Mercy Mission
John Ziegler, Helene Massey, Janice and Jim Eisert
After I retired 16 years ago, I focused on volunteering some of my time to help those in
need in the local community. When a friend of mine, who volunteered at Mercy Mission,
asked if I would start a food drive in Colleton River to support Mercy Mission, I gladly
said “yes”. From the very beginning, my husband, Jim, Sarah Winter, Helene Massey
and I formed a team with the goal of making this drive work. We weren’t sure how
successful we’d be given that there are other food drives in Colleton River. Well I’m
happy to say that the generosity of our Colleton River neighbors extends to support
Mercy Mission too! This December we collected our largest amount yet — almost 160
bags of food. As Sister Mary Francis, an 85 year old nun who runs Mercy Mission said,
“that will help a lot of families have a Christmas dinner this year!”
Mercy Mission is located on the Bluffton/Hardeeville line and it exists to provide food,
support, and dignity to anyone in the local community facing hardship. Since Sister
Mary Francis arrived in 2019, what began as a small food pantry and thrift shop has
grown into a vital resource for families throughout Bluffton and Hardeeville. In those
early days, Mercy Mission operated just one day a week, serving about 40 families once
a month. Even then, the heart of the mission was clear: to meet people where they are
and ensure no one in need goes hungry.
Today, Mercy Mission’s pantry operates as an emergency food resource, offering
families food for three days. Every effort is made to ensure that each person in the
household, from children to seniors, receives the nourishment they need.
Like most food pantries, Mercy Mission partners with Second Helpings, a nonprofit food
rescue agency that delivers food from grocery stores throughout the region. Through
this partnership, they are able to provide nearly all of the fresh food, produce, and
pastries that are so essential to their clients.
Equally important to Mercy Mission’s success is to provide nonperishable goods to
stock their pantry shelves. This is how Colleton’s monthly drive supports the mission.
These shelves are stocked through the generosity of incredible donors and supportive
neighborhoods, like Colleton River, whose contributions continue to make a meaningful
difference.
As Mercy Mission has grown, so has the number of clients they serve. Last year alone,
Mercy Mission served 22,833 individuals. In 2025, they are now serving more than
2,000 individuals each month and approximately 50 families each day. Their clients
represent every walk of life—families, seniors, workers, and individuals doing their best
to make ends meet—each with a story, and each deserving of compassion and care.
With the growth of people moving into the area, Mercy Mission expects the need for
more food will double in 2026. Given this fact, we hope by writing this article, we can
entice more people in Colleton River to donate once a month to this mission. With our
support to this mission, we are not only providing meals, but also hope, dignity, and
reassurance to those who need it most. We collect on the second Friday of the month. If
you are interested in supporting the Mercy Mission Food Drive, please email your email
address to janice.eisert@gmail.com and I’ll send you a monthly reminder.
Special thanks to all Colleton neighbors who continually donate to Mercy Mission! You
are an essential part of Mercy Mission’s success in serving those in need with love and
compassion every day!