Golden Harvest Food Bank

Every time we serve up homegrown produce from our Urban Farm at The Master's Table Soup Kitchen, we're thankful for the volunteers who plant, weed, compost, harvest and so much more to bring this food from farm to table for our guests. John and Connor, a father-son duo, volunteer at the Urban Farm because as John shares, It’s a lot of fun, it’s for a good cause, and getting this type of nutritious food into the soup kitchen is great. It’s incredible what they do here. Conno...r, who wants to do his Eagle Scout service project at the farm, agrees: It makes me happy that we’re planting food, and that it goes to people who need it. #volunteerappreciationmonth #feedinglivestogether #nutritionmatters

Scott and his wife love to spend time with and cook for their five grandchildren while their parents are at work. But lately it’s been a challenge keeping everyone fed. Scott is a disabled veteran, and his wife recently had a pacemaker put in. Taking care of his family means pulling his car into the #MobileMarket line when money gets tight. Now through May 3, the Walmart and Sam's Club #FightHunger Spark Change campaign will donate a meal to Golden Harvest Food Bank to help folks like Scott for every participating item purchased. You can also donate at checkout to support our mission of #feedinglivestogether. Thank you to Walmart and the Walmart Foundation for feeding hopes, opportunities and possibilities in our community.

Contactless, drive-thru Mobile Markets have become essential to our mission during the pandemic -- and volunteers are essential to making Mobile Markets run. When we pivoted from regular food distribution methods to keep neighbors safe, our volunteers were there to pack boxes, bag produce, and place it all in the trunks of families in need. Volunteers like Angelica, who has this to share: My 4 hours of volunteer time may not mean much by themselves, but when they are combin...ed with 4 hours from so many other people at a Mobile Market, and when that Mobile Market is 4 times a month, that makes a difference to the people of our community. This #VolunteerAppreciationMonth, we are thankful to all the volunteers who lent a hand at the 181 Mobile Markets we've held so far. #volunteerappreciation #feedinglivestogether

#Easter Sunday at The Master's Table Soup Kitchen meant that after a meal of chicken, rice, turnip greens, and sweet potatoes, guests enjoyed Easter bags filled with sweets + snacks assembled by Compass For Hope and frozen custard served up by Meadows of Grovetown. Compass for Hope and volunteers from Graced Life Ministries International also handed out duffel bags, warm weather clothing like shorts and shirts, and hygiene items. Thank you for #feedinglivestogether with us on this day of hope, resurrection, and light.

Partnerships like the one with Wheels Up allow us to do the work that we do every day and move the millions of pounds of food that we move every year. After a year of challenge and loss, linking arms to serveboots on the ground and hands busystill brings those moments of hope and connection that point towards better days to come. #feedinglivestogether Feeding America Georgia Food Bank Association Feeding the Carolinas

Our friends at Wheels Up flew in yesterday to lend a hand on their hunger-fighting aircraft the Orange Plane. Before serving 120 meals at The Master's Table Soup Kitchen and loading the cars of 326 families with nutritious food at a Mobile Market in Golden Harvest Food Bank - Aiken with volunteers from partners like Textron Aviation, they provided a thank-you breakfast to our team and Georgia National Guard servicemembers at Augusta Aviation, Inc. In addition to distributing over 5,500 meals yesterday, Wheels Up Cares donated to provide 100,000 more meals to local families in need as part of their Meals Up initiative with Feeding America. Thank you for serving up hope to those struggling with food insecurity in our area + a day of inspiring and uplifting our team and community #feedinglivestogether!

We're starting the new year with some familiar faces! Our invaluable Georgia National Guard team will be #feedinglivestogether with us through March 31 -- and we couldn't be more grateful for the support they bring to our Operations Team!

Mobile Market food distributions became an invaluable part of the way Golden Harvest and our Community Partners put food in the hands of those who needed it in 2020. More than 2.7 million meals reached families experiencing food insecurity through these drive-thru distributions in 2020 -- more than 1.5x our 2019 total. Thank you to the Georgia National Guard South Carolina National Guard and the corporate and community volunteers who made these possible! #feedinglivestogether

Because of all of you, Golden Harvest was able to be there for hungry families even as food insecurity rose and the lines for food assistance got longer. Together we provided nearly 303,000 families with more than 12.3 million meals in 2020. And those are just the numbers -- the stories heard, the smiles given, the lives touched are immeasurable. We're #feedinglivestogether

As we look back on 2020, thank you seems like such a small thing to say to a community that linked arms with us, stepped up to help our staff meet never-before-seen levels of need and worked with our Community Partners to wrap families experiencing food insecurity in your generous spirit. But in turbulent times, thank you is also everything. So thank you for all the work you did and empowered us to do this year and in the 37 years that came before it. And thank you for moving... into the New Year with us, ready to do it all over again. Thank you for #feedinglivestogether Georgia Food Bank Association Feeding the Carolinas Feeding America #feedinglivestogether

"Our job is to make sure that the food gets from the pallet to the plate not just during the holidays but 365 days a year because hunger does not take a holilday," says Tonya, our Warehouse Administrator. Tonya works hand-in-hand with our Community Partners to ensure their food orders are correct, complete and ready on time, so they can put food into the hands of families experiencing food insecurity. Most of Tonya's time is spent in an office, but the effect of her work is... felt across thousands of miles of Georgia. "If I do my job to the best of my ability, somebody’s baby is going to go to sleep that night with a full belly," Tonya says. You can help take families from hunger to hope in the New Year. Donate today at goldenharvest.org Georgia Food Bank Association Feeding the Carolinas Feeding America #feedinglivestogether

"Christmas is most truly Christmas when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it most." #merrychristmas #feedinglivestogether

It's Spooky to Be Hungry but together we can scare away hunger for families experiencing food insecurity right here in our community. More local families are reaching out for food assistance due to challenges caused by COVID-19. But it's easier than ever to maximize your impact through our Virtual Food Drives. Every $1 = 3 meals for our neighbors in need. Donate today at goldenharvest.org/spooky #spookytobehungry #scareawayhunger #neighborshelpingneighbors

Whether at-home or on-campus, schools are back in session and so are our child nutrition programs like the #BackPack Program. Amy explains how these weekend meals for students work and what other ways our Community Partners are making sure children have enough to eat. #feedinglivestogether #thelonghaul

I love donating online because it's quick and easy. Every $1 donated is three meals for a family in need so I know even a small donation can do so much good." -- Marissa Smith, Golden Harvest supporter + volunteer Hunger is scary, but you can help! There's still time to help a neighbor experiencing food insecurity by supporting this year's It's Spooky to Be Hungry campaign. Give online at https://itsspookytobehungry.org/ -- Every $1 donated = 3 meals. #spookytobehungry #scareawayhunger

It’s Spooky to Be Hungry is almost over, but there’s still time to help scare away hunger! You can help CSRA families experiencing food insecurity many for the first time ever. Every $1 donated puts 3 nutritious meals on the table of a neighbor in need. Maximize your impact; donate today at goldenharvest.org/spooky #spookytobehungry #scareawayhunger

It's Spooky to Be Hungry but we collected nearly 4,000 pounds of non-perishable food items on Saturday to add to this year's total! Thank you to the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce Youth Leaders who volunteered to run our collection stations! There's still time to make a difference for the 1 in 5 people in our community who struggle with food insecurity. Every $1 donated = 3 meals! Donate today at goldenharvest.org/spooky #spookytobehungry #scareawayhunger

Erin bakes a mean apple pie. She's a talented artist. And she wanted to do something good for her community. So late last month, she put all three together and launched a fundraiser for Golden Harvest that just happens to nicely line up with this year's It's Spooky to Be Hungry campaign. For a $25 donation to the Food Bank, she'll bake you a delicious pie with a unique pie crust design. "I’ve known about food insecurity for awhile and that downtown is a food desert," Erin sa...ys. "I wanted to help with that." Several dozen beautifully designed apple pies later, the Augusta University sophomore has donated 5,467 meals for families experiencing food insecurity. "I was surprised to find out that Golden Harvest can provide three meals for every dollar donated." she says. "And it made a fundraiser like this make even more sense." Thank you, Erin! #feedinglivestogether #spookytobehungry

Thank you to Aiken County Sheriff's Office + USC Aiken + USC Aiken Athletics for showing up when it counts for families experiencing food insecurity! Student athletes, coaches and the Sheriff's Office team spent hours packing boxes and loading them into the trunks of waiting cars -- 45,000 pounds of food into 678 cars, to be exact. Thank you for helping the Food Bank strengthen our community, one box, one car, one family at a time! #feedinglivestogether Feeding the Carolinas

When 1 in 3 children in our community is experiencing food insecurity, every meal and every dollar counts. Help us make a bigger impact than ever with our virtual drive supporting our annual It’s Spooky to Be Hungry drive. Every $1 donated = 3 meals for hungry families. Your gift goes further when you give online. Donate today at goldenharvest.org/spooky #spookytobehungry #scareawayhunger

It was our biggest distribution ever! With the help of about 60 volunteers from 8 Richmond County Community Partners, staff from both our Augusta and Aiken offices, two 53' foot trucks, 3 refrigerated vans and the James Brown Arena, we distributed about 56,000 pounds of food to more than 730 families on Saturday. Now this is what #feedinglivestogether looks like! #thelonghaul GAP Ministries Mercy Ministries, Inc. Lutheran Church of the Resurrection - Augusta, GA Project Life Light of The World Outreach Ministries DCCM Food Pantry

The secret to the It's Spooky to Be Hungry campaign's success has always been our generous community. That includes sponsors like Murphy Auto Group who helped us #scareawayhunger by donating 30,000 meals to jumpstart this year's funds drive. Join Mike and dozens of schools, businesses and neighborhoods in supporting local families experiencing food insecurity. Donate online at itsspookytobehungry.org Bob Richards Nissan Bob Richards Toyota Miracle Nissan of Augusta Bob Richards Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram

At Golden Harvest, we're always looking ahead to find ways to provide more nutritious food to more local families. Thanks to our new refrigerated vans, larger loads of fresh produce go out each week to distributions in rural communities in our 25-county service area. Even if there are no grocery stores nearby, our vans make it possible to take fresh food directly to families experiencing food insecurity. #feedinglivestogether #thelonghaul Georgia National Guard Feeding America

The food distribution all-stars at Queensborough National Bank & Trust Co. run dozens of drive-thru, bank employee-run distributions in rural areas each year. That expertise has come in handy now that Golden Harvest is distributing 75% more food through Mobile Markets to keep our volunteers, staff and clients safe. Thank you for consistently opening up your branches and joining us in #feedinglivestogether!

Hunger is scary and for 1 in 5 of our neighbors, it’s part of their new normal. But when we link arms to help our neighbors, hunger gets a little less scary. Start #feedinglivestogether with us by supporting the #SpookyToBeHungry campaign. Every $1 donated = 3 meals for families experiencing food insecurity. Visit goldenharvest.org/spooky to donate today #scareawayhunger #neighborsfeedingneighbors

Thank you Bank of America for helping us provide The Master's Table Soup Kitchen guests with meals and masks. We're dedicated to working with hungry families to safely navigate the COVID-19 pandemic -- one meal and one mask at a time. #feedinglivestogether #thelonghaul

"Not being able to volunteer during COVID restrictions really affected our family. Serving at Golden Harvest has always been a blessing for us. A #SpookyToBeHungry virtual drive allowed my children and I the opportunity to still help the community." -- Jennifer Westbrook, longtime GHFB volunteer When our community comes together, we can do so much. Help a neighbor experiencing food insecurity by supporting this year's It's Spooky to Be Hungry campaign Start your own Virtual Food Drive or maximize your impact by giving online at https://itsspookytobehungry.org/ -- Every $1 donated = 3 meals. #spookytobehungry #scareawayhunger