Samsung donates $35,000 for meals

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Samsung has donated $35,000 to help Harvest Hope Food Bank provide disaster-relief meals for those with special medical needs.

Davis Bourne, board chair at Harvest Hope, said the money will provide close to 15,000 meals, which will be stored in a large refrigerated warehouse in Greenville and in food banks in Augusta and Charleston.

“When disaster is declared, we will quickly send what we have to the locations identified and specified by DHEC,” Bourne said. “We will then coordinate with the two other food banks to provide meals to facilities set up for people with special medical needs.”

The Department of Health and Environmental Control runs an emergency sheltering program for people who may require electricity to run their medical equipment or help them breathe or eat, or whose daily medication may require refrigeration. The Samsung donation will help feed those housed in emergency shelters that address those needs.

“People in need should be a priority to all of us,” said Joon So, president of Samsung Electronics Home Appliances America. “It would be wonderful not to have a hurricane, but we must be prepared.”

Wednesday’s donation marked the continuation of a partnership begun last September, when Samsung provided funds to feed veterans throughout the 20 counties Harvest Hope Food Bank serves.

Samsung officially opened its first U.S.-based home appliance manufacturing plant in Newberry in January.

The 2018 hurricane season begins Friday. The National Hurricane Center has predicated seven hurricanes and 14 named storms this season. Last year, Hurricane Irma caused damage and power outages throughout the state.

“When South Carolina is on the verge of a natural disaster, the last thing we want our people concerned about is whether they will have enough food to feed their families,” Gov. Henry McMaster said.