Beyond the Box: Fall Packing Day Wrap-Up

On October 6th, 2022, law enforcement officers from nearly fifty agencies across South Carolina gathered with community partners and volunteers at our Greg’s Groceries “Beyond the Box” Statewide Packing Day. Together, we packed 2,000 boxes of nonperishable food to be distributed in the community.

Nearly 50 agencies statewide packed alongside community volunteers. 2,000 boxes of nonperishable food were packed in an hour.

We were so excited to welcome South Carolina Department of Public Safety as a statewide partner!

This packing day’s theme, “Beyond the Box,” showcased the impact of Greg’s Groceries. A box of Greg’s Groceries is so much more than a box of food. It’s an opportunity for officers and community members to connect with another. As part of going “Beyond the Box,” we hosted a resource fair for the first time at a statewide packing event providing information regarding mental health, COVID-19, domestic violence, housing, human trafficking, youth services, substance abuse, suicide prevention and more.

Walmart generously supplied us with food valued at $30,000 and gave a $30,000 monetary contribution for a total of $60,000. We are grateful for their support and generosity.

Walmart volunteers packed alongside police departments from across the state.

“We are thrilled to partner with Serve & Connect on this incredibly vital mission,” shared Brian Little, Walmart’s director of global communications. “Access to food is essential for growth, but there are many other pieces in the puzzle of success. We hope to help spread education and access to these important tools within our community.”

Since last fall, Greg’s Groceries has grown significantly, with 70% of South Carolina counties having a participating department. The growth of this program has been made possible by our sponsors and partners, with a special thank you to our Beyond the Box Sponsors Walmart, Americans for Prosperity, and Lake Murray Event Rentals. We also want to thank AT&T, FirstNet, and the South Carolina Bar Foundation for serving as Founding Partners for Greg’s Groceries. Thanks to their incredible support, we are presently working with 62 active Greg’s Groceries partners.

Demonstrating their commitment to community relations, representatives from nearly fifty agencies including the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the South Carolina Department of Public Safety, gathered at the Walmart on Forest Drive in Columbia, SC to assemble and pack 2,000 boxes of nonperishable food for their communities. Each box can feed a family of four for one week.

“SLED is proud to partner with Serve & Connect,” said SLED Chief Mark Keel. “SLED’s Community Relations Agents utilize the Greg’s Groceries boxes to help support struggling families in our communities. Working together is how we create a safer state, no matter if you come from a big city or a small town. Food box packing days bring us together and show that we all have the same mission – to help people.”

Departments and officers were recognized for their outstanding work with the Greg’s Groceries program in their communities over the last year.

DEPARTMENT IMPACT AWARDS

We were honored to recognize police departments and individual officers for their impact this past year. We had so many amazing departments doing incredible work, building trust and supporting residents in need, and we wanted to recognize them all! Thankfully, our Serve & Connect Ambassadors helped us to review feedback from the Greg’s Groceries tracking forms to identify agencies that shined over the past year in terms of the number of boxes delivered; the diversity of ways boxes were delivered; the number of officers within an agency involved in the program; and stories of impact showcasing how the boxes are used to impact lives. Guided by this scoring rubric, we presented awards to the following departments and individual officers. We were so thankful to have Andrea Mock, Anchor for WLTX News, as our emcee for this special event.

Small Agency of the Year

Camden Police Department

Medium Agency of the Year

Orangeburg Department of Public Safety

Large Agency of the Year

Columbia Police Department

Individual Impact Awards

Chief Jim Stewart, Anderson Police Department
Special Agent Tempestt Hough, SLED
Officer Fernanda Tilley, Charleston Police Department

We also presented a special Champion Award to Ryan Alphin, Founding Board Member for Serve & Connect and Executive Affairs Director for SLED. Ryan has been instrumental in launching Greg’s Groceries since we began in 2017. His dedication and commitment have helped the program grow statewide.

We were proud to recognize Ryan Alphin for his dedication and service to Greg’s Groceries.

Orangeburg Department of Public Safety, Medium Agency of the Year

Thank you to all of the partner agencies who joined us for our Beyond the Box Fall 2022 Statewide Packing Event. Below is our list of active Greg’s Groceries partners.

Statewide Agencies/Associations

South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division
SC Department of Public Safety
SC Criminal Justice Academy
SC Law Enforcement Officers Association
SC Police Chiefs Association

Midlands Agencies

Aiken Department of Public Safety
Camden Police Department
Cayce Police Department
Chapin Police Department
Chester County Sheriff's Office
Columbia Police Department
Elgin Police Department
Fairfield County Sheriff's Office
Forest Acres Police Department
Irmo Police Department
Kershaw County Sheriff's Office
Lexington County Sheriff's Department
Lexington Police Department
North Augusta Public Safety
Richland County Sheriff's Department
Saluda County Sheriff's Office
West Columbia Police Department
Winnsboro Department of Public Safety

Piedmont Agencies

Anderson Police Department
City of Union Police Department
Clemson Police Department
Easley Police Department
Gaffney Police Department
Greenville County Sheriff's Department
Greenville Police Department
Greenwood Police Department
Honea Path Police Department
Laurens Police Department
Newberry Police Department
Rock Hill Police Department
Spartanburg Police Department
Union County Sheriff's Office
York County Sheriff's Office

Pee Dee Agencies

Florence County Sheriff's Office
Florence Police Department
Georgetown Police Department
Horry County Police Department
Manning Police Department
Mullins Police Department
Myrtle Beach Police Department
Nichols Police Department
Timmonsville Police Department

Lowcountry Agencies

Beaufort County Sheriff's Office
Beaufort Police Department
Blackville Police Department
Charleston County Sheriff's Office
Charleston Police Department
Goose Greek Police Department
Monks Corner Police Department
Mount Pleasant Police Department
North Charleston Police Department
Orangeburg Department Public Safety

At the end of the event, officers took boxes of Greg’s Groceries back to their communities to deliver to families and individuals in need.

Greg’s Groceries is the only statewide initiative of its kind in the United States. Founded in 2017 to honor fallen police officer Greg Alia, the program has held more than 14 packing events providing thousands of meals to families and individuals in need across South Carolina.

We sincerely appreciate the media sharing news about this important work. The media plays a critical role in our work to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

Links to coverage of our Beyond the Box Packing Day are below:

ABC Columbia- 14th Annual Greg's Groceries packing day aims to feed hundreds of S.C. families - ABC Columbia

WLTX News 19 - Andrea Mock and Darci Strickland Discuss Greg’s Groceries

WACH FOX 57- Serve & Connect kicks off 14th annual Greg's Groceries packing event

Post and Courier - Running with the 'pack': Goose Creek PD chips in on 'Packing Day' | Community News

Thank you to the following partners who made this event possible:

Presenting Sponsor: