South Carolina law enforcement rallies to pack groceries for the hungry
On Thursday morning, dozens of law enforcement and community volunteers assembled at the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division’s headquarters to pack grocery boxes for families in need.
At tables set up between SLED’s helicopters, volunteers formed assembly lines to fill the boxes with shelf-stable staples including grits, granola bars, and ramen.
The event, part of the Greg’s Groceries initiative, was a collaboration between SLED and Serve & Connect, a Midlands nonprofit that aims to develop partnerships between law enforcement and the police. The organizers hope the boxes can be an essential tool for law enforcement to build bridges by providing for the communities that they serve.
“It’s about supporting effective community outreach,” said Kassy Alia, founder and CEO of Serve & Connect. “It’s about partnerships that address root causes of crime, not just about handing out stickers and ice cream.”
Alia founded Serve & Connect after her husband, Forest Acres Police Officer Greg Alia, was killed while on duty in 2015. Greg’s Groceries was named for him.
Alia hopes that the program will give individual officers the capacity and confidence to engage with their communities beyond arrests or investigations.
“Officers don’t want to ask the hard question, ‘are you ok?’ if they can’t meet that need,” said Alia.
In April alone, Alia estimates that the organization assembled 2,000 grocery boxes (each designed to feed a family of four) which were then distributed to around 40 agencies. Many of the boxes at Thursday’s event were taken by the Florence and Mullins police departments to be distributed in their communities.
While community engagement has been a part of SLED’s law enforcement strategy for decades, many smaller, rural departments across the state often lack the resources to invest heavily in these programs. SLED Chief Mark Keel said the situation has been compounded by ongoing staffing shortages.
“We try to fill the gaps,” said Keel. “The agency, from its inception, is an assistance agency. We’re here to help on every level.”
Hunger continues to be a problem in South Carolina. Feeding America estimates that one in ten South Carolina residents is facing hunger, including one in seven children. One study of nutrition programs in North Carolina found that access to sufficient nutrition in children reduced the likelihood of criminal convictions later in life.
Reflecting on the program’s impact, the Rev. T. A. Belton, of the Zion Pilgrim Baptist Church in Winnsboro, who volunteered at the event, expressed his gratitude that law enforcement was trying to build better relationships with the community.
“Food insecurity is everywhere,” said Belton. “You can’t arrest everybody, but you can be fair to everybody.”