Free food event draws hundreds to Aiken's Clyburn Center for Primary Care
Aug. 10—Finding a quick route to the Clyburn Center for Primary Care was a challenge for some drivers Aug. 9, as the medical facility played host to a food giveaway that sparked a three-hour traffic jam and resulted in free groceries for over a hundred families.
Distributed were tons of watermelons, milk, pulled pork, apricots, plums, cantaloupes and chicken patties, with most of the food coming from Golden Harvest Food Bank, by way of Unity Outreach Church in Warrenville.
The congregation, with the Rev. Eder Herrera as pastor, provided much of the volunteer muscle and is accustomed to the task, as Unity offers free food at a drive-through event ("mobile distribution") every Tuesday and Friday from 1 to 4 p.m., at 188 School St. in Warrenville.
"We had 263 families show up yesterday, and there were 832 people in those families," said volunteer Hannah Naff. The data included 202 people over the age of 60 and 280 under the age of 18, she added.
Herrera recalled the example of Aug. 8, when his church "touched 422 people," in terms of food distribution, and hopes are for Aiken County to take advantage of the service, he said. Participation is open to all.
"Some local farmers donate to us," he said, noting that Dollar General, Walmart, Food Lion and Kroger are also on board, along with the South Carolina Department of Agriculture.
The first Wednesday of each month includes a giveaway at an alternate site, as was the case Aug. 9, with the medical facility near Aiken High School. Giveaways are also sometimes held at the Langley Fire Department, on Augusta Road.
Distribution at a remote site normally involves "around 150 families," Naff said.
