Callison Tighe donates a pickup for South Carolina food bank
COLUMBIA, S.C. – With a nod to the unfortunate fact that hunger isn’t a problem that goes away after the holidays, this summer Callison Tighe & Robinson has supplemented its traditional winter donation to Harvest Hope.
Callison Tighe Managing Member Michael W. Tighe presented Harvest Hope with the keys and title to the Ford Ranger pickup truck Thursday during a Columbia Cares 4 Kids food drive, an event sponsored by WACH-FOX to benefit children who miss meals during the summer because school isn’t in session.
The truck is the newest and most versatile component of Harvest Hope’s 21-vehicle fleet, communications director Skot Garrick said.
“Before, if we had to pick up a smaller donation from a retailer or grocery store, or if a smaller business had a food drive, we had to fire up one of bigger trucks and burn a lot of fuel. With the pickup, we can be a lot more nimble now. We are certainly grateful to Callison Tighe for this wonderful donation. It will be a huge benefit to us in better managing our resources.”
The truck donation is in keeping with Callison Tighe’s long-term commitment to helping hungry families in the Midlands. For three consecutive years during the holiday season, the firm has foregone its annual party and instead donated $10,000 to Harvest Hope.
“It is a privilege for Callison Tighe to support an organization that does so much for so many in the Midlands,” Callison Tighe member Rick Detwiler said. “Harvest Hope always has been a great steward of the resources the community contributes, and with the addition of the pickup, they can stretch their donated dollars because they’ll save on fuel costs.”
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. The organization assisted 2 million people in 2010. Harvest Hope also operates a mobile food pantry 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 consistently lack enough nutritious food to enjoy 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.