New food pantry aims to help Dillon County residents

Volunteers sort through donated food Monday morning.

By: SCNow Staff | SCNow
Published: November 24, 2008

DILLON — It’s called Helping Hands — and that’s exactly what officials hope the new food pantry, located on West Calhoun Street in Dillon, offers local residents.

“Right now, you got Mohawk (Industries) just closed. Dillon Yarn closed,” Teresa Mason, the pantry’s director, said. “We’re losing a lot of jobs and it’s right here at the holidays and people do need help.”

The food pantry, which opened Wednesday, only offers its services to qualified Dillon County residents, who must present wage information to help determine eligibility. Helping Hands will direct residents of other counties to food pantries in their area.

Helping Hands is sponsored by The Johnson Foundation Inc., which was started by Mason’s father, Robert Johnson.

“We helped over 130 families last week on Wednesday and Thursday, and today we’ll help about 36,” Mason said Monday.

Helping Hands offers its clients everything from canned goods to frozen meats. Before the pantry opened, many people were forced to drive to Florence to receive such assistance, Mason said.

“Now it’s right here,” she said. “They don’t have to waste or use the gas, and that’s money that they can save to use on bills and things they need.”

Mason said the pantry buys most of its food from Harvest Hope Food Bank, but it also greatly depends on community donations from schools, churches, businesses and individuals. The food that is donated to Harvest Hope Food Bank is distributed to more than 400 member agencies throughout 20 South Carolina counties, including Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon, Marion, Marlboro and Florence.

About 13 percent of South Carolina residents suffered “food insecurity” between 2005 and 2007, according to a recent federal study that put South Carolina in the nation’s top six states where people aren’t getting enough to eat, The Associated Press reported. Across the state, the demand for food bank supplies has increased while fewer people are finding cans to donate from their own pantries.

Helping Hands is observing special holiday hours this week and will re-open Monday. The pantry’s normally opens at 9 a.m. Mondays and Wednesdays and 2 p.m. on Thursdays.

For more information, call Mason at (843) 841-2266.