• Lowcountry Food Bank leadership is keeping a close eye on matters related to a government shutdown.
• As needed, Lowcountry Food Bank will be in touch with organizations in our service area whose employees may not receive their paychecks regarding potential food assistance needs of impacted families.
• Federal employees, active-duty military personnel, and people who work for a federal contractor ARE permitted to receive charitable assistance from nonprofits and other organizations that aid community members. While federal employees and active-duty military personnel will eventually receive back pay after a shutdown ends, people who work for a federal contractor will not.
• During past shutdowns, food banks and food pantries opened their doors to help federal employees and other impacted neighbors. This included providing emergency food distributions at food banks and mobile distributions in communities we serve.
• Lowcountry Food Bank will evaluate the need and will alert the community of additional food assistance that may become available if needed.
• Many hardworking neighbors in coastal South Carolina are just one paycheck away from needing support and food assistance.
• A prolonged shutdown means that many federal employees, active-duty military members and people who work for a federal contractor will not receive their expected paychecks, which could jeopardize their ability to afford the food they need to thrive and cover other household expenses.
• During a prolonged shutdown, food banks and meal programs would likely face increased demand on top of the sustained high need since the pandemic and the added strain of recent cuts to SNAP and Medicaid.
• In the 10 counties we serve, there are approximately:
• More than 37,000 active-duty service members
• Almost 18,000 people serving in the National Guard Reserve
• 11,000 Department of Defense civilian workers
• A total of 66,000+ workers and their families who could potentially miss paychecks because of this government shutdown.
• Lowcountry Food Bank is ready to be of assistance to impacted families and individuals as needed.
• During a prolonged shutdown, Lowcountry Food Bank will likely face increased demand on top of the sustained high need. This comes at a time when tens of millions in funding to food banks in the Carolinas have already been cut.
• As need continues to rise, Lowcountry Food Bank will continue to show up for our community. Meeting this challenge requires all of us. Now more than ever, we need to stand united—lawmakers, businesses, faith communities and individuals—to ensure that no one in in the 10 coastal counties we serve goes without the food they need.
• Individuals who need food assistance can call 211 to find groceries and meals near them. Dial 2-1-1, or visit SC211.org
How individuals can help:
Donate to Lowcountry Food Bank. For every dollar donated, Lowcountry Food Bank can help provide three meals. Give as you can to support our ongoing, critical work to increased requests for food assistance throughout our coastal South Carolina communities.
Start a fund or food drive. Go to our website at this link to start a virtual, monetary food drive: https://lowcountryfoodbank.org/get-involved/host-a-fund-drive/ and visit this link to start a food drive and see which foods are needed most: https://lowcountryfoodbank.org/get-involved/food-drive/
Volunteers are always needed and crucial to our ability to fulfill our mission. Visit our volunteer web page at this link https://lowcountryfoodbank.org/get-involved/volunteer/ to sign up for a shift to pack boxes, work in our production kitchen or to work in additional Lowcountry Food Bank departments. Volunteers contributed more than 40,000 hours of time last year to ensure every neighbor who needs it has access to healthy food.
Brenda Shaw, Chief Development Officer
Lowcountry Food Bank
843-747-8146
http://www.LowcountryFoodBank.org
Mail@LowcountryFoodBank.org
2864 Azalea Dr, Charleston, SC 29405
WHHI Daily News Anchor: Ally McNair
October 2025
WHHI Television: Your Hyperlocal South Carolina Television Station Serving the Lowcountry!
Hilton Head Island, SC | Bluffton, SC | Beaufort, SC
Beaufort County, SC | Jasper County, SC | Hampton County, SC
WHHI-TV. Local News. Local Sports. Local Television.
Spectrum Channel 3 & 1230 | Sparklight Channel 8 & 418 | Over the Air 30.1
Watch LIVE at WHHITV.com or by downloading our app on Roku, Fire TV, or Apple TV!
843-785-4545
http://www.WHHITV.com
http://www.Facebook.com/WHHITV
http://X.com/WHHITV
WHHITV@Gmail.com
32 Office Park Rd, Hilton Head Island, SC 29928
