Whether you need food, want to give, or want to serve, you probably have questions. Here are honest answers — and if yours isn't here, email us and a real person will reply.
There is no application, no case file, and no judgment. If you need food, you are welcome.
Everyone. We do not require identification, proof of address, proof of income, or documentation of any kind. We do not ask about immigration status, employment, or benefits you may already receive. If you tell us you need food, that is enough for us.
Our programs are open to residents of Chester, York, and Lancaster counties in South Carolina, and we will never turn away a hungry person who shows up from somewhere else.
Just yourself and, if you have them, reusable bags, a laundry basket, or a box to carry groceries. Family food boxes are heavy — roughly 25 to 30 pounds — so a cart or a second set of hands helps. If you are picking up for a neighbor or a relative who cannot travel, simply let the volunteer at the greeting table know how many households you are collecting for.
Our primary distribution site is 669 Charity Road, Chester, SC 29706.
Schedules occasionally shift for holidays or severe weather. Check our news page or email us before you travel a long distance.
We do our best. Tell a volunteer at the table about allergies or medical dietary restrictions and we will substitute items from our stock where we can — low-sodium canned goods, no-sugar-added fruit, and peanut-free protein options are commonly available.
Because much of our inventory comes from donations and farm rescue, we cannot guarantee an allergen-free environment or a fully specialized box every month. If you have a serious allergy, please read labels carefully before eating anything we provide.
You are welcome at every monthly food box distribution and every weekly hot meal. There is no visit limit and no penalty for coming back. Some neighbors come once during a hard month; others rely on us all year. Both are exactly what we are here for.
Weekend Backpacks are coordinated discreetly through school counselors and social workers at participating Chester County schools. Ask your child's counselor to add them to the list, or email us and we will connect you with the right contact.
Senior Grocery Delivery serves homebound neighbors who cannot get to a distribution. Email admin@charityfoodministry.org or use our contact form with the address and best delivery window, and a volunteer will follow up to add the stop to a route.
You are entitled to know where your money goes and what it accomplishes. Here is the full picture.
Yes. Christian Home Baptist Church d/b/a Charity Food Ministry is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity under EIN 93-4499426. Our exemption has been effective since October 2, 2023, and our determination letter was issued November 29, 2023.
Contributions are deductible to the extent allowed by law. We issue a written acknowledgment for every gift; keep it with your tax records. For gifts of $250 or more, IRS rules require that written acknowledgment to substantiate your deduction. We are not tax advisors — please consult your own for guidance on your situation.
We hold ourselves to a simple breakdown:
Because our volunteers are unpaid and our facility is provided by the church, far more of every dollar reaches a plate than at a typical charity our size. Full detail is on our financial transparency page.
It means one dollar in our hands reliably produces one complete serving — a protein, a grain, and a fruit or vegetable. We get there through bulk purchasing, farm rescue partnerships that recover produce headed for waste, in-kind food donations, and an all-volunteer labor force. A $35 family food box, for example, yields roughly 35 meal equivalents for a household of four across a week.
Yes, and monthly giving is the single most useful thing a donor can do for us. Predictable income lets us commit to bulk food orders, hold a standing produce agreement with local farms, and keep the mobile pantry on the road without guessing at next month's budget.
Choose the Monthly tab on our donate page. A recurring $25 gift provides about 300 meals a year. You can change or cancel your recurring gift at any time by emailing admin@charityfoodministry.org.
Gladly. Our most-needed items are canned protein (tuna, chicken, beans), peanut butter, rice, pasta and sauce, cereal, shelf-stable milk, canned fruit and vegetables, and kid-friendly single-serve snacks for weekend backpacks. We also use paper bags, boxes, and reusable totes.
Please make sure items are unopened, unexpired, and in original packaging. South Carolina food-safety rules prevent us from redistributing home-cooked food. To arrange a drop-off at 669 Charity Road, email us first so a volunteer is there to meet you.
For non-cash gifts, you determine the fair market value; we will acknowledge receipt and describe the items, but IRS rules prevent us from assigning a dollar value on your behalf.
Yes. Mail checks payable to Charity Food Ministry to P.O. Box 26, Chester, SC 29706. For appreciated securities, donor-advised fund grants, IRA qualified charitable distributions, employer matching gifts, or a bequest in your will, email admin@charityfoodministry.org and we will send the transfer details and our legal name and EIN for your paperwork.
Never. We do not sell, rent, trade, or share our donor list with anyone, for any reason, including other nonprofits. Card payments are handled by PCI-compliant third-party processors, so we never store your card number on our systems. You can read the specifics in our Privacy Policy, and you may ask to be removed from our mailing list at any time.
Forty-five volunteers make this ministry possible. There is a place here for your hands, your class, your church, or your company.
Fill out the form on our Get Involved page or email admin@charityfoodministry.org with your name, phone number, and general availability. A coordinator will reach out with upcoming shifts.
There is no long application and no interview. Most new volunteers start by shadowing an experienced team member on a distribution Saturday. Roles include sorting and packing, greeting and registration, kitchen prep and serving, mobile pantry setup, and senior delivery driving. Drivers need a valid license and current insurance.
Volunteers 14 and older may serve on their own with a signed parental permission form. Children as young as 8 are welcome when accompanied by a parent or guardian who stays with them for the whole shift — sorting produce and assembling backpacks are great family jobs. Anyone operating equipment or driving a delivery route must be 18 or older.
We sign off on documented service hours for high school and college students, National Honor Society, scouting, and court-ordered community service.
Start at Host a Food Drive or email us, and we will send a most-needed items list, printable flyers and collection box signs, and a suggested two-to-three week timeline. Schools, churches, offices, gyms, and neighborhood associations all run successful drives for us.
One tip from experience: a themed drive collects far more than a general one. “Peanut Butter and Jelly Week” or “Fill a Backpack” consistently outperforms “bring canned goods.” When your drive wraps up, email us to schedule a drop-off or, for large collections, a pickup.
Yes. Business partners support us through sponsorship of a specific program or distribution, employee volunteer days (we can host groups of up to 20 on a distribution Saturday), matching gift programs, in-kind contributions of food, cold storage, fuel, printing, or vehicle service, and workplace giving campaigns.
We are also always looking for grocers, restaurants, distributors, and farms willing to route surplus food to us rather than to waste. Email admin@charityfoodministry.org to talk with our Principal Officer, Antonio Davidson, about a partnership that fits your organization.
Absolutely, and congregations are among our strongest partners. Groups host drives, adopt a monthly distribution shift, sponsor a mobile pantry stop, staff the Wednesday community supper for an evening, or help us identify neighbors in their area who need delivery. Visit Partner With Us to start the conversation.
Please do — verifying a charity before you give is smart practice. Search our EIN 93-4499426 in the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. You will find us listed as Christian Home Baptist Church d/b/a Charity Food Ministry, a 501(c)(3) public charity in Chester, South Carolina, exempt since October 2, 2023, NTEE code P50.
We file Form 990-N (the electronic notice for small exempt organizations) with the IRS each year, and we publish a plain-language summary of our finances on our transparency page.
Email admin@charityfoodministry.org or use our contact form. Messages are read by our Principal Officer, Antonio Davidson, and answered within two business days.
Mailing address: P.O. Box 26, Chester, SC 29706
Distribution site: 669 Charity Road, Chester, SC 29706
