One of James Taylor’s most beloved songs, Carolina in My Mind, captures the timeless beauty and warmth of the Carolinas. But in 2025, many rural counties in South Carolina are still struggling, facing food insecurity, population loss, and economic challenges that require bold, data-driven solutions.
That’s why we have “gone to Carolina” in our minds to support community leaders with free South Carolina food access data, mapping tools, and analysis rooted in our MG research frameworks by our food insecurity expert and other specialists.
Why Focus on Rural South Carolina in 2025
Just recently, we heard from community leaders in a rural South Carolina county seeking help with:
Grocery Store Development
Economic Revitalization through Food Entrepreneurship
Solutions to Address Food Deserts and Food Insecurity
In these areas, many younger residents have moved away. The closest grocery store might be a great distance away and hard to reach. Rates of hunger, poor diet-related health, and community disconnection are high. The question is: where to begin?
Our Solution: Data-Driven Rural Renaissance Tools
Utilizing our food insecurity expertise and other specialties, we developed a full training and data package in partnership with the South Carolina Office of Rural Health. And now, we are offering parts of it as a free download.
This includes county-level mapping, food access metrics, and strategic tools based on our proprietary models, all designed by our food insecurity expert and other specialists to help spark a local rural renaissance.
This toolkit is ideal for:
Community Organizations
- Foundations
- Government Agencies
- Social Entrepreneurs
- Local Coalitions
- Program Design
- Grant Writers
- Health Departments
- Other Health and Wellness Groups
- Advocacy Organizations
- Policy Development
Content Covered in the Free Download
Link to download: South Carolina Food Access Toolkit (Dropbox)
1. The 4 Pillars of the MG Imperatives Strategy
- Moral Imperative
- Community Imperative
- Market Imperative
- Policy Imperative
These help leaders quickly assess where they can make the most impact and take action across health, equity, access, and the local economy.
2. The MG Opportunity Framework
Understand your local food access universe with our food insecurity expertise and other specialties:
- MG Key Code Mapping
- Geospatial Alignment between Data and Community Needs
- Spreadsheet-to-Map Visualization
3. MG Food Balance Score + Metrics
An introduction to our methods to measure how food access impacts physical and academic outcomes.
For example, in one Iowa County, students in food deserts and “out-of-balance” areas were shorter and had a GPA grade behind their peers, even after controlling for income and parental education.
Also included in the training document:
- MG’s Mainstream vs. Fringe Food Store Classification
- The MG Convenience Food Factor
- Distinction between Geographic vs. Financial Food Access Gaps
Greenwood County Drilldown
Greenwood County is featured with full maps and analysis, showing how hyper-local data can improve:
- Grocery Market Development
- Economic Development Opportunities
- Charitable Food Distribution
- Health Outcomes
- Other Community Improvements
This is actionable, real-time insight designed by our food insecurity expert and other specialists is for policy leaders, funders, nonprofits, and food system change-makers.
The Meal Deficit Metric (MDM) Model
Our advanced MDM model generates hyper-local, pinpointed scores.
For example, we have partitioned South Carolina into 3,408 small areas and have reliable scores for each one.
For the tables provided as part of the training, we detail county-by-county:
- Total Net Meal Gaps
- Highest-Need Geographies within Each County
- Key Indicators Like Poverty, SNAP Use, Car Access, and Child Population
It’s a powerful tool for targeting interventions and aligning them with real, lived community data.
Final Thoughts
South Carolina is beautiful, but rural disparities are real. With this data, our food insecurity expert and other specialists can start turning insights into action.
We are proud to offer this work in collaboration with local leaders and organizations who care deeply about food justice, community wellness, and changