Thanksgiving Day in Beaufort County: By the numbers
It was a Thanksgiving unlike any other. Here are some figures that capture the unique day in the Lowcountry:
791 — Turkeys and hams delivered to Hampton and Jasper food pantries for Thanksgiving distribution by food distribution agency Second Helpings. Executive director Lili Coleman said the turkeys and hams cost $20,000 altogether, paid for by grants and donations.
570 — Meals picked up from or delivered by Parish Church of St. Helena in Beaufort as part of its 41st Annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner. Due to COVID-19, the church could not hold its traditional sit-down meal. Some of the organizations that would have collaborated with the church to bring people in were not there, said volunteer Roz Dixon. “Last year we did 1,200 [meals],” she said. “There wasn’t that synergy this year. The need didn’t go away, but the connections weren’t there.”
400 — People served at Agape Family Life Center in Hardeeville’s Feed the Hungry event Wednesday, according to its Facebook page.
<400 — Participants in Hilton Head 32nd Annual Turkey Trot. This year’s race was likely the smallest ever, Island Recreation Center special events director Joe Cain said, as organizers restricted the number of people who could participate to prevent the transmission of COVID-19. Most years, Cain said, the race attracts 2,000 participants. This year, “We didn’t even come close to filling the parking lot,” Cain said. “It was the weirdest year.”
150 — Thanksgiving Day Meals gobbled at Skillets Cafe and Grill at Coligny Plaza on Hilton Head.
150 — Pies taken out from The Cottage Bakery, Cafe and Tea Room in Bluffton for Thanksgiving.
This Thanksgiving’s uniqueness, of course, was due in no small part to some very large numbers, however. In Beaufort County as of Sunday, 6,993 cases of coronavirus had been confirmed, 91 people had died and 86.7% of hospital beds were occupied. Across the state, more than 4,000 people had lost their lives to coronavirus and more than 200,000 had become infected with it. More than 70% of intensive care unit beds were occupied statewide.
