Hunger Action Month has special meaning this year to the people who are on the front lines of Aiken County's battle with food insecurity amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
As Golden Harvest Food Bank's Aiken warehouse is gearing up for a large mobile food pantry from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 12, at Citizens Park, 651 Old Airport Road. Food will be available to all S.C. residents with a state-issued ID.
Workers are trying to raise awareness about how hunger has increased 41% in Golden Harvest's 25-county service area, including Aiken, since coronavirus hit the United States.
"We have seen a lot more people in need of food," said Grace Renken, S.C. district manager for Golden Harvest. "I know from the numbers that Golden Harvest has taken that 54% of the people that are visiting pantries … have never had to do that before the virus."
The Aiken warehouse on Capital Drive has taken in almost 2.7 million pounds of food just from government products since January this year in an effort to meet increasing hunger needs in the area. That's over half a million pounds more than the warehouse was taking in last year, Renken said.
The warehouse has hired two new employees to handle the increased workload and is relying heavily on mobile food pantries to distribute its products to people in need because some of its agencies have closed due to the virus.
Renken said a lot of local churches and other community organizations have "stepped up" to partner with Golden Harvest by hosting mobile food pantries.
The upcoming mobile food pantry will distribute items such as fresh produce, frozen meat, milk, eggs and dry food items like pasta and cereal.
September is Hunger Action Month. The campaign was kickstarted by Feeding America, which partners with food pantries across the nation to increase the public's awareness about food insecurity in their communities.
"I believe that hunger action month is more important this year than ever," Renken said. "There are some people that deal with this on a daily basis, but for a lot of people, this is their new normal."
Want to Go?
What: Golden Harvest Food Bank mobile food pantry
When: Saturday, Sept. 12, from 10 a.m. to noon
Where: Citizens Park, 651 Old Airport Road
