Want to help your Beaufort County neighbors? Here’s what you can do during coronavirus
As people across Beaufort County are still out of work because of the coronavirus outbreak and residents are still practicing social distancing, organizations serving those in need are also struggling and looking for help.
Here are some ways you can support those organizations and your neighbors, who may be out of work, hungry and unable to get food, or in need of cleaning supplies.
This list will be updated as charities disseminate their list of needs.
If you need help, here are some resources: Need help? Beaufort County resources offer food, finances, internet amid coronavirus
To donate blood:
American Red Cross Blood Services
The American Red Cross is asking healthy individuals to donate blood because the organization is facing a severe blood shortage due to several blood drive cancellations amid the coronavirus outbreak, according to its website. “Donating blood is a safe process and people should not hesitate to give or receive blood,” the website says.
To sign up for an appointment to donate blood, visit https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/find-drive.
The nation is experiencing a blood shortage and is calling for healthy individuals to donate blood if they can. An appointment is required to donate and can be made online or over the phone. The OneBlood donor center is located on Boundary Street in Beaufort.
For more information, go to http://www.oneblood.org/ or call 888-936-6283.
To help front-line health workers:
There are some ways community members can help hospital workers, according to a new page on the hospital’s website.
▪ Donate personal protective equipment: The hospital is accepting donated items including:
- Surgical masks
- N95 masks (medical grade, NIOSH certified, sizes large and small)
- Examination gloves (sterile and unsterile, all sizes)
- Protective glasses, goggles and shields
- Isolation gowns
- Thermometers (disposable strips or thermometers, or temporal infrared)
- Homemade masks and face shields (see details below)
All items must be unused and in unopened packages. They can be dropped off in the first-floor lobby at the Beaufort Memorial Medical Administrative Center on Ribaut Road between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
▪ Buy meals for staff: Individuals who want to help feed hospital staff should contact a local restaurant, place and pay for an order, and have the restaurant deliver the meal to the hospital. “In this way, we support both health care workers and our local restaurants whose business has been sharply curtailed by mandatory restrictions for on-site dining.” Restaurant owners looking to arrange a date for meal delivery should email donations@bmhsc.org.
▪ Donate to the COVID-19 Relief Fund for hospital employees: Monetary donations made to the fund will support employees and patients and buy items of greatest need. To donate, go online at https://www.bmhsc.org/ways-to-give/bmh-foundation/give-now or write a check payable to the BMH Foundation, PO Box 2233, Beaufort, South Carolina 29902.
Hilton Head Hospital meals
The Lucky Rooster Kitchen + Bar’s chef and owner Clayton Rollison is offering the public a chance to support those working at Hilton Head Hospital during the coronavirus outbreak.
For $58, he will deliver a Chef Meal Kit that includes a salad, entree and dessert to feed 2-4 people. The kits are “heat and eat” and will keep up to three days, allowing flexibility for those working on a hospital schedule.
“I know our staff is very appreciative of the support we’ve received from our community,” Jeremy Clark, market chief executive officer of Hilton Head Regional Healthcare and Hilton Head Hospital, said in a news release.
Rollison said his goal is to get a meal kit in the hands of each doctor, nurse and health care worker during the month of April.
For more information or to donate a kit, visit www.luckyroosterhhi.com/pickup or call (843) 681-3474.
Masks 4 Heroes
The newly formed group, which is sewing homemade fabric face masks for healthcare workers, is looking for volunteers to help sew and deliver supplies or completed masks. The group is also accepting supplies, such as fabric and elastic bands, or money to purchase them.
Visit the group’s Facebook place at https://www.facebook.com/Masks4HeroesLC/.
Southern Tide’s “Hats Off to Our Healthcare Heroes” campaign
Greenville-based apparel company Southern Tide partnered with the S.C. Hospital Association to donate 100% of profits from a newly released clothing collection to healthcare professionals in South Carolina and beyond. The collection includes a ball cap, long-sleeve shirt, and short-sleeve shirt.
For more information or to make a purchase visit https://southerntide.com/collections/healthcare-heroes.
To help your neighbors:
Help 4 Hope Fund
The Watterson Family Foundation partnered with the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce and a team of local leaders to create a stimulus program to help stabilize the local economy and raise $5 million.
Bluffton Self Help, The Deep Well Project, Campbell Chapel AME and other organizations will distribute community investment cards to those in need. The cards can be redeemed at local restaurants for a family meal for four. Then, the restaurants will redeem the cards to the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry for reimbursement from the community fund.
To donate or for more information, including participating restaurants, visit https://www.help4hopenow.org/.
Bluffton Self Help
The Bluffton Self Help office is accepting food donations on Mondays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. No-contact collection containers will be placed in multiple spots around the outside of the building.
Those who want to help can still make monetary donations via credit card or e-check, which would go toward the group’s newly established COVID-19 Family Support Fund. To donate money visit https://www.blufftonselfhelp.org/donate.
Tanger Outlets Hilton Head is collecting non-perishable food donations to donate to the organization from 1 to 3 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays through April 29. Donations can be dropped off in the red tent behind shopper services at Tanger Outlets 2. Most needed items include jelly, pasta and pasta sauce, canned meats, cereal, oatmeal, canned soups, canned beans, dry rice, and dry beans.
The Deep Well Project
Donations of food and non-food items are needed at The Deep Well Project. Popular food requests include pasta, canned meat, macaroni and cheese, soups, and vegetables. Non-food items include toilet paper, paper towels, toothpaste, shampoo and soap.
For more information, visit https://www.deepwellproject.org/.
Bridge Bowl tennis championship
Although the sixth annual Bridge Bowl tennis championship isn’t until the fall, organizers of the charity event want to help the community now. The tournament, which typically draws about 250 players, is asking players interested in the event to register now, so money can be sent to and split equally between The Deep Well Project and Bluffton Self Help.
Players are asked to make their registration payments now by going to https://www.blufftonselfhelp.org/donate and entering code “bridge” on their donations.
Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina
The largest nonprofit community foundation in the state launched the COVID-19 Relief & Recovery Fund to gather charitable donations to support communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.
The fund will help organizations in the state’s coastal region, working with priority groups including senior citizens, children, the health-compromised, and workers in the hospitality and tourism industry. It recently donated portions of a $100,000 grant to the Lowcountry Food Bank and Second Helpings.
To donate, visit https://coastalcommunityfoundation.org/special-initiatives/covid-19-relief-recovery-fund/.
Community Foundation of the Lowcountry
The foundation, which serves Beaufort, Jasper, Hampton and Colleton counties, created the COVID-19 Response Fund. As of April 17, the community has donated more than $200,000 to the Lowcountry Community COVID-19 Response Fund, according to Chris Kerrigan, president and CEO of Community Foundation of the Lowcountry. With CFL’s $150,000 donation match and an additional $50,000 from the organization, the fund has collected a total of $400,000.
To donate to the fund, go to https://cflowcountry.civicore.com/covid.
HELP of Beaufort
In addition to helping with donations via credit card, check, and cash, HELP of Beaufort, a nonprofit in northern Beaufort County, is accepting food donations that can be dropped off between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The group is most in need of low sodium canned veggies, canned fruits in water or fruit juice (not syrup), single-serve frozen meals, canned meats, low-sugar fruit juices, sliced wheat bread, wheat crackers, and shelf-stable 1% or 2% milk.
Volunteers are also needed for a number of tasks.
Visit the website at https://www.helpofbeaufort.org/.
“KindlesforKids”
Bluffton Realtor Catherine Donaldson, with the help of Jennifer Harsta, began a grassroots effort to get a Kindle Fire to all of the younger elementary-age students who don’t have a school district-issued electronic device to complete schoolwork on during quarantine.
The Kindle Fires are $50 each and can allow the students to connect to the internet, display documents, and send emails, which is most everything a student needs to connect to their online classes, Donaldson previously told The Packet. The effort has already supplied devices to Red Cedar and Whale Branch elementary, with the goal of also donating to the other 10 elementary schools in the district.
Anyone interested in donating can call Donaldson at 843-338-2069. She’ll tell them to order the Kindles on Amazon and ship them to her house, where she’s connecting to students through their principals to deliver the tablets to kids without devices. Those wanting to help can can also donate to a GoFundMe.
Northern Beaufort Hospitality Relief
A GoFundMe account set up by the Beaufort Area Hospitality Association is collecting donations to buy non-perishable items to restock the food pantries in northern Beaufort County. The organization is working with U.S. Foods and local groups. Volunteers are also needed for this effort.
To donate, visit https://bit.ly/3adYLWZ.
The Salvation Army of the Lowcountry
The Salvation Army of the Lowcountry, which has a location in Beaufort, is accepting donated goods, including supplies for the food pantry and clothing or household items for the family store. The only items that won’t be accepted are mattresses and box springs.
Donations can be dropped off Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
For general information call 843-524-3727 or email BeaufortSC@uss.salvationarmy.org; to donate goods call 843-524-5206; and for financial donations call 800-725-2769.
The organization is also accepting monetary donations and volunteers. For more information, visit https://www.salvationarmycarolinas.org/beaufort/home/.
