North Strand Helping Hand

What North Strand Helping Hand does

North Strand Helping Hand (NSHH) is a nonprofit emergency aid organization headquartered in Longs, South Carolina, that serves underprivileged individuals and families in the North Strand area of Horry County. The organization operates a single integrated service model built around three core offerings: direct food distribution (including canned goods, canned meats, peanut butter and jelly, USDA commodities, and perishable items via monthly mass distribution events), SNAP application assistance, and Medicaid enrollment support delivered in partnership with SC Thrive. Beneficiaries access food on-site at 2501 Long Bay Rd, Longs, SC during operating hours (Monday through Thursday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm and Friday 10:00 am – 12:00 pm), through an Order Ahead locker system at the rear of the building that provides 24/7 access to frozen and fresh items, and at off-site monthly events held at the Kingston Lake Education & Business Center (Loris, SC, 2nd Friday) and the North Myrtle Beach Farmers Market (2nd Saturday).

The business model is donation-funded rather than revenue-generating: NSHH accepts contributions via PayPal and checks made payable to NSHH (PO Box 115, North Myrtle Beach, SC 29597), and supplements monetary donations with in-kind food supply from Low Country Food Bank and volunteer labor mobilized through a network of 12+ supporting churches spanning Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic, Episcopal, and nondenominational congregations. Services are provided free of charge to eligible community members. Go-to-market is community-based and low-tech: an official website describes mission and hours, an active Facebook page communicates announcements, and the church partner network functions as the primary referral channel for individuals in need. Key contacts include Kelly Johnson (volunteer coordination) and Lonnie Floyd or Pam Hudy (SC Thrive benefit assistance), all reachable through a single phone line at (843) 399-0862.

The organization holds a USDA Food Distribution Certificate (downloadable from its website) authorizing federal commodity distribution, and it received the 2024 Readers Choice Award for Non Profit of the Year. No subsidiaries, parent company, funding rounds, investors, or financial disclosures are present in the available data. The technology stack is limited to a content website, social media presence, email contact form, and the third-party orderahead.org locker platform; there are no proprietary software products, APIs, or AI/ML components identified.

Name

North Strand Helping Hand

Legal name

North Strand Helping Hand

Website

https://northstrandhelpinghand.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

North Strand Helping Hand is a nonprofit emergency aid organization providing free food distribution, SNAP application assistance, and Medicaid enrollment support to underprivileged residents of the North Strand area in Horry County, South Carolina, through partnerships with Low Country Food Bank, SC Thrive, and a network of 12+ local churches.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Emergency Food Assistance and Social Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Safety Nets (In-Kind, Vouchers, Cash Transfers) (BPADAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Financial Assistance & Benefits Navigation Services (BPAGAEAK)

Keywords

• Emergency food assistance
• SNAP application help
• Medicaid enrollment support
• Community aid services
• USDA food distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Longs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: The organization accepts donations through PayPal and check payments made payable to NSHH. These contributions support the organization's goals of improving quality of life for underprivileged neighbors in the North Strand community.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

North Strand Helping Hand is an emergency aid nonprofit that distributes food and helps underprivileged community members in North Strand, Horry County, SC apply for SNAP and Medicaid benefits. Services are delivered free of charge through on-site food distribution, USDA commodity distribution, monthly mass food distribution events at partner locations, and an after-hours Order Ahead locker system, with benefits-enrollment support provided via a partnership with SC Thrive.

Product overview

North Strand Helping Hand operates as an emergency aid organization providing a coordinated suite of food and benefits assistance services to the underprivileged community in North Strand, Horry County, SC. The core offerings center on food distribution (including USDA commodities and mass distribution events), SNAP and Medicaid application assistance through SC Thrive partnerships, and an Order Ahead locker system for after-hours food access. The organization functions as a single integrated service model rather than a platform with separate modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Distribution Program

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Low Country Food BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey food bank partner that supplies food inventory for distribution to underprivileged community members in the North Strand area.
• SC ThrivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for SNAP and Medicaid benefit enrollment assistance. Lonnie Floyd or Pam Hudy available by appointment to help determine eligibility and complete benefit applications.
• First Baptist Church of North Myrtle BeachcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting church partnership for community outreach and quality of life improvement for underprivileged residents.
• King of Glory Lutheran ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting church partnership for community outreach and quality of life improvement for underprivileged residents.
• Lakeside Baptist ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting church partnership for community outreach and quality of life improvement for underprivileged residents.
• Little River United Methodist ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting church partnership for community outreach and quality of life improvement for underprivileged residents.
• Ocean Drive Presbyterian ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting church partnership for community outreach and quality of life improvement for underprivileged residents.
• Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting church partnership for community outreach and quality of life improvement for underprivileged residents.
• St. Stephen's Episcopal ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting church partnership for community outreach and quality of life improvement for underprivileged residents.
• Trinity United Methodist ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting church partnership for community outreach and quality of life improvement for underprivileged residents.
• North Strand Community ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with NSHH to distribute perishable food items from 9:00-11:00am on the 2nd Saturday of each month at the Farmers Market, 925 1st Avenue S, North Myrtle Beach.
• Waterbrook Community ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting church partnership for community outreach and quality of life improvement for underprivileged residents.
• Kingston Lake Missionary Baptist AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with NSHH to distribute perishable food items from 9:00 am to 11:00 am on the 2nd Friday of each month at the Kingston Lake Education & Business Center, 3410 Church Street, Loris SC.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• St. Vincent de Paul Georgetown Diocese: Faith-based emergency aid network operating parish food pantries and assistance programs across the region; comparable model of church-anchored food distribution and basic-needs support for low-income families.
• Low Country Food Bank: Regional food bank that supplies NSHH's inventory; comparable as a South Carolina-based hunger-relief organization distributing food through partner pantries, soup kitchens, and mass distributions to low-income households.
• Harvest Hope Food Bank: South Carolina's largest food bank operating across the Midlands and surrounding regions; directly comparable to NSHH as a hunger-relief distribution hub sourcing and channeling food to community pantries and mass distributions.
• Golden Harvest Food Bank: Regional Feeding America affiliate serving parts of Georgia and South Carolina; comparable as a food bank that distributes to partner agencies and conducts community-based food distributions targeting food-insecure households.
• Food Bank of the Eastern Shore: Regional food bank distributing through partner pantries and mobile distributions; comparable model of sourcing food and channeling it to community-based emergency food providers serving low-income households.
• SC Thrive: South Carolina nonprofit that connects low-income residents to SNAP, Medicaid, and other benefits—the same partner NSHH uses for in-house benefits navigation; comparable mission of helping underprivileged households access public assistance programs.
• Meals on Wheels of Horry County: Local Meals on Wheels affiliate delivering food to homebound seniors in the same Horry County service area; comparable community-based food assistance for vulnerable residents, though focused on homebound elderly rather than walk-in pantry service.

Regional players

• United Way of Horry County: Local United Way affiliate funding and coordinating social services across the same Horry County geography as NSHH; directly comparable community-coordination role funding emergency aid and food assistance partners.

Broad incumbents

• Catholic Charities South Carolina: Statewide social services organization delivering emergency assistance, food support, and benefits navigation; comparable to NSHH's mix of food distribution and SNAP/Medicaid application support but operates at greater scale and broader scope.
• Salvation Army of the Carolinas: Large established nonprofit providing emergency assistance including food, utility, and rental support in the Carolinas; broader portfolio but overlaps with NSHH on emergency food and basic-needs assistance for low-income households.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/northstrandhelpinghand
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/north-strand-helping-hand

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about North Strand Helping Hand