CHARLESTON, SC — March 15, 2021 — The Lowcountry Food Bank’s (LCFB) strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency have earned it a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator. This is the twelfth consecutive time since 2009 that LCFB has earned this top distinction. According to Charity Navigator, only 1% of all charities they evaluate have received at least 12 consecutive 4-star evaluations, indicating that Lowcountry Food Bank outperforms most other charities in America.

Since 2002, using objective analysis, Charity Navigator has awarded only the most fiscally responsible organizations a 4-star rating. In 2011, Charity Navigator added 17 metrics to its ratings methodology focused on governance and ethical practices as well as measures of openness. These Accountability & Transparency metrics, which account for 50 percent of a charity’s overall rating, reveal which charities operate in accordance with industry best practices and whether they are open with their donors and stakeholders. In June 2016, Charity Navigator upgraded its methodology for rating each charity’s’ financial health. These enhancements further substantiate the financial health of its 4-star charities.

“LCFB’s exceptional 4-star rating sets it apart from its peers and demonstrates its trustworthiness to the public,” according to Michael Thatcher, President and CEO of Charity Navigator. “Only a quarter of charities rated by Charity Navigator receive the distinction of our 4-star rating. This adds the LCFB to a preeminent group of charities working to overcome our world’s most pressing challenges. Based on its 4-star rating, people can trust that their donations are going to a financially responsible and ethical charity when they decide to support the LCFB.”

“It’s important that our donors trust that we’re using their donations wisely to accomplish the LCFB’s mission,” said Nick Osborne, LCFB President and CEO. “Our 4-star Charity Navigator rating demonstrates to our supporters our good governance and financial accountability.”

LCFB’s rating and other information about charitable giving are available free of charge on www.charitynavigator.org. More-detailed information about the LCFB’s rating is available free of charge to Charity Navigator site visitors who become registered users.

About Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator, www.charitynavigator.org is the largest charity evaluator in America and its website attracts more visitors than all other charity rating groups combined. The organization helps guide intelligent giving by evaluating the Financial Health and Accountability & Transparency of more than 8,000 charities. Charity Navigator accepts no advertising or donations from the organizations it evaluates, ensuring unbiased evaluations, nor does it charge the public for this trusted data. As a result, Charity Navigator, a 501 (c) (3) public charity itself, depends on support from individuals, corporations and foundations that believe it provides a much-needed service to America’s charitable givers. Charity Navigator, can be reached directly by telephone at (201) 818-1288, or by mail at 139 Harristown Road, Suite 101, Glen Rock, N.J., 07452.

About the Lowcountry Food Bank: Feed. Advocate. Empower.
The Lowcountry Food Bank serves the 10 coastal counties of South Carolina and distributed more than 39 million pounds of food in 2020. The Lowcountry Food Bank helps fight hunger by distributing food to nearly 300 partner agencies including on-site meal programs, homeless shelters and emergency food pantries. The Lowcountry Food Bank advocates on behalf of those who experience hunger and helps empower people to make healthy and nutritious food choices. For more information, go to the Lowcountry Food Bank website at lowcountryfoodbank.org