Sandalwood Community Food Pantry
The Hilton Head pantry provides foods and supplies such as diapers and paper products, to those in need. People can drop donations off at the pantry’s front door between 10 and 11 a.m. on Tuesdays for a contactless donation. Otherwise, the pantry is open from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Tuesdays. The biggest need right now is for $10 gift cards to retailers and grocery stores so those in need can purchase supplies like toilet paper, which is limited to a certain amount per customer.
For more information, visit the organizations website at http://www.sandalwoodfoodbank.com/.
Second Helpings is a nonprofit food distribution network, helping to eliminate hunger in the Lowcountry by working with food providers and distribution agencies to help those in need obtain food.
The group is accepting donations of non-perishable food, which can be dropped off near the community center in Sun City, at Grayco in Beaufort or at the nonprofit’s office on Hilton Head. Monetary donations are also being accepted. For more information, visit http://www.secondhelpingslc.org/.
United Way of the Lowcountry
The United Way of the Lowcountry created its own COVID-19 Relief Fund so neighbors in Beaufort and Jasper counties can support each other.
To donate, visit https://uwlowcountry.org/.
To help hospitality and tourism workers:
Corner Perk’s Family Fund Donation Package
For a $100 donation to the locally owned coffee shop and brunch cafe, donors will receive a $20 gift card, 20% off all food through June 30, a red coffee mug, and a bag of Birthday Blend coffee.
For more information or to purchase a package, visit https://cornerperk.com/product/perk-family-fund-donation-package/.
FARM Staff Relief Fund
FARM in Bluffton has created a fund to support the restaurant’s front and back of house employees while they aren’t able to work for standard tips and hourly wages.
To donate, visit https://www.farmbluffton.com/donate-1.
FARM is also using its airstream food truck to supply meals in areas of Bluffton that don’t have immediate access to restaurants and food service. The airstream service, in addition to curbside and delivery service at the restaurant, runs five days a week from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Southern Marsh Nursery on May River Road.
Hungry Heart Restaurant Workers Relief Fund
Donations made toward the fund that was created by the Lowcountry Strong Foundation will help provide free meals from local restaurants to hospitality workers across Beaufort County. For more information or to donate, visit https://www.lowcountrystrong.com/.
Lowcountry Auctions
The Facebook page LOWCOUNTRY AUCTIONS for Bar, Restaurant and entertainment staff out of work features donated items being auctioned off with proceeds going directly to an individual who is out of work because of the coronavirus. The group is accepting items to be donated as well as bids on items already posted. For more information go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/219010879458611/.
Outside Hilton Head’s Community Strong – Club Outside
For $250, you get a $100 gift card, 25% off all Outside recreation experiences (including tours, trips, clinics and excursions), 25% off merchandise at any of Outside’s 3 brick-and-mortar locations and its online store, and 25% off group team and leadership development programs.
For each membership purchased, $100 will go toward an Outside Employee relief fund to support Outside team members and $50 will go to the Lowcountry Community Covid-19 Response Fund.
To purchase a membership, go to https://www.outsidehiltonhead.com/cluboutside/.
Sea Pines Cares package
The Sea Pines Cares package is $250, and includes a $100 Sea Pines Resort gift card and 20% off at Sea Pines Resort restaurants (alcohol not included), retail outlets, bike rentals, golf, tennis, recreation activities and rates at The Inn & Club at Harbour Town through March 31, 2021.
From each purchase, $125 will go toward impacted Sea Pines Resort employees and $50 to the Heritage Classic Foundation, which supports local charities.
For more information or to purchase a package, visit https://www.seapines.com/cares/.
SERG’s Community Strong VIP Package
For $250, you get a $100 gift card, which can be used at any of SERG’s more than 20 restaurants in Bluffton and on Hilton Head, and 25% off food purchase at the restaurants for up to four guests, 25% off gifts and merchandise at SERG retail stores, and 10% off food at SERG Take Out Kitchen through March 31, 2021.
For each VIP package purchased, $100 will go toward SERG employees during forced business closures and $50 will be split between Bluffton Self Help and The Deep Well Project.
To purchase a package, go to https://serggroup.securetree.com/.
Other ways to support local businesses:
▪ Buy gift cards. It gives businesses the money now while allowing you to shop later.
▪ Order out (delivery or curbside). You can still enjoy many of your favorite restaurant meals, but at home.
▪ Shop online. You can still shop some of your favorite boutiques and stores while social distancing.
▪ If possible, don’t cancel. Instead of canceling your appointment, see what options are offered, such as rescheduling.
▪ Interact with the businesses’ social media. Like, share, and comment on posts to help businesses at no cost..
▪ Leave positive reviews. This is a way to help businesses at no cost and boost their sales now and later.
This story was originally published March 23, 2020 at 2:38 PM.
