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City of Rincon holds grocery giveaway
Businesses, volunteers came together quickly to make it happen
Buddy Carter loading car
Rep. Buddy Carter showed up to help the City of Rincon with its grocery giveaway Oct. 3 at Lowe's on Hwy. 21. (Submitted photo.)

By Barbara Augsdorfer, Editor for the Effingham Herald

In the aftermath of Hurricane Heléne, people are still without power, which forced them to throw away frozen and refrigerated food.

While many organizations have stepped up to provide food or cooked meals in to-go boxes for Effingham County residents, one more food distribution may be

Cars lined up for Rincon grocery giveaway
Cars entered at Prosperity Drive and were directed by Rincon PD to the Lowe's parking lot. (Submitted photo.)
just one more blessing.

In a matter of about 24 hours, the City of Rincon was able to work out the logistics and hold a grocery giveaway Oct. 3 in the Lowe’s parking lot on Hwy. 21.

“Kenny Dyer from Pappy’s Pressure Washing called me and said he knew someone at Second Harvest,” Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Exley said.

“I called (County Commissioner) Roger Burdette and he donated his truck from Podium Logistics to pick up the food and deliver it to Lowe’s,” Exley said.

The rest of the pieces came together just as quickly. Lowe’s allowed use of its parking lot; donated several pallets of bottled water; and encouraged employees to volunteer. Rincon Police Department provided traffic direction.

Robert Byrd, Exley and Carter
Rincon's new city manager Robert Byrd, Rep. Buddy Carter, and Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Exley stop for a break during the grocery giveaway Oct. 3. (Submitted photo.)
Rincon employees and elected officials also volunteered.

“I called Rep. Buddy Carter just to let him know what we were doing,” Exley said. “I didn’t expect him to show up. I didn’t even know he was in town.”

In addition to the flats of bottled water, volunteers distributed bags of frozen chicken, chicken patties, canned vegetables, fruit snacks and paper products.

“We served easily 500 to 600 families,” Exley said. And it wasn’t limited to Rincon or Effingham County residents. “We had people come from as far as Athens and Augusta,” Exley said.

The giveaway started at 10:30 a.m. and even after noon, there was still plenty of food and nonperishable items available and the line of cars was steady.

The giveaway was handled drive-thru style – volunteers loaded everything into backs of cars or trunks in a matter of seconds for each car.

Rincon PD directed traffic off Hwy. 21 up Prosperity Drive along the frontage road and into the south end of the Lowe’s parking lot.

Exley said that anything that was leftover would be delivered to Manna House for their distribution.

More photos and videos are on the City of Rincon Facebook page.