Our program is able to expand and thrive with the support of some pretty amazing individuals and we will be posting a series of donor highlights. We hope you enjoy these learning more about those who are supporting us. For these profiles, we asked our donors one simple question: Why were you inspired to give to FoodShare?

“I guess I would say I was inspired by my own life experiences. There has been several times in my life when I didn’t know where my next meal was coming from. I clearly remember one of those times being after I was discharged from the military, and desperately trying to plan my future. Fortunately, at the time my six year old son qualified for free meals at his school, which helped a lot, but wasn’t enough. Eventually, I had to apply for state assistance. I remember how grateful we were to have food in the refrigerator and regular meals. Thirty years later, I’ve been blessed beyond more than I could have imagined. That being said, I always look for ways to give back to the community.”

A native of Tennessee, Lurlene Scott joined the Army in 1976. Fifteen years later, she was discharged from service at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, as a disabled Gulf war veteran. Her military background and interest in the veteran community led to employment with the Department of Veteran Affairs, retiring in 2020 after 40 years of service. In 2018, Scott was selected as an inaugural member of the Dean’s Executive Advisory Council for the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia.

If you are interested in supporting the work of FoodShare, please visit https://foodsharesc.org/donate/