit the normal crowd of guests they see. These organizations are truly doing all they can to not only ensure that their guests get the food they need, but also to ensure their safety.

See How Harvest Hope Distributes Food During Covid-19

Volunteer at harvest of Hope from chris bizzell on Vimeo.

Financial Resources are Stretched

In addition to food needs, our community is experiencing financial insecurities as well. United Ministries, whose mission is to empower individuals along their transformative journeys to self-sufficiency is not only offering food assistance but also rent and utility assistance. They want to bridge the financial gap until things return back to normal. In doing so they have seen a 250% increase in need according to Jade Fountain, Director of Mission Advancement.

Even during such uncertain times, there is so much good happening in our community, and so many organizations have stepped up to help. While many of these organizations always accept new volunteers, many of these organizations are asking for help in different ways in order to keep the community safe.  Below is a list of some of the local organizations that are distributing food to those in need. These organizations are always looking for donations of different kinds. A complete list is found below:

Project Host – Open Sunday- Friday at 525 S. Academy St. in Greenville.

• Donations Currently Accepted: Monetary is always best because we can purchase what the most needed items are, as they change frequently.  It’s easy to donate at projecthost.org.  If you are unable to donate financially, we can use individually wrapped snack items such as granola bars. Project Host is also asking for community members to participate in their Virtual BBQ on May 1st. More information can be found here: Virtual BBQ Cook-Off.

United Ministries – Open daily from 8-11:30 a.m. at 606 Pendelton St. in Greenville.

• Donations Currently Accepted: Canned meats and canned fruits are in major demand, as are pop-top containers.  Monetary donations provide the greatest flexibility in allowing us to serve needs as they present themselves.  Donations can be made via mail to 606 Pendleton St Greenville, SC 29601 or online at www.united-ministries.org/donate.

The Samaritan House – Open every Thursday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at 3018 Augusta Street in Greenville

• Donations Currently Accepted: We are always in need of any type of dry food products (rice, beans, pasta) canned veggies, canned meats or tuna, and personal hygiene products ( soaps, shampoo, toothpaste) Check donations are always welcome because they help us buy extra food from Harvest Hope. People may also help by using Amazon Smile and picking Samaritan House to donate.
  Donations can be mailed to:
  3018 Augusta Street
  Greenville, SC 29605
  Phone: 864-299-5898

Harvest Hope Food Bank – Offering Curbside Pickup at 2818 White Horse Road in Greenville. (Click Here For Weekly Schedule)

• Donations Currently Accepted: Make a monetary donation online, mail a check to P.O. Box 451, Columbia, SC 29202, make a purchase on our Amazon Wishlist, or volunteer by signing up here.

Loaves and Fishes – Delivering to 101 partner agencies in Greenville County.

• Donations Currently Accepted: We desperately need canned foods and other shelf-stable, non-perishable items. Proteins like peanut butter, canned meats, and beans as well as rice, oatmeal, and pasta are needed by the pantries we serve. Individual serve pop-top cans, fruit cups, and snack-sized foods are needed by the soup kitchens we deliver to that serve the homeless population. Donations can be shipped to our address if people prefer to order online. If they would like to drop the items off, we ask that they call before coming so we can meet them outside wearing gloves and masks. Our address is 25 Woods Lake Rd, Suite 810, Greenville, SC 29607. Monetary donations are also greatly appreciated to help us keep our trucks on the road and food on the plates of those in need.