On October 6th, 2022, law enforcement officers from nearly fifty agencies across South Carolina gathered with community partners and volunteers at our Greg’s Groceries “Beyond the Box” Statewide Packing Day. Together, we packed 2,000 boxes of nonperishable food to be distributed in the community.
This packing day’s theme, “Beyond the Box,” showcased the impact of Greg’s Groceries. A box of Greg’s Groceries is so much more than a box of food. It’s an opportunity for officers and community members to connect with another. As part
of going “Beyond the Box,” we hosted a resource fair for the first time at a statewide packing event providing information regarding mental health, COVID-19, domestic violence, housing, human trafficking, youth services, substance
abuse, suicide prevention and more. Walmart generously supplied us with food valued at $30,000 and gave a $30,000 monetary contribution for a total of $60,000. We are grateful for their support and generosity. “We are thrilled to
partner with Serve & Connect on this incredibly vital mission,” shared Brian Little, Walmart’s director of global communications. “Access to food is essential for growth, but there are many other pieces in the puzzle of success. We
hope to help spread education and access to these important tools within our community.”
Since last fall, Greg’s Groceries has grown significantly, with 70% of South Carolina counties having a participating department. The growth of this program has been made possible by our sponsors and partners, with a special thank you
to our Beyond the Box Sponsors Walmart, Americans for Prosperity, and Lake Murray Event Rentals. We also want to thank AT&T, FirstNet, and the South Carolina Bar Foundation for serving as Founding Partners for Greg’s Groceries.
Thanks to their incredible support, we are presently working with 62 active Greg’s Groceries partners. Demonstrating their commitment to community relations, representatives from nearly fifty agencies including the South Carolina Law
Enforcement Division and the South Carolina Department of Public Safety, gathered at the Walmart on Forest Drive in Columbia, SC to assemble and pack 2,000 boxes of nonperishable food for their communities. Each box can feed a family of
four for one week. “SLED is proud to partner with Serve & Connect,” said SLED Chief Mark Keel. “SLED’s Community Relations Agents utilize the Greg’s Groceries boxes to help support struggling families in our communities. Working
together is how we create a safer state, no matter if you come from a big city or a small town. Food box packing days bring us together and show that we all have the same mission – to help people.” Departments and officers were
recognized for their outstanding work with the Greg’s Groceries program in their communities over the last year.
DEPARTMENT IMPACT AWARDS
We were honored to recognize police departments and individual officers for their impact this past year. We had so many amazing departments doing incredible work, building trust and supporting residents in need, and we wanted to
recognize them all! Thankfully, our Serve & Connect Ambassadors helped us to review feedback from the Greg’s Groceries tracking forms to identify agencies that shined over the past year in terms of the number of boxes delivered; the
diversity of ways boxes were delivered; the number of officers within an agency involved in the program; and stories of impact showcasing how the boxes are used to impact lives. Guided by this scoring rubric, we presented awards to the
following departments and individual officers. We were so thankful to have Andrea Mock, Anchor for WLTX News, as our emcee for this special event.
Small Agency of the Year
- Camden Police Department
Medium Agency of the Year
- Orangeburg Department of Public Safety
Large Agency of the Year
- Columbia Police Department
Individual Impact Awards
- Chief Jim Stewart, Anderson Police Department
- Special Agent Tempestt Hough, SLED
- Officer Fernanda Tilley, Charleston Police Department
We also presented a special Champion Award to Ryan Alphin, Founding Board Member for Serve & Connect and Executive Affairs Director for SLED. Ryan has been instrumental in launching Greg’s Groceries since we began in 2017. His
dedication and commitment have helped the program grow statewide.
