Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Volunteer Recruitment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Second Helpings urges volunteers to help collect and deliver fresh food across Beaufort County
Summary
A Second Helpings area coordinator described the nonprofit’s food-rescue routes serving Bluffton, Hilton Head and Beaufort County, said the program delivered over 3,000,000 pounds last year, and asked residents to sign up for flexible volunteer shifts via the group’s new volunteer webpage.
A representative of Second Helpings asked residents of Bluffton, Hilton Head and Beaufort County to sign up as volunteers to help collect and deliver fresh food to local partner agencies.
The area coordinator for Bluffton and Hilton Head said Second Helpings partners with about 40 grocery stores and roughly 45 agencies — including soup kitchens, Bluffton Self Help and local churches — to pick up surplus food in 16-foot refrigerated box trucks and deliver it the same day. “Our goal is for fresh food to be on somebody’s plate that day,” the coordinator said.
The coordinator said each truck runs with three volunteers — a driver and two crew members — and that crews typically meet near the trucks at about 8 a.m. Pickups through delivery usually take about four hours, they said. Second Helpings operates two trucks in Hilton Head, two in Sun City/Bluffton and two in Beaufort, and the coordinator described the group as a primary distributor filling agency needs in the region.
Speaking to why people should help, the coordinator highlighted both hunger relief and waste prevention: “We also prevent food waste,” the coordinator said, noting that rescued food otherwise could end up in landfills. They added that volunteers can sign up for different levels of commitment — from regular weekly shifts to occasional fill-in help — and that two-hour volunteer options are available for people with limited time.
Volunteer Mary Anne, introduced by the coordinator, said she got involved through her church’s food pantry and that volunteering helps address local food insecurity while keeping usable food out of the waste stream. “There’s a lot of food insecurity in the area, and we … wanted to make a difference,” she said.
The coordinator provided a contact phone number, (843) 816-2384, and a volunteer webpage at secondhelpingslcforlowcountry.org. They said people who sign up online will be contacted by the local coordinator for scheduling and placement. The coordinator also mentioned ongoing partnerships with churches (one example named was Adventure Church) that use Second Helpings funding to provide fresh vegetables to the public.
No formal actions, votes or policy proposals were discussed during the presentation; the coordinator’s appearance was a request for volunteer support and public awareness.
Next steps: residents interested in volunteering were asked to use the website or the provided phone number to sign up; the coordinator said Beaufort-area volunteers would be contacted by the Beaufort coordinator.
