COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Salvation Army recently received a hefty donation from Coldwell Banker Reality's midtown office - $7,900 - to combat food insecurity all across the South Carolina Midlands.
Major Mark Craddock, area commander of The Salvation Army in the Midlands, said it will help them re-establish and resupply the food pantry.
"It's specifically designed to assist families who are coming through crisis points in their life so they can focus on other things such as employment, education, and housing stability instead of worrying about hunger at the same time," Craddock said.
The organization will split the funds amongst all the areas it serves in the Midlands, which means every county will see a portion of it on the food shelves.
As for which area has the most need for the food, local leaders say it is downtown Columbia. The demand has been high in the city and they want to properly take care of people who need food in Lexington and Richland County.
So, the money will also go towards the food pantry for the brand new location they are opening in Irmo.
"We are going to expand our offices up in Irmo, so places like Lexington and Richland county can access our services without coming to downtown Columbia," Craddock added.
Craddock said donations like this help tremendously - especially in the current climate where food costs are high, supply chain issues continue, and recent winter weather events only exacerbating supply issues.
"Combine all of those factors and it's absolutely getting more difficult, but one thing we can say at the Salvation Army is when things become more complex, people become more generous," Craddock said.
And that, he said, is "very rewarding and uplifting."
