COLUMBIA, S.C. — As the Harden St. Save A Lot prepares to close, FoodShare, which operates inside of the grocery store, is aiming to stay open.
The Columbia Housing Authority, who owns and operated the Save A Lot, voted to close the grocery store by August 24th at 5pm.
However, FoodShare South Carolina says they will still be offering produce to the community.
"We are very thankful to the Housing Authority for allowing us be in this space, but we realize that they need to and want to lease this entire building to another entity," says Gordon Schell, director of operations for FoodShare. "So, we know that we need to be relocating somewhere else at some point."
They are working to find a permanent space and are reaching out to community partners and businesses for help.
The FoodShare boxes come in small and large sizes, 12-15 lbs for the small box and 18-22 lbs in the large box. The small box is $15 or $5 if purchased through SNAP benefits. The large box is $20 and $10 if purchased through SNAP.
"With the grocery stores in so many parts of town closing, we're continuing to make it more and more difficult for individuals who may be lacking transportation, who may be lower income, to be able to access food they need to feed their families," says Schell.
Along with FoodShare there are other programs around Columbia that help people find low cost produce. The Richland Library holds a farmer's market at their main branch on Assembly St. on Wednesdays from 10 to 1 pm and at their N. Main branch on Tuesdays from 3-6 pm.
Harvest Hope also provides their food pantry at their Shop Rd. location. They also hold mobile food pantries in rural communities.
The City Foods Cooperative Marketplace on N. Main St. also has produce available.