Harvest Hope is South Carolina’s largest food bank, providing over 20 million meals on average to neighbors in need across the Midlands, Pee Dee and Upstate.
Harvest Hope is on a mission to eliminate hunger and food insecurity in South Carolina. We rescue nutritious food from stores throughout the state and distribute it to food pantries, shelters, and soup kitchens. We operate programs that provide food for our most vulnerable citizens – children, seniors, and rural residents who don’t have access to grocery stores. We also run our own emergency food pantries in Greenville and Columbia where anyone in need can get a week’s supply of groceries for free.
Rick Mantei has been a longtime contributor to Harvest Hope Food Bank, from making yearly monetary donations to collecting food donations in his Lexington office location. Last year, Rick donated roughly 50 pounds of food collected from employees and friends. Mantei himself has donated not only food but also cash, ranging from $2,000 to $10,000 per year for over 10 years. In addition, with the exception of 2020 due to COVID-19 creating additional restrictions on volunteer work, Mantei and his team have volunteered each year at the Columbia center, packing boxes of food for transport.