7th Annual Bountiful Harvest provides community with Thanksgiving essentials

LEXINGTON, SC (WOLO) — Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and for many, a little help can go a long way in preparing the day’s big meal.

Hosted by the Lexington Police Department and Serve and Connect, the 7th Annual Bountiful Harvest free community event ensures everyone who comes leaves with a holiday box filled with food.

Local law enforcement officers and volunteers with Greg’s Groceries of Serve and Connect packed 200 boxes for distribution Tuesday morning.

Sergeant Cameron Mortenson with the Lexington PD says some community members may not even realize the number of folks who are in need of a little help this time of year.

“This has always been an event that’s been open to anyone. We have folks that drive as far away as Orangeburg, Saluda, and other areas. Year-to-year we know that around 20 different zip codes are part of this event. So that need is in Lexington, but it’s through the entire Midlands that folks come here for their Thanksgiving groceries,” says Mortenson.

Community members are also encouraged to interact with multiple vendors — offering employment opportunities and services in areas like mental health, parental guidance, and Veterans Affairs.

Mortenson says there are over three-dozen community resources available at the event helping in other areas as well, like drug counseling and higher education.

James Abney Jr. attended the event and says Bountiful Harvest helps those families that feel like they’re in a bind.

“I’d love to see more cities have this going on because it brings people together and that’s what God wants us to do. Bring everybody together. Love one another. Respect one another. Care for one another. Trust one another, and also it brings a bond between the police officer and the community together,” says Abney Jr.

Officers like Corporal Tyler Tidwell with the South Carolina Department of Public Safety, who says all to often we take things for granted.

“Just being here and seeing how individuals are reacting, you know it just means so much and it makes you cherish the little things that you have,” says Tidwell.

Along with their box of groceries, folks were given a frozen chicken by volunteers from State Farm, as well as fresh collard greens by the Lexington Community Garden.