Myrtle Beach church food drive provides over 400 families with Thanksgiving meals

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) - Myrtle Beach’s Sandy Grove Missionary Baptist Church provided over 400 families with Thanksgiving meals during their annual food drive.

Volunteers passed out turkeys, eggs, sweet potatoes, and more to quadruple their original goal of assisting 100 families in need.

“When we get together and we do stuff like this, it really means a lot, so that we can be united for one cause,” Deacon Kenneth Brown said.

Brown has served at the church for more than 30 years and said hunger is one of the biggest issues his community faces.

“Needs have changed from housing to food, but recently, I think, food is probably one of our most important things at this particular time,” Brown said.

The church partnered with North Charleston’s “Community Resource Center.” It was their second time assisting Sandy Grove with a food drive.

The organization’s executive director Louis Smith said the retail value of what each family received was around $200.

While based in the Lowcountry, Smith said they looked to expand to Myrtle Beach and the Booker T. Washington neighborhood because of poverty rates.

“There’s a lot of people in this area that need this,” Smith said. “That’s the reason we’re here - to bridge that gap.”

The church’s youngest volunteer, 12-year-old Melvin Alford, said he helps out to be a part of something bigger than himself.

“It’s important to help people in need,” Melvin said. “You can come and volunteer, help out.”

After car distribution concluded the church made house calls to community members who could not attend due to health or other circumstances.

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