Volunteers Needed!

Harvest Hope is currently in need of volunteers to help us wrap presents for donations at our local Barnes and Noble on Harbison Blvd.  This will be a great opportunity for volunteers to raise money for a great cause, have fun, and get into the holiday spirit!

When:  December 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th as well as
             December 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th

Time: Shifts will be 9am-1pm, 1pm- 5pm or 5pm -10pm


If interested please email volunteermanager@harvesthope.org and let us know you want to sign up for the GIFT WRAPPING!

Volunteers Needed at the Pecan Festival in Florence

We are currently in need of some great volunteers to help us at the Pecan Festival in Florence! Come enjoy this great festival and help Harvest Hope out at the same time!

Where: Pecan Festival, Downtown Florence

When:  Saturday, November 3^rd

What:  We need people to help us at our booth as well as to help direct traffic. Multiple shifts are available!

How:  Call (843) 661-0826 or email fbrown@harvesthope.org

Empty Bowls

Calling all artists, crafters, and local business owners!  Will you donate some pieces for our annual live and silent auction? 

• What:  Empty Bowls is our annual signature fundraiser.  Donations are needed  for both the live and silent auction. 


• When: We are taking donation now through December 7th.



• Examples: paintings, pottery, jewelry, gift certificates, homemade crafts, themed baskets, furniture, vacations, spa packages, etc.
• Contact: Brandy Smoak, 803-254-4432 ext. 1140 or bsmoak@harvesthope.org

To download a copy of the donation form please click here.

Scare Away Hunger

What: Add a new idea to your fall festival, trick or treating, or haunted house.  If you hosting a Halloween get together, why not have them bring a non-perishable item to SCARE AWAY HUNGER!  It is easy and fun.

Date:  Anytime during your Halloween festivities

Location:  A great idea for churches, neighborhood, civic groups, anyone...

Contact: For more information please contact Amy Lowery at 254-4432 ext 1143 or alowery@harvesthope.org

Join the CROP Hunger Walk

Will you volunteer your time, energy and walking shoes to help fight world hunger?  Crop Walk is an international hunger walk to raise awareness and funds for those who are hungry across the globe. It is the oldest hunger-fighting fundraising event in the U.S. and involves over 1,600 communities each year.  We are looking for individuals, schools, churches, civic groups and all other community groups to join the walk to fight hunger.

When: Sunday, November 11, 2012

Where: State House Grounds

Registration: 1:00 pm

Walk Begins: 2:00 pm

For more information please contact:

Amy Lowery

803-254-4432 ext. 1143

alowery@harvesthope.org

Crop Walk Website

Volunteer the Gift of Books to Children

Do you have a bookshelf full of children’s books that are never read anymore? Are they gaining dust by the week/month/year? Then we have a way to get those books to kids who need and want them!

Livi’s Library is a new project that involves collecting gently used children’s books to share with children who cannot afford them. Livi’s Library is a program in honor of a young girl named Mary Olivia “Livi" Pettit, of Lancaster, SC, who died at age 9 of viral myocarditis. She loved to read and learn; so the people who love her have started this project in her name.

Harvest Hope is partnering with this great new program in order to offer quality children's books to our clients. Please, volunteer your time by cleaning out those dusty bookshelves and donate those old books to someone who can use them!

 

What: Livi’s Library

Where: Drop off at

SC First Steps, 1300 Sumter Street, Columbia SC 29201  

                                   OR 

Harvest Hope Food Bank 2220 Shop Rd. Columbia, SC 29201

When: 

Monday – Friday 8am-4pm

Harvest Hope Producers (H2P)

Have you heard about our H2P group?  Here is everything you need to know to get involved and volunteer your time!

Who:   This group consists of Young Professionals in the Midlands who are passionate about helping hungry families in South Carolina and are looking for a way to engage and be involved with the mission of Harvest Hope Food Bank.  

What:   The group does many activities to include volunteering, working on special projects, hosting numerous events, and other promotions that involve helping hungry people and Harvest Hope Food Bank. 

When:  The Advisory Board to the group meets monthly, however, there are usually monthly events throughout the Columbia-metro area that H2P members and the public can attend.  Currently our upcoming events include:

·         Strike Out Hunger on 9.21.12 at Anchor Lanes in Irmo on Columbiana Drive:  $12 gets you shoes and unlimited bowling for 3 hours.  50% of proceeds will go back to Harvest Hope!

