Callison Tighe makes a $10,000 donation to Harvest Hope, challenges other law firms to match
COLUMBIA, S.C. – For the third straight year Callison Tighe & Robinson has reached out to those in need during the holiday season with a $10,000 contribution to Harvest Hope Food Bank.
“Many of our lawyers and employees contribute to Harvest Hope throughout the year,” Callison Tighe partner Rick Detwiler said. “But as we celebrate this season of sharing, it is our hope that our firm’s contribution will not only help those in need of a helping hand but that it will also encourage others in the business community to reach out to the many families in our community who are struggling to get by.”
As the firm made the contribution Wednesday morning, Detwiler challenged other Columbia law firms to match it.
The Callison Tighe donation will help families in the 20 central South Carolina counties. “This is an incredibly efficient charity. Ninety-eight percent of all donations to Harvest Hope go directly to the dinner tables of the families who need it the most,” Detwiler said. “For $15, they can feed a family for a month. Our contribution to Harvest Hope will feed over 650 families for an entire month. It is a privilege to support an organization that does so much for so many in the Midlands.”
The organization assisted 2 million people in 2010, and the holiday season is a crucial time. “As recently as last month, some Harvest Hope pantries were empty due to high demand,” Detwiler said. “Each year, more than half of their clients say they’ve had to choose between paying for food and paying utilities. No one should have to make such a choice,” he said.
Harvest Hope’s programs range from emergency food pantries to distribution of commodity foods, with 98 percent of the donations collected going directly to people who need help. Harvest Hope also operates a mobile food pantry for those living in communities without access to the organization’s regular food pantries, and it helps with programs that provide for children after school and during times when school isn’t in session.
According to the nonprofit Feeding America, more than 12 million children in the United States are “food insecure” – unable to consistently access adequate amounts of nutritious food necessary for a healthy life. That number includes 20 percent of South Carolina’s children.
About Harvest Hope Food Bank
Harvest Hope Food Bank is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Beginning in 1981 as an emergency food box program, Harvest Hope is now a regional distribution program that collects, stores and distributes food and related items to more than 400 agencies engaged in feeding needy, elderly and ill families and children in 20 counties in central South Carolina.
To make a donation to Harvest Hope, go to http://www.harvesthope.org/ and click on “Donate Now,” or call (803) 254-4432.