Charitably active in his free time, Ricky Mantei volunteers with Harvest Hope Food Bank.

An organization committed to helping individuals facing hunger, Harvest Hope Food Bank traces its history to 1981, when members of the business and faith communities in Columbia, South Carolina, came together to provide for local people in need. Harvest Hope has grown in the years since and today, through several programs and numerous locations, distributes food across 20 counties in the state.

Harvest Food carries out its important work under the oversight of a board of directors and the guidance of a staff currently headed by interim CEO Keith Ferrell. With the help of its leadership team, the organization maintains partnerships with 439 nonprofit agencies.

Harvest Hope leverages these partnerships to carry out distribution efforts across its 20-county service area. In 2018, these efforts resulted in the organization providing 22.9 million meals to 708,369 South Carolina households.