·         Hold Out For Hunger on 10.11.12 that will encourage people to skip a meal that day and donate what they would spend on that meal to Harvest Hope.

To get involved check out their facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/hhproducers

 

Help Harvest Hope take action against hunger during Hunger Action Month!

Please share this video with your friends and family.

Will you volunteer us your facebook status in order to Take Action Against Hunger?

September is HUNGER ACTION MONTH and we have the ultimate volunteer activity for you! It’s  simple, effective and easy!  All month we will be posting hunger facts, videos, and client testimonials on Facebook and Twitter to help educate the public about Hunger in South Carolina.  Speak Out Against Hunger by reposting our Facebook/Twitter posts about hunger in SC.   Encourage your friends to “like” or repost as well in order to make this the best Hunger Action Month ever. 

Together we can take action to END hunger in SC!  

SHARE ONE – FEED MORE

You’re Invited to a Harvest Hope (H.O.P.E.) Tour

Have you ever been to one of our facilities? Would you like a behind-the-scenes look at how we receive and distribute the enormous quantities of quality food necessary to fulfill our mission?

Harvest Hope Food Bank offers H.O.P.E. (Help Our People Eat) tours of all of our facilities to show the ways we receive, store, and distribute food to more than 450 partner agencies, and assist struggling families throughout South Carolina. Our tours are designed to help guests better understand the issues of hunger, how we strive to meet the needs of our hungry neighbors and how to get involved.

If you’re interested in joining a H.O.P.E. tour just call one of our facilities listed in the right hand column of the blog. 

The picture of hunger in your community

Do you know what hunger looks like in your backyard?  Do you know who it affects and what it would take to eradicate it? 

This great new study “Map the Meal Gap 2012: Food Insecurity Estimates at the County Level” released by Feeding America gives us the first ever look at food insecurity at the local level.  The new food insecurity data reviewed with local poverty levels and Hunger in America 2010 data allows us to, among other things, understand better the gaps between those living in poverty, those receiving federal assistance, and those utilizing emergency food assistance programs. 

This study comes with an interactive national map (click to view) that will allow you to look at your own county data including the number of people that are food insecure, average cost of meal in that county, and the total amount of funds needed to end hunger in that county. For example this tells us that across our 20 counties there are 343,400 food insecure individuals that all have a weekly food budget shortfall of $13.51.  This equates to a yearly budgetary shortfall of $140,680,170 to feed 59,109,315 meals to these individuals!   
 

Now, if only it told us exactly how many volunteers are needed to prepare and serve all those meals!  

Kids' Art Contest to Benefit Harvest Hope Food Bank

Harvest Hope is having a Kids' Art Contest for our 2012 Holiday Card Set!  Four talented and lucky kids will have their art featured on our Holiday Card Set that will be sold as a fundraiser for Harvest Hope Food Bank.   Here are all the details:

When:  Contest will run from now until September 28th

Who: Contest is open to any kids (17 and under) from South Carolina

What: Art Themes should be about Harvest Hope, winter, and or the winter holidays.

How to Submit: Please click here to view the attached Entry Form.

Winners:  The top 20 entries (as selected by Harvest Hope Staff) will be posted on the Harvest Hope Food Bank Facebook page on Monday, October the 8^th.  The top 4 pictures with the most “likes” by 4:30 pm Friday, October 12^th will be selected as the winners.

Rules: Only one entry per kid.  Please submit all entries on plain white paper (no lined paper please).  Please use lots of colors and be creative. All submissions must be at Harvest Hope Food Bank by the deadline date to be considered.  By submitting your artwork or that of your child you are thus handing over all rights to the artwork. The names and age of the winner will be featured on the cards unless otherwise stated by the parent or guardian.  Employees of Harvest Hope Food Bank and their children are ineligible for the competition.

Bags, Bags and MORE Bags!

Did you know that we serve over 300 families a day at our Emergency Food Pantries?

Did you know that on average we need 10 grocery bags per family to pack the food into?

THAT’S 3,000 BAGS A DAY! 

This week your volunteer challenge is to collect used grocery bags!  How many can you collect?  Collect 100 bags and you’ve just helped us serve 10 families!     

So go forth and collect!  Then drop them off at any of our locations.  If you can beat this great big donation then take a picture and we’ll post it on Facebook!

Volunteers Needed!

Have you been looking for a great group event? Maybe you’re looking for something for your sports team, book club, Sunday school class or youth group to do before you get back in the hum drum of the school year activities?  Whether you are looking for a team building exercise or way to show others how great volunteering can be…..here it is!  We currently have room for another 100 yes 100 volunteers on Saturday August 4^th.  We will be running old fashioned assembly lines for packing food boxes for senior citizens in need of a little extra help.  Here are the details and make sure you call quickly to reserve your spot!

• Where: 2220 Shop Rd. Columbia, SC
• Date: August 4^th 2012
• Time: 9am-1pm
• Age Requirement: Must be at least 15  (for groups between the ages of 15-18 we need 1 adult per every 5 teens).
• What: Packing food boxes for senior citizens in need
• Ability: Medium to high physical activity
• How to sign up:  Please call Eric at (803) 254-4432 ext. 1115 or email eroberts@harvesthope.org  to reserve a spot! 

Invite a COOL guest to your next party!

Have you been looking for ways to spice up your next party? Are the kids already saying I’m board and its only July? Then how about this great idea: invite Cool Can Sam to your next event! Whether it’s a neighborhood party, birthday party, Vacation Bible School, T-ball game or anything else Cool Can Sam is ready to make a splash at  your summertime events!  He brings coloring books, crayons and a short (kid friendly) lesson about hunger.  Volunteering your next party to educate those around you about a major problem in South Carolina while having fun…. Well that’s just priceless if you ask me!  So give us a call and find out if Cool Can is available for your next celebration! 

Host a Food Drive

Sometimes people think they have to come in to the warehouse in order to “volunteer” for us.  That is so not true!  Some of our best volunteers help us do stuff in their own backyard.  One great example is to host a food drive at your work, school, church, neighborhood, or wherever you are!   Here at the food bank food is always needed particularly shelf stable items like canned fruits, vegetables, and meat as well as pasta, rice, cereals, and more.   We have additional materials you can look through on our website and we will be more than happy to help you if we can, just give us a call.  We think hosting a food drive is as easy as saying  1-2-3! 

http://www.harvesthope.org/getinvolved/hostafooddrive.aspx  

Summertime Funtime with the Kids

Looking for a great way to get your kid(s) involved in volunteering? Well you don’t need to go any further than your own neighborhood.  One of the best summertime volunteer activities for kids are to start and run their own project and it doesn’t get any better than a summertime lemonade stand or bake sale!

Lemonade stands and bake sales are great because they require multiple levels of thought and work (as a mom I know it’s always great when you can add a little math and business skills in with your philanthropy).  Your kids will need to buy supplies and calculate the total cost. Decide on a price for each item that will allow them to pay for supplies and make a profit. Then you get to test their marketing and sales ability! After the sale give us a call and you can arrange a tour (lets show your kids where all the money goes) at the same time that you drop off the donation.  Lastly, make sure you send us a picture of your kid’s hosting their lemonade stand or bake sale for Harvest Hope and we’ll feature them on our Facebook page.   


 

Getting Started

Have you ever been interested in seeing what volunteering at the food bank is all about?   We host volunteer orientations at our three main facilities just for you!  We start with an introduction on Harvest Hope, move on to the different ways you can get involved as a volunteer and then go over a required food safety training course.  You can sign up for an orientation at our website http://www.harvesthope.org/getinvolved/volunteer.aspx   We have a variety of ways to get involved and feel confident we have a position to match with your skills, interests, and time.  So come on in!

Volunteering at Harvest Hope Food Bank

Here at Harvest Hope we think VOLUNTEERS are the best thing that has ever happened to us.  Last year, at all our locations combined, we had 7,800 volunteers serve 64,000 hours for us! If we had to hire staff to help us out, it would have cost us a whopping 1 million dollars!  Volunteers help us in so many ways. We think it’s worth telling the world about.  The possibilities on how a volunteer can help are endless and we want to show the world how amazing our volunteers really are!