Second Helpings

Sixty Million Pounds, One Incredible Community

story and photos courtesy of SECOND HELPINGS

Second Helpings celebrates a milestone made possible by more than three decades of neighbors helping neighbors across the Southern Lowcountry.

Imagine 20,000 truckloads of perfectly good food. Now imagine all that food going to waste while families in our own community struggle to put meals on the table.

It’s a staggering thought. But Second Helpings and a community determined to make a difference are helping change that story. Since 1992, Second Helpings has rescued and distributed 60 million pounds of food across Beaufort, Jasper and Hampton counties—the equivalent of approximately 20,000 truckloads.

What began with a simple belief that good food should feed people, not go to waste, has grown into an extraordinary effort powered by volunteers, businesses, donors and nonprofit partners throughout the Southern Lowcountry. And while 60 million pounds is worth celebrating, the need continues to grow.

Today, more than 37,000 people across the three counties experience food insecurity, up from approximately 31,000 just a year ago. Behind those numbers are working families stretching their grocery budgets, seniors on fixed incomes and neighbors making difficult choices between food and other necessities.

Food is the single largest category of material sent to U.S. landfills, a surprising reality considering how many families struggle to afford groceries. Second Helpings is working to close that gap, connecting surplus food with the people who need it.

Six days a week, throughout the year, more than 500 Second Helpings volunteers help rescue surplus food from grocery stores, retailers and other donors. Using a fleet of 10 refrigerated trucks, they deliver that food free of charge to more than 50 nonprofit partners serving people in need.

And the impact can happen in a single day. Food rescued from a grocery store in the morning can be delivered to a local pantry, selected by a neighbor that afternoon and served on their dinner table that very evening. Together, Second Helpings’ nonprofit partners serve more than 14,000 neighbors each week.

Through its Healthy Food Initiative, Second Helpings also purchases fresh produce and proteins, helping ensure that neighbors have access to nutritious food, not simply enough food.

Keeping this effort going takes an extraordinary amount of coordination, dedication and generosity. Second Helpings’ refrigerated fleet travels more than 90,000 miles annually, connecting food donors with nonprofit partners across three counties. In September 2026, the organization welcomed its newest refrigerated vehicle, Truck #17, an important investment in its ability to continue serving the growing needs of the Southern Lowcountry.

Each truck represents countless opportunities to rescue good food and help fill pantry shelves. With reliable transportation and a dedicated team of volunteers, Second Helpings can continue reaching communities where access to nutritious food makes a meaningful difference.

As impressive as 60 million pounds sounds, the real story is the people who made it possible.

It’s the volunteer who arrives early for a morning route. The grocery store employee who sets aside good food instead of throwing it away. The donor who helps purchase fresh produce. And the nonprofit partner who makes sure that food reaches a neighbor in need.

These everyday acts of generosity, repeated thousands of times over more than three decades, have made an extraordinary difference. Sixty million pounds is more than a milestone. It’s a testament to what happens when a community comes together to care for its neighbors.

And tomorrow, the trucks will head out again. Because there are still families who need help, good food worth saving and neighbors ready to make a difference.

The next 60 million pounds starts with all of us.

Rescuing Food. Fighting Hunger. Delivering Hope.

To learn how you can volunteer, donate or become a food partner, visit www.secondhelpingslc.org.