Organization collects tourist food donations for the needy
OCEAN ISLE BEACH, NC (WWAY) — As people stay in Ocean Isle Beach this holiday week, they may buy more food than they need for their family and friends. As they pack up and leave the island, they can donate it with the help of Second Helping OIB.
The group takes in about a thousand pounds of food per week and they’re expecting more this Saturday with the increased holiday crowds.
“I think everyone has the general consensus that I do, that nobody should go hungry,” Second Helping OIB founder Rebecca Powell said. “We’re all blessed and we live in a great place and why would you want to drive back to Ohio or New Jersey with chicken in your cooler. Paying it forward concept is what we were looking for.”
After the Saturday morning food drives, volunteers with Brunswick Family Assistance in Shallotte drop by to pick up the food so it can be given to those in need.
“We went to where there was a need. We made some phone calls. We knew we could get the food. Our concern was how are we going to facilitate this? How are we gonna get it out to where it needs to go, the public?” Powell said.
Brunswick Family Assistance executive director Stephanie Bowen says the donations are a huge help, especially during the summer.
“Kids are out of school, that’s increased cost on the parents so they carry that burden in the summer. Having extra food is so helpful for us and our clients are definitely grateful for it,” Bowen said.
They take in both perishable and non-perishable food. If you want to donate this Saturday, you can drop it off at the Museum of Coastal Carolina or the Ocean Isle Beach Pier parking lots from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
