For Immediate Release: May 31, 2022
Community Partnership Benefitting Harvest Hope Food Bank Returns June 14
[Columbia, SC] — Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is excited to partner with Harvest Hope Food Bank for the return of Toucan Tuesdays. Beginning Tuesday, June 14, guests visiting Riverbanks will receive BOGO admission to the park with a donation of two cans (or bags and boxes) of non-perishable food items.
Toucan Tuesdays will take place 10 consecutive Tuesdays through August 16. Donation bins will be located at both the Zoo and Garden entrances. There is no limit to the number of Tuesdays guests can donate to take advantage of discounted admission.
“Summer is a time when many are enjoying outdoor fun, but it’s also when many more of our neighbors, including children, experience hunger,” said Erinn Rowe, CEO of Harvest Hope Food Bank. “We are so glad to partner with Riverbanks Zoo and Garden again this year to raise awareness and donations for those struggling to put food on the table.”
Harvest Hope’s most needed items include canned vegetables, canned proteins like chicken and tuna, one-pound bags of dried beans, and one-pound boxes of pasta. The goal this summer is to collect 5,000 lbs. of food which would equate to about 4,200 meals.
In 2019, the generosity of Zoo guests generated nearly 3,300 lbs. of food for Harvest Hope. The promotion had to be shelved in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID-related restrictions but has brought in a total of 42,792 lbs. of food since the partnership began in 2010.
Toucan Tuesdays will take place every Tuesday, June 14 – August 16. The promotion applies to general admission rates only (purchase one admission and get the second for equal or lesser value free; Explorer wristbands and Riverbanks’ memberships are not included).