The Deep Well Project on Hilton Head

• Founded: 1973
• Pantry visits: every 21 days
• Spent on programs: 93%

What the Deep Well Project Does

Deep Well is an emergency assistance nonprofit that has served Hilton Head since 1973. Its office and pantry are at 80 Capital Drive. It helps with food, rent and utility bills, repairs to owner-occupied homes, school uniforms and supplies, prescriptions for children, Christmas toys, furniture, and a weekly mentoring program for families. Deep Well says 93 percent of its expenses go to client programs and services, and it was the 2025 RBC Heritage Charity of the Year.

The Deep Well Food Pantry

The pantry is open to individuals and families of any size on Hilton Head Island, with no income requirement stated. A household can ask for food every 21 days and receives a full week’s worth each visit. Call (843) 785-2849 to arrange a shopping visit, a grocery pickup at the door or, if needed, a home delivery. Shopping in person is preferred, because clients choose what and how much they need. Emergency food bags are available weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Help With Rent and Utilities

Deep Well pays rent or mortgage bills for residents of Hilton Head Island or Jasper County, and utility bills for people who live on Hilton Head. It generally helps people who have lived on the island for at least three months and who are paying their own rent and utilities. To apply, call the office; a trained volunteer interviews you to determine eligibility. Payments go straight to the landlord or utility, and help is given on an emergency basis once a year. The goal, Deep Well says, is a return to self-sufficiency.

Home Repairs, Children’s Programs and the Santa Shop

Livable Housing sends a volunteer crew to repair owner-occupied homes. Typical jobs are wheelchair ramps, flooring, bathroom and kitchen repairs, window weatherproofing, roofs, porches and steps, and volunteers put in about 4,500 hours a year. Eligibility is decided case by case.

Children’s programs give uniform shirts and school supplies to children ages 1 to 12 in families Deep Well already helps. The program has served more than 11,000 children since 2010. Deep Well also pays for children’s prescriptions, such as antibiotics, asthma and ADHD medicine, and supplies diapers and lice kits.

The Santa Shop lets parents choose new toys, books and clothes for children ages 1 to 12 who live on the island. Families register by phone starting November 1, and parents shop without their children over roughly a week in mid-December. The shop has served 800 to 900 children in recent years.

Circles HHI pairs families working their way out of poverty, called Circle Leaders, with volunteer Allies. They share a meal and meet weekly, build budgets and goals, and children have their own program alongside.

How to Give to Deep Well

• Money: give online by card or PayPal, one time, monthly or yearly, or mail a check to The Deep Well Project, PO Box 5543, Hilton Head Island, SC 29938. Many employers match gifts.

• Food and personal care: drop off non-perishable food, soap, shampoo, deodorant, lotion and toothpaste at 80 Capital Drive, weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Deep Well also keeps an Amazon wish list for the pantry. To organize a food drive, email pantry@deepwellproject.org.

• Toys: gifts for the Santa Shop are accepted October 1 through December 24.

• Furniture and appliances: Deep Well takes gently used furniture and working appliances and picks up large items weekly; call to arrange it. That helps when you refurnish a vacation rental, and the same pickup suits an owner clearing out a unit.

• Planned gifts: bequests, trusts and beneficiary designations.

Volunteering at Deep Well

Volunteers work four-hour shifts, usually once a week. Roles are office volunteers (answering phones, welcoming walk-ins and entering requests, Monday to Friday mornings or afternoons), food pantry volunteers (helping clients shop, packing and shelving), Livable Housing crews (carpentry, plumbing, electrical), and furniture pickup helpers on Wednesday mornings. Spanish speakers are especially needed, including remote phone interpreters. Food drives, holiday packing and Santa Shop help are busiest in November and December. Email volunteer@deepwellproject.org to sign up.