Extraordinary times call for an exceptional response, and SCACPA knows our members are up to the challenge. October is CPA Month of Service, and your Chapter leaders are asking for your support to show your communities how CPAs make an impact.

Keeping safety and needs in mind, let’s team up with food banks across the state to provide support and supplies to those most in need.

You may have seen in the news that South Carolina’s lower-wage workers have been hit harder this year than the 2008 recession. Those who lost jobs in retail, hospitality and tourism and are filing for unemployment report that even as the economy reopens their old positions or workplaces might be permanently gone.

Combine this with the fact that children who attend school from home virtually have less access to the feeding sites they depend on for breakfast and lunch, and it’s clear that healthy meals are a priority for so many of our neighbors.

The time is right to focus our efforts in supporting local families and children in need.

Look for an email soon from your Chapter leaders about how to make a monetary contribution and which food banks are accepting collections of non-perishable items.

We’re kicking this off with an exciting announcement from SCACPA’s Central Chapter: They have pledged to make two contributions of $1,000 each to Harvest Hope Midlands and Golden Harvest Aiken.

All month long, we ask you to keep an eye on your inbox for messages from your local Chapter leaders to find out when and where to help. Let us know how you or your firm is making a difference, and we’ll share and promote that on our social media, and check for news and updates at www.scacpa.org/service.

We’re proud of our previous successes and expect this year to be our most impactful yet.

Through the years, we’ve been impressed by how many creative ways our members have made a difference during Month of Service, through beach sweeps, road litter pickups, building repairs and T-shirt sales. We look forward to returning to those many ways of meeting specific needs in your communities in 2021. But for now, we can agree that circumstances are best for us to reunite in making sure our neighbors have access to the food they’re missing to look forward to that better tomorrow.

Thank you for all you do to make South Carolina a better place to live and work!

RELATED STORY: “Harvest Hope Food Bank sees increase in demand, decrease in volunteers” (WIS-TV, Oct. 18)