Steve and Jill Harrington of Steviemack’s International Food Company, chef Keith Rhodes of Catch the Food Truck and Port City Produce partnered last week to feed Duplin County residents affected by Hurricane Matthew.
 
The group effort came together in less than 12 hours after Jill Harrinton learned that many of the children at the Rose Hill-Magnolia Elementary School were still without power. A high percentage of the students at Rose Hill-Magnolia receive free and reduced breakfast and lunch as well as backpacks of food on the weekends. But in the aftermath of the storm, Duplin County schools remained closed last week.
 
Jill Harrington set up a venom.com crowd-funding site to raise money for food to prepare hot meals, water and healthy pantry items to be given out at the school. Within hours,she raised more than $1,500. Steve Harrington contacted Keith Rhodes, who enlisted the help of Port City Produce.
 
According to Port City Produce manager Andrew Cameron, Rhodes inquired about a donation of surplus produce to be used to prepare meals for the victims in Rose Hill. Cameron said Port City regularly donates its daily surplus to area churches and organizations such as Meals on Wheels and was happy to participate.
 
Hours later, after stocking up on supplies at Port City, Sam’s Club and the local Food Bank, the two trucks set up shop at the school. By day's end, they had served nearly 700 meals to students and their families.
 
“It was really an awesome experience,” Steve Harrington said. “We used whatever we could get our hands on, and it was amazing how it all came together so quickly.”
 
The following day, Diamond Food Enterprises, who shares a commissary kitchen with Steviemack’s, also donated 600 meals to first responders in Duplin County.

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