Golden Harvest Food Bank receives refrigerated truck, funding to help hungry in SC and GA

Casey Williams, Aiken Standard, S.C.
·1 min read

Sep. 27—Thanks to a national restaurant company, Golden Harvest Food Bank will receive a refrigerated truck.

Thanks to the Darden Restaurants Inc. Foundation, and support from partners Penske Truck Leasing and Lineage Logistics, the Golden Harvest Food Bank in Augusta will receive a 26-foot refrigerated vehicle that can transport 12,000 pounds of food, and $52,000 to use for food and other needs, according to a press release.

"Families face hunger in every community across the country," said Stephanie Ghertner, executive director of the Darden Restaurants Foundation — the charitable arm of Darden Restaurants which operates a variety of eateries including Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse. "Your neighbor, child's classmate or even co-worker may be struggling to get enough to eat. Darden and the Darden Restaurants Foundation are proud to partner with Feeding America member food banks to address the significant issue of hunger in a tangible and meaningful way."

Residents can get a look at the new truck during a reveal at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28, at a the Golden Harvest Food Bank in Augusta, 3310 Commerce Drive.

The new truck will help with mobile food distributions across the food bank's 25-county service area in Georgia and South Carolina, including its 300 partner agencies.

"One in eight in our service area are food insecure and we are seeing more of our neighbors reach out for food assistance as a result of inflation," said Amy Breitmann, president and CEO of Golden Harvest Food Bank. "We are proud to partner with the Darden Restaurants Foundation, the Lineage Foundation for Good and Penske. During this time of heightened need, the addition to our food bank's fleet of vehicles is welcomed and appreciated."