People from Bamberg, Allendale, Colleton counties and beyond waited outside of a historically Black university Thursday to collect food they may not have access to otherwise.
Hosted at Voorhees University in Denmark, South Carolina, the food drive brought fresh produce and proteins to rural residents who either cannot access the types of food distributed or cannot afford to add the items into their personal budgets.
The South Carolinians sat in their cars, inched forward and waited for volunteers to drop boxes and bags of food into the vehicles. University students controlled the manual work, while school staff organized the abundance of automobiles.
University Provost Edward Hill said around 275 cars rolled through the campus' Leonard E. Dawson Health and Human Resources Center parking lot.
"In a small town such as Denmark, there's not a lot of resources, not a lot of companies — not even a lot of food choices," he said. "The little things that we think are bothersome, people that really need it are really appreciative."
Thirty-three to 39 of the state's counties have a food desert. A food desert is a "low-income tract where a substantial number or substantial share of residents," cannot easily make to it a supermarket or large grocery store, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
Grapefruit, greens and fresh spinach were some of the items provided Thursday afternoon. Although the variety of produce can typically be found at grocery stores, the access to a grocer can prevent rural residents throughout the state from adding fresh ingredients to their diet on a consistent basis, if at all. And around the state's historically Black colleges and universities, most food options are classified as unhealthy, according to a 2024 study. As of the study's publication, just 2.9% of food stores and restaurants within a 3-mile radius of HBCUs in the Palmetto State were classified as healthy.
Voorhees University does have a Piggly Wiggly grocery store about 2 miles away from its campus.
Some residents who visited the food drive were astounded by the variety and relative ease. Most excited by her greens, 70-year-old Catherine Chisolm said she would use them in recipes leading into Thanksgiving, which is when her four kids would be back to visit her.
"I ain't never seen nothing like this," she said.
Chisolm was accustomed to waiting four hours for food at similar experiences. She said she understood the demand was high, especially in rural areas, but it was nice to not spend an entire afternoon waiting. She was one of the estimated 275 cars to wait in line, and while she left the site alone, some cars left full of both produce and people.
Provost Hill said some vehicles came with representatives from three different families, whether it was because of convenience or the lack of a car.
Jennifer Williams, a former town council member from the town of North in Orangeburg County, said car access can be vital to buying fresh groceries. North is on the route down from Columbia to Denmark.
"Not everyone here has a car, and the older folk can't really travel too far," she said.
It takes her 10 minutes to drive to her nearest major grocery store, which is in the town of Neeses, not North. Walking to the same store takes North residents almost three hours. For those who are constrained to town limits, the options are a Dollar General store or Family Dollar store.
Student volunteers at Voorhees University said it did not matter where somebody drove in from; volunteers were there to help people eat.
Jordan Bonds, a psychology major, said his motivation to volunteer was simple.
"We see people in need, we want to help," he said.
