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.

Camden Police Department, Small Agency of the Year

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:

  • Walmart

Packing Event Sponsor:

  • Americans for Prosperity- South Carolina

Packing Event Partners:

  • Lake Murray Event Rentals

  • Moore, Bradley, Myers

  • Sherry Maw DJ

  • Sound & Images

  • Frito Lay

  • Coca-Cola

  • Pepsi

  • Trio Solutions

  • Lynn Luc

Kassy Alia