South State Partners with Grocery Store on Wheels to Spread Kindness

South State formed a partnership with Lowcountry Street Grocery to support the mobile farmers market’s mission to provide access to healthy, local produce and nutritional education.

In the spirit of Random Acts of Kindness Day, South State offered clients of Lowcountry Street Grocery’s GroceryRx program $10 vouchers toward their next grocery purchase, as well as reusable grocery totes. Team members from Charleston, S.C., formed many connections with local residents as they handed out the grocery totes and vouchers at the market.

“I love that South State is passionate about serving our communities where we live and work. I’m not just one of our customers’ bankers, I am also their neighbor,” says Sonia Hanson, manager of Charleston’s Magwood Drive branch.

Founded in 2015, Lowcountry Street Grocery provides people with affordable access to healthy options. People shop for fresh produce and other healthy choices onboard “Nell,” a bus outfitted as a grocery store on wheels.

“When we started Lowcountry Street Grocery, we had two things in mind. We wanted to create a system for local farms that was a direct-to consumer-outlet, and we also desired to connect those who have little-to-no access to local foods to this model via the mobile farmers market and grocery delivery services,” founder Lindsey Barrow explains.

GroceryRx is a partnership between Lowcountry Street Grocery and local healthcare professionals to provide nutrition education classes followed by a trip to the market for a healthy dose of preventative care.

Olivia Myers, Lowcountry Street Grocery’s nutrition and community outreach manager, says, “When physicians are writing real prescriptions for people to come attend our GroceryRx program, it’s the most direct way to connect that food is medicine. This really is the direction the healthcare industry is going. The results of GroceryRx speak for themselves. Participants are averaging a 15% decrease in blood pressure and 7.5-lb weight loss in just six weeks.

Because South State cares about our neighbors, it’s important to us that citizens have access to fresh, local foods that are essential to a healthy diet. That’s why we believe in and support the mission of Lowcountry Street Grocery.