A few weeks ago, the COLAtoday team (Lauren and Jess here) took a look behind the doors of one of the organizations helping to keep pantries full across the Midlands – Harvest Hope Food Bank.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, demand for food assistance has risen. More families have relied on help from Harvest Hope and similar nonprofits to weather the storm + despite challenges, the organization has continued to support our community each week.

After compiling a list of organizations to give back to this holiday season, we wanted to do our own part + signed up for a two-hour volunteer slot one Thursday morning. (ProTip – signing up ahead of time is required, volunteers must be at least 15 years old and due to COVID, large groups are currently not accepted.) The end of the sign-up process required us to watch a quick, 10-minute safety + training video and then we were ready to give back.

The COLAtoday team helping to sort food at the Harvest Hope Food Bank. | Photo via COLAtoday

After getting checked in, we were both assigned a job helping sort food to ensure everything distributed was still fresh and safe to eat. Other volunteer jobs included packing boxes of food + placing pre-packed boxes into cars.

How does Harvest Hope work?

The nonprofit receives food donations from grocery store partners and volunteer groups that would otherwise end up in a landfill. This is not food that’s gone bad or expired. Food is then stored + packaged based on the expiration date. For pickup lines, each family receives boxes of food packed by volunteers that include a variety of food items, including bread, meats, fresh produce + some even some fun food. Harvest Hope also accepts baby food and items for families in need.

How is the nonprofit assisting during COVID?

In addition to its normal food distribution services, Harvest Hope is currently operating its emergency food pantry, which has been in consistent operation since March, when the pandemic began. Prior to 2020, the longest emergency the food bank experienced was the 1,000 year flood of 2015 when the emergency pantry was open for 15 days.

Food boxes being placed in the back of a car | Photo via COLAtoday

Harvest Hope has three locations (Columbia, Greenville and Florence) and serves 20 counties across the state. On a yearly basis, the organization serves 22.6 million meals (outside of emergency pantry numbers).

Ready to sign up to volunteer? Do so here. Not sure you have the time for a volunteer shift? Here are some other ways to support Harvest Hope.