Hunger in South Carolina

The problem of food insecurity—not knowing where your next meal will come from—is greater in South Carolina than many people realize. It’s very likely that someone you know may be suffering from hunger and food insecurity.

Who is hungry?

One in ten of our South Carolina neighbors, including almost 150,000 children, face hunger on a daily basis. 

Most of the people that visit Harvest Hope Food Bank are just like you; many never imagined they would be in this situation. They might have fallen on hard times due to a job loss or medical expenses. The access to food that we provide often means that our clients can afford to pay for their medication, not fall behind on rent, or cover transportation to their jobs.

The average visitor to our emergency food pantry comes just three times before they have gotten back on their feet and regained self-sufficiency. Food pantries are a lifeline that helps people avoid losing their jobs, falling into poverty, or becoming homeless. Often our former clients come back to volunteer and pay it forward to other people. 

How can we help?

People facing food insecurity may find relief in several ways. Schools feed children during the day, but at nights, on weekends, and during holidays, families often struggle and stretch to make sure everyone has enough. Similarly, government programs like SNAP are a great help, but often don’t provide enough to make it through the month. To truly address the hunger issue, organizations like Harvest Hope are needed to provide food to families who need a little help.

Visit our Get Involved page to learn more about what you can do to help neighbors in the communities around you. You can also advocate for policies concerning food insecurity with your local officials. We have an impact statement flyer that you can use that highlights our FY 2023 stats as well as food insecurity rates. No matter the action you take, every action has potential to make a huge impact!

Harvest Hope works on two fronts to prevent hunger in our state. We are a food bank, which means we collect, transport, and distribute nutritious food to food pantries, churches, shelters, and soup kitchens across the state. Harvest Hope also operates two emergency food pantries in Greenville and Columbia that directly provide food to anyone in need. 

Every dollar counts.

For each dollar you donate, Harvest Hope can provide four meals to those in need.

Give Now

Map the Meal Gap

A study released by Feeding America gives us the first-ever look at hunger at the local level. See how many food-insecure families are in your community with this interactive map.