‘It just took off:’ Brothers collect 100s of food donations from Beaufort’s porches
The Matthews family’s dining room in Beaufort is filling up fast.
Two weeks ago it was set for Thanksgiving. Now, it’s packed with canned beans, pasta, toilet paper, rice, tampons, bottled water, soap, and hundreds of other items hand delivered by the family’s two sons, Quade and Quinn.
The brothers have been on a mission this month to pack HELP of Beaufort with food, toiletries and other essentials ahead of Christmas.
Quade, who’s 16 and a junior at Battery Creek High School, and Quinn, who’s 12 and a sixth grader at Beaufort Middle School, spend their evenings going around to homes and picking up donations people leave on their porches for them to collect.
You could say they’re benevolent porch pirates.
They pack the car’s trunk with items before depositing them in the middle of the dining room. On Dec. 21, they’ll caravan to HELP of Beaufort and stock the shelves just in time for Christmas.
“The boys wanted to do something kind for the community, and we said ‘if you’re going to do something, do it locally,’” their father Trey told The Island Packet on Saturday. “And it just took off. They have tons of pickups today.”
”
Friends of the Matthews family have texted to schedule pickups and sent donations to Trey and his wife, Amy over the last week.
One friend told another, and another, and now the brothers are picking up donations from people they’ve never met.
The impact of food pantries in the United States has exploded this year as people lose jobs and income. Feeding America estimates that 50 million people, including 17 million children, are now food insecure — meaning they lack access to a sufficient amount of affordable, nutritious food.
In a year marred by the coronavirus and a general feeling of helplessness, the Matthews brothers have found a way to start a socially distanced ripple effect in the Beaufort community.
Their effort, which they’ve named “2 Kynd Qs,” after their first initials, will continue until Dec. 20. On Facebook, they encourage people to take advantage of buy-one-get-one-free deals at grocery stores and set aside the free items to donate.
The experience has had a profound impact on the family. The boys often come home from a pick-up and get excited about the growing pile of donations, their mother Amy said. They discuss the importance of helping in the community because they too may need help one day.
“I want my kids to have compassion and kindness,” Amy told The Island Packet. “The world isn’t kind like it should be.”
How to participate
According to a Facebook post, HELP of Beaufort is in need of the following items:
- Canned tuna, salmon and corned beef hash
- Tomato sauce
- Fruit juice
- Eggs, milk and cheese
- Laundry detergent
- Pet food
- Bread
- Pork and beans
- Dried baby Lima beans
- Can openers
If you live in the Beaufort area and you’d like 2 Kynd Qs to pick up your donations, you can send a message to their Facebook page to coordinate a pick up before Dec. 20.
If you need help this holiday season, you can visit HELP of Beaufort at 1810 Ribaut Road in Port Royal or call ahead at (843) 524-1223 to be connected with resources.
