ENGELHARD — Hyde County Hotline received $2,000 from the Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation just in time to help feed local residents. Hyde County Hotline will use the gift to provide food to victims of domestic abuse and sexual victimization who are receiving residential and other victim advocacy services through the agency.

“We are so grateful for the donation that we have received from Food Lion. It helps to relieve the ever present need for families in crisis to have nutritious meals while receiving services from the program,” said Kathryn Ballance, who works at the hotline.

The poverty rate in Hyde County is among the highest in the state. Women and children who reach out to Hyde County Hotline have often left their homes with no food, clothing, transportation or financial support and are dependent upon others for survival for a period of time. Victims who receive help from the agency will be eligible to benefit from the donation that was received from Food Lion. This may be while they are receiving residential services or through individual households that are working to break the cycle of abuse in their families. Food will be purchased from Food Lion by agency staff and distributed to families in crisis on a case-by-case basis.

Hyde County Hotline Inc. is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that provides crisis intervention, legal and medical advocacy, referrals, safe shelter, safety planning, support groups, transportation, therapy, food, clothing and other related services to victims of domestic abuse and sexual victimization who reside in Hyde County.

The mission of the agency is to work to eliminate domestic abuse and sexual victimization and to provide safe shelter through the collaborative efforts of a compassionate community.

Established in 2001, the Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation provides financial support for programs and organizations dedicated to feeding the hungry in the communities it serves. Since its inception, the foundation has awarded more than $9 million in grants.