Crews & GM Financial have partnered with the Lowcountry Food Bank in the fight against hunger. The Lowcountry Food Bank serves the 10 coastal counties of South Carolina.
Starting October 24th through October 31st Crews Chevrolet will be taking donations in their showroom at 8199 Rivers Avenue. Food donations can be dropped off Monday-Saturday from 8:30am to 6:30pm. Crews Chevrolet will match food donations pound for pound & GM Financial will match dollar for dollar (up to $8,000).
MOST NEEDED ITEMS: canned meat, low-sodium vegetables, fruit in 100% juice, whole grains, & baby formula.
- How the Lowcountry Food Bank receives food and how COVID-19 has affected the food supply:
The Lowcountry Food Bank sources food through partnerships with local grocers, government food and funds, farmers, and purchasing food by the truckload. This is what monetary donations help accomplish.
Because of COVID-19, Lowcountry Food Bank is facing the same issues many consumers are facing – empty food shelves and increased costs due to high demand across the country.
Before the pandemic in what would be a “normal” month, Lowcountry Food Bank would spend about $85,000 in food and shipping. Currently, they are averaging about half a million dollars for food and shipping.
Before the pandemic, on average the Lowcountry Food Bank would distribute 2 million pounds per month, but now they are averaging a little over 4 million pounds a month.
- COVID-19 effects on the number of food-insecure people:
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- Feeding America projects that this year more than 54 million people may experience food insecurity, 18 million of those are children.
- This is an increase from 35 million people who struggled with hunger in 2019.
For the Lowcountry Food Bank’s service area, Feeding America projects that the food insecurity rate has increased by 58%, resulting in 270,000 neighbors who face hunger every day. That’s an additional 70,000 neighbors in need compared to last year.
For children, the food insecurity rate is even more devastating with about 24.8% of the childhood population suffering from food insecurity. That amounts to 74,660 children who do not have consistent access to the nutritious food they need to live healthy, active lives.
This significant increase in the need for food assistance throughout the country is expected to persist for at least 18-24 months.
On average the Lowcountry Food Bank has seen a 484% increase in emergency food assistance. These are our neighbors, some of whom are needing food assistance for the first time.
If you, or someone you know needs to find out where they can access food assistance, go to the Lowcountry Food Bank’s website: www.lowcountryfoodbank.org and click on the “Find Help” page.
- What are the donations used for?
Monetary donations are used to purchase fresh and nutritious food like fresh produce, meat or dairy products, whole grains, and other shelf-stable pantry items. The Lowcountry Food Bank is able procure nutritious food by the truckload for much less than retail prices. That purchasing power enables them to buy food for much less than you or I are able to purchase it.
Food donations are distributed to the Lowcountry Food Bank’s network of close to 300 partners who directly serve the community, and they are used at drive-thru distributions.
