AUGUSTA (11/19/25) — Golden Harvest Food Bank is honored to announce a transformational one million dollar gift from Rob and Pam Johnston that will strengthen and expand the It’s Spooky to Be Hungry campaign over the next decade. For more than thirty years, Spooky has helped put food on the table for families during the holiday season, this year reaching a new milestone of more than $530,000. This generous gift will help grow that impact for years to come.

The Johnstons’ gift will be invested as an annual one hundred thousand dollar match for It’s Spooky to Be Hungry. This match is designed to inspire even greater participation across the region and help the campaign continue to grow, ensuring more neighbors have the food they need. Their support encourages families, schools, businesses, and community groups to join them in uplifting their neighbors. Their gift is especially focused on growing the campaign’s impact in the Aiken region and across the six South Carolina counties served by the Food Bank.

Rob and Pam Johnston are passionate about strengthening the entire CSRA, and they are especially committed to supporting families in South Carolina. After moving back to Aiken, Rob’s hometown, they felt a renewed responsibility to help ensure their neighbors are well served through Golden Harvest’s Aiken facility. Their gift will support hunger relief efforts in the South Carolina counties we serve and encourage continued growth of the Spooky campaign, particularly in the Aiken community.

Rob’s dedication to fighting hunger is rooted in decades of philanthropic leadership. Before moving back to Aiken, he founded what became the nation’s largest food drive through a partnership between the Atlanta Apartment Association and the Atlanta Community Food Bank. He sees that same potential for It’s Spooky to Be Hungry to grow into an even more powerful regional movement that brings people together and fuels long term solutions to hunger. Rob has been inspired by the growth of Spooky, and he and Pam have personally matched the campaign’s success over the past three years.

At the heart of our community is a responsibility to one another,” said Rob Johnston. “Always give back. Never give up, give out, or give in.”

Golden Harvest Food Bank President and CEO Amy Breitmann expressed deep gratitude for the Johnstons’ leadership.

“Aiken is stronger because of neighbors like Rob and Pam Johnston. Their one million dollar gift will help feed families in the South Carolina counties we serve and inspire the continued growth of It’s Spooky to Be Hungry for the next ten years. We are deeply grateful.,” said Breitmann. “Rob and Pam’s special commitment to supporting their South Carolina neighbors is a beautiful example of generosity in action. Their gift will inspire others and help ensure no one faces hunger alone.”

About Golden Harvest Food Bank

Golden Harvest Food Bank serves the hungry in our 24-county service area in eastern Georgia and western South Carolina. The Food Bank was founded in Augusta, Ga. in 1982, and now operates from distribution centers in Augusta, Ga. and Aiken, S.C. Golden Harvest is a locally supported 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides grocery products to the hungry through a network of over 325 hunger relief partners. Golden Harvest distributed over 15 million meals to those in need in fiscal year 2025.

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