COVID-19 is still causing local food insecurity, Hilton Head foundation warns
There’s still a high level of food insecurity around Beaufort and Jasper counties in early 2021 as COVID-19 continues to pummel parts of the local economy, according to the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry on Hilton Head Island.
The foundation announced late last week that its COVID-19 relief fund has been exhausted. The foundation had awarded over $655,000 in grants to 43 area organizations thanks to the fund, according to a news release.
The Community Foundation of the Lowcountry most recently awarded almost $100,000 to 13 nonprofits in its ninth round of COVID-19 grantmaking, the release read. That money will mostly be used to help feed people who are hungry.
“We continue to see individuals and families face ongoing challenges, particularly with food and housing insecurity,” Scott Wierman, president and CEO of the foundation, wrote in the release.
Wierman wrote that the fund is still open and accepting donations.
“We realize that many people have ‘COVID fatigue’ and simply want this to be over,” he wrote, “but for our neighbors who are still facing extreme challenges, we hope our community feels compelled to continue to help.”
Kimberly Hall, executive director of Bluffton Self Help, a nonprofit, in a phone call Sunday said some local residents are struggling to make ends meet due to COVID-19’s impact.
The need for assistance has leveled off in recent weeks, Hall said, in comparison to December and the holidays.
But Bluffton Self Help is still noticing local food insecurity. The nonprofit received $7,000 in grant money from the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry’s most recent awards, according to the release.
The nonprofit will use those funds to buy meat, milk and other dairy items to distribute, Hall said.
“It’s hard to decipher” how the pandemic has exactly affected the food demand, she said. Requests for emergency financial assistance, though, are clearly linked to COVID-19, Hall added.
The nonprofit has helped cover people’s pending electric bills, The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette previously reported.
Here’s a breakdown of the most recent foundation grantmaking, according to the release:
Antioch Educational Center (Beaufort, Hampton and Jasper counties): $6,500
Bluffton Community Soup Kitchen (Beaufort County): $7,000
Bluffton Self Help (Beaufort County): $7,000
First Estill Baptist Church (Hampton County): $4,600
Greater Faith International Ministries (Hampton County): $3,500
Hampton United Methodist Church (Hampton County): $10,000
Healing Waters Mission & Wellness Center (Beaufort and Jasper counties): $4,500
Love Abound CDC (Hampton and Jasper counties): $3,500
Lowcountry Food Bank (Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper counties): $20,000
Marshview Community Organic Farms (Beaufort County): $10,800
New Destiny Center Inc. (Jasper County): $5,500
Partners in Transition, Inc. (Beaufort and Jasper counties): $6,500
Women of Faith and Power Ministries (Beaufort and Jasper counties): $10,000
This story was originally published February 28, 2021 at 4:37 PM.
