SLED Helps Families Following Hurricane Helene

As families across the Carolinas are still working to recover and rebuild after Hurricane Helene hit, help is on the way. 

“There are still a lot of people without power,” said Michelle Johnson, SLED Community Relations Agent for the Piedmont Region loading shampoo into freshly constructed cardboard boxes. “I’ll be bringing some of these boxes back with me to help the communities I cover. I’m honored to have the opportunity to help.”

 

Volunteers from police departments, sheriff’s offices, state agencies and community groups packed 3,000 boxes of non-perishable food and 1,000 boxes of toiletries in a Walmart parking lot Thursday morning. The boxes will be distributed by Serve & Connect law enforcement partners across both North and South Carolina. 

 

“It’s about coming together to help people,” said Tempestt Hough, SLED Community Relations Agent for the Pee Dee Region. “That’s why a lot of us work in law enforcement – to help people.”

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, also known as SLED, has worked with the Midlands-based nonprofit Serve & Connect since it was founded in 2015. 

 “I’ve seen how work like this makes an impact on everyone – the people who may have trouble finding food, families who may not have a lot of resources or support,” said Eric Rosdail, SLED Community Relations Agent for the Midlands Region. “We can be a shining light for people who are literally in the dark.”

 

As Rosdail carried flats of canned goods to packing stations, an announcement encouraged everyone to wish him a happy birthday. 

“I am helping others,” he said. “That’s the best way anyone can celebrate their birthday!” 

 

SLED Community Relations Agents routinely pack food boxes as part of Serve & Connect’s Greg’s Groceries initiative named after the late Greg Alia. The Forest Acres Police Officer was killed in the line of duty on September 30, 2025. His wife, Kassy, went on to found Serve & Connect as a way to help law enforcement and the citizens work together.

“It’s important that we always come together - not just in a crisis,” said SLED Agent Johnson.

Serve & Connect is present throughout South Carolina, and recently expanded community partnerships into North Carolina. 

 

Learn more about Serve & Connect on their website here: https://www.serveandconnect.org

 

If you would like a SLED Community Relations Agent to visit your organization or attend a recruitment event, please call (803) 737 - 9000. All requests will be filled according to agents’ availability and in the

order in which requests are received. order in which requests are received. Learn more about SLED Community Relations Unit here:  https://www.sled.sc.gov/community-relations.