Columbia Star

1963        Celebrating 60 Years      2023

Driving away hunger

Gus Herlong launches six-week effort to assist hungry families in his market


Employees at Midas are ready to collect donations for Harvest Hope Food Bank in exchange for oil change vouchers.

Employees at Midas are ready to collect donations for Harvest Hope Food Bank in exchange for oil change vouchers.

Gus Herlong is taking it to the bank… as in taking hundreds of pounds of rice, beans, tomatoes, peas, peanut butter, soup, tuna, pasta, and sundry canned goods to a downtown food bank every few days. It’s the result of a new hunger-fighting initiative he launched last week to assist folks whose livelihoods have been jeopardized by a COVID-slammed local economy

From now through February 13, Team Herlong is offering a free conventional oil change voucher to anyone who donates 10 cans of food at one of its 14 Midas locations to Columbia’s Harvest Hope Food Bank.

One week in, the effort is having an impact. “The food boxes are overflowing,” said Herlong, who in partnership with his father, Jimmy, has a long history of food drives and blood drives. “I had to pick up at two stores today with 578 pounds of food … and I need to pick up at several more.”

Herlong also sponsors Camp Cole, a specialized summer camp for children, teens and young adults with illnesses and disabilities.

Gus Herlong

Gus Herlong

Mile after mile of sitting cars

The effort got started after Herlong visited the contractor who is building a new store for him in downtown Columbia. “They’re located close to Harvest Hope, and I kept seeing miles and miles and miles and miles of sitting cars lined up outside every day. This is a big food bank, yet each afternoon they send out people to draw a line between the waiting cars and send away the folks behind it because they won’t make it to the bank before the food runs out. It is shocking. I said to myself, ‘we have to do something.’”

After deciding on the “10 cans = 1 LOF” plan, he posted messages on his reader boards and Facebook, then recorded a radio spot to promote it, and bought air time. “Our buy is a lot bigger than normal. We’re on nine stations, including the number one station in the state, the hot country station, the biggest hip hop station, and the top sports station. Then, unbeknownst to me, the stations came back and said they were doubling our coverage free of charge. Better still, when NAPA found out, they made a donation, too.”

The drive is clearly generating goodwill and raising his profile. Car count in Herlong’s stores increased by 19 percent in Week 1 and the average ticket increased by $20.

For Herlong, the success of the drive confirms what he already knew about his community. “South Carolina is a close-knit, small-town kind of place, so the response doesn’t surprise me. We are one of many businesses that are supporting Harvest Hope, including some big hitters. Together, we are having an impact—and that’s important.

“After all, our neighbors, friends, family, and customers could be in that line of cars.”

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