The Lowcountry Food Bank serves the 10 coastal counties of South Carolina, from its Charleston headquarters, with regional distribution centers in Early Branch in Hampton County and Myrtle Beach in Horry County. It has done so since 1983. Nick Osborne serves as President and CEO, having come from a long career in international humanitarian work at CARE USA. The food bank has held a four-star Charity Navigator rating for 12 consecutive years, a feat only a small fraction of charities achieve.
The Lowcountry Food Bank sources food at scale and distributes it across 10 coastal counties through partner agencies and its own programs, working from its Charleston headquarters plus regional distribution centers in Early Branch and Myrtle Beach. The two satellite centers let it cover a long, spread-out coastline efficiently, from the rural southern counties to the Grand Strand around Myrtle Beach.
Nick Osborne serves as President and CEO, bringing more than 30 years in the nonprofit sector, most of it in international development and humanitarian operations, including 25 years at CARE USA. Under his leadership the food bank has maintained its four-star Charity Navigator rating for 12 consecutive years, a level of sustained performance that Charity Navigator notes only about 1 percent of charities reach.
The 10-county service area runs along the South Carolina coast, from the Lowcountry around Charleston and Beaufort up to the Grand Strand around Myrtle Beach. Coastal communities here face a distinctive mix: tourism-driven seasonal economies, high housing costs in resort areas, and rural poverty in the counties in between, all of it exposed to hurricane season.
Yes. The Lowcountry Food Bank is a registered 501(c)(3) and a Feeding America member, and it has held a four-star Charity Navigator rating, the highest available, for 12 consecutive years. That sustained rating is a strong signal of financial health and accountability.
Donations and volunteer shifts run through lowcountryfoodbank.org. Volunteers sort and pack food at the Charleston and regional centers, and cash gifts go furthest because of the food bank’s purchasing power.
The Lowcountry Food Bank covers the coastal counties around Charleston, while Harvest Hope Food Bank is the state’s largest, covering the Midlands, Upstate, and Pee Dee. For anyone on the South Carolina coast, the Lowcountry Food Bank is the lead organization.
Agencies across 10 coastal counties receive food.
Hubs in Early Branch and Myrtle Beach extend coastal reach.
School and weekend food support for kids at risk of hunger.
Food relief when hurricanes strike the coast.
Sources: Lowcountry Food Bank website (lowcountryfoodbank.org), Charity Navigator and GuideStar (EIN 57-0751835), and ABC News 4 coverage of its 12th consecutive four-star rating. We are not affiliated with Lowcountry Food Bank and receive no compensation for this listing. Spotted an error? [email protected]
More South Carolina and food-bank resources