Poverty and unemployment continue to have lasting effects across South Carolina, and impacts the lives of many throughout Pee Dee communities. Unemployment averages 15.31% across the eight counties in Harvest Hope Food Bank’s Pee Dee service area.
In South Carolina over 17% of the population live in poverty, and over 23% of South Carolina children live below the poverty line. Throughout Harvest Hope‘s Pee Dee service area, over 79,000 people, or 22.06% of the population, live below the poverty line. Almost 34% of families with children in the Pee Dee live below the poverty line. Harvest Hope’s eight county Pee Dee service area includes Chesterfield, Darlington, Lee, Clarendon, Florence, Marlboro, Dillon and Marion Counties.
To meet the needs of those suffering from hunger resulting from poverty and unemployment, Harvest Hope distributed 5,890,403 pounds of food in the Pee Dee last year, an increase of 24% over the previous year. That’s the equivalent of almost 400,000 meals. Harvest Hope feeds approximately 48,000 South Carolinians a week across its entire 20 county service area.
Harvest Hope works with approximately 150 agency partners to feed the hungry in the Pee Dee. Many of our agency partners are faith-based: churches or faith organizations that include as part of their mission hunger outreach services. Other agency partners include children’s homes, homeless shelters, senior centers, women’s shelters, soup kitchens and other service outreach providers
Ninety-eight cents out of every dollar donated to Harvest Hope goes directly to their mission to feed the hungry across South Carolina. Additionally, Harvest Hope’s donors can take comfort in knowing that contributions to Harvest Hope support over 450 different organizations committed to battling hunger throughout 20 counties in South Carolina.
Harvest Hope is a community organization. Churches, businesses, school groups and civic organizations come together to coordinate donation drives or to volunteer with us and connect with their communities through Harvest Hope. For more information about Harvest Hope and how to help with their hunger relief mission, visit: www.harvesthope.org.