Trident United Way has received a $4,000 grant from the Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation’s Nourishing our Neighbor grant program to support the ALICE® Box, an initiative that helps ALICE households access fresh produce at an affordable price. ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed, and describes households that earn above the federal poverty level but still fall short of what it takes to afford everyday essentials.
Across Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties, nearly 130,000 households live below the ALICE Threshold, including households in poverty and ALICE households working to keep up with the rising cost of housing, food, transportation and child care.
Every other week, FoodShare Tri-County offers Fresh Food Boxes filled with fruits and vegetables, along with recipes, cooking tips and nutrition information. Trident United Way supports the program in partnership with Four Rivers Outreach Community Development Corporation and Grace Impact Development Center.
Each box costs $20, but households using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits can purchase one for $5. With support from the Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation, the ALICE Box helps fill that gap by extending that same $5 price to working families who fall outside SNAP and many other food assistance programs.
In 2025, FoodShare Tri-County distributed 4,323 Fresh Food Boxes, providing 69,261 pounds of fresh food to families across the Tri-County region.
“No family should have to choose between fresh food, rent, child care or the transportation they need to get to work,” said DJ Hampton, President and CEO of Trident United Way. “This grant helps working families access fresh food at a price that gives them a little more breathing room. We are grateful to the Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation for standing with us as we work to uplift 15,000 families out of poverty by 2035.”
The Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation is committed to supporting families facing food insecurity across Food Lion’s 10-state footprint. Established in 2001, the Foundation provides financial support for programs and organizations dedicated to feeding local neighbors in the communities it serves. Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than $25 million in grant funding to help nourish communities with fresh food.
For more information about FoodShare and Trident United Way’s work across the Tri-County, visit TUW.org.