The non-profit Lowcountry Food Bank intends to add forklift capability and upgrade its warehouse with a USD70,000 grant that was received in February.

"Currently, we are using Caterpillars along with one Hyster electric forklift, all having the lift capacity of 3,500-4,500 lb (1,575-2,025 kg)," says L. Ron Pringle, operations manager for the food bank.

The organisation was founded in 1983 as a clearinghouse for donated food items. A 65,000 sqft (5,850 sqm) facility in North Charleston accommodates the collection, inspection, storage and distribution of food items, annually approximating 18 million lb (8.1 million kg).

The Hanahan, South Carolina facility of Cat dealership Gregory Poole Equipment Co handles the forklift preventive maintenance program for the food bank's Caterpillars.

Currently, the food bank operates six electric sitdown counterbalance forklifts and four electric pallet jacks and "has other inactive" equipment, according to Ernie Davis, an account manager at the Gregory Poole location. "We work with them" and understand their limitations as a non-profit organisation. Gregory Poole Equipment is based in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Separately, the Summerville, South Carolina branch of Barloworld Handling donated the refurbished Hyster E50XM to the food bank in mid-2010, according to David Lotterer, the dealership's service manager. Barloworld Handling is located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and parent company Barloworld Ltd is based in South Africa.

Other work remains to be done.

"A couple of the lifts that are in poor condition and are in need of repair will be used as backups until repairs can be made," Pringle notes. "A couple of the current lifts are in need of new batteries and safety equipment installation which are very costly at this time."

Through a nationwide Facebook internet campaign, Wal-Mart Stores Inc of Bentonville, Arkansas identified the region encompassing Charleston, North Charleston and Summerville as a beneficiary of a USD100,000 grant. In an allocation among North Charleston nonprofits, the Lowcountry Food Bank received USD70,000 and Trident United Way secured USD30,000. Charleston finished fifth in the competition, which ran from mid-November through 31 December.

Salt Lake City, Utah received the top prize of USD1 million. Other communities winning USD100,000 grants were Fresno, California; Columbia, South Carolina; Ogden-Clearfield, Utah; and Bakersfield, California.