Leaders from HCA Healthcare’s Trident and Summerville Hospitals present a $25,000 grant from the HCA Healthcare Foundation to support Trident United Way’s FoodShare program during a check presentation at the North Charleston Center for Strong Families. (Left to right): Tory Liferidge, co-executive director of Grace Impact; DJ Hampton, president and CEO of Trident United Way; Jeff Wilson, CEO of HCA Healthcare Trident Hospital; Jeff Taylor, CEO of HCA Healthcare Summerville Hospital; and Rufus McDonald, financial secretary of Four Rivers Outreach Community Development Corporation.
HCA Healthcare’s Trident and Summerville Hospitals announced today that the HCA Healthcare Foundation has awarded a $25,000 grant to support Trident United Way’s FoodShare program through its Healthier Tomorrow Fund and Community Catalyst Grant Program. The funding will help expand access to fresh, nutritious food for families across Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties.
In 2025, FoodShare distributed more than 69,000 pounds of food to more than 14,000 households across the Tri-County. More than 53% of FoodShare boxes were purchased using SNAP benefits, helping working families stretch their grocery budgets further.
The check was presented March 12 at Trident United Way’s North Charleston Center for Strong Families, where leaders from HCA Healthcare, Trident United Way and community partners gathered to celebrate the continued investment.
Many households in the Tri-County region are working full time yet still struggling to cover essentials like housing, food and child care. These households are known as ALICE® — Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed — families who earn above the federal poverty level but still cannot afford the true cost of living.
FoodShare helps address this challenge by providing boxes of fresh produce every other week to Tri-County residents at community partner sites, including many ALICE® families. Each box contains fruits and vegetables along with simple recipes to help families prepare healthy meals at home. The boxes cost $20, or just $5 when purchased using SNAP benefits.
“As healthcare leaders, we understand that access to nutritious food is foundational to good health,” said Jeff Wilson, CEO, HCA Healthcare Trident Hospital. “This $25,000 donation to Trident United Way supports meaningful, community-based solutions that address food insecurity and improve long-term outcomes for the individuals and families we serve.”
FoodShare continues to reach more families through trusted community partners, Four Rivers Outreach Community Development Corporation and Grace Impact Development Center.
“Strong partnerships across our community are what make FoodShare possible,” added DJ Hampton, President and CEO of Trident United Way. “We are grateful for partners like Four Rivers Outreach Community Development Corporation and Grace Impact Development Center, whose deep relationships in their communities help ensure more families have consistent access to the healthy food they need to thrive.”
FoodShare is part of Trident United Way’s bold goal to uplift 15,000 families out of poverty by 2035.
For more information about FoodShare and Trident United Way’s work across the Tri-County, visit TUW.org/FoodShare_Tri-County.