Hilton Head Island’s Second Helpings Tops 60 Million Pounds

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Second Helpings, the Hilton Head Island hunger-relief nonprofit that has worked the Lowcountry since 1992, has now moved 60 million pounds of food to people who need it in Beaufort, Jasper and Hampton counties, the nonprofit announced Nov. 1.

The group picks up surplus food that would otherwise head to a landfill and passes it along at no charge to pantries and soup kitchens. Its own figures show 3.7 million pounds collected and handed out in 2025 alone, and it says each $1 donated covers five pounds of food.

The need has not shrunk. Feeding America data cited by the nonprofit counts 37,210 people facing food insecurity across the three counties, roughly one neighbor in eight, many of them hospitality workers whose pay does not cover their bills.

More than 500 volunteers now keep the trucks running to more than 50 partner agencies. Through the fall the group plans to mark the milestone with community stories, Rescue Ride Alongs and the debut of Truck #17, the newest vehicle in its fleet.

The top grocery donor this year, Publix Hardeeville, supplied about 120,000 meals worth of food in a 12-month stretch. Residents who want to help can reach Second Helpings at 843-689-3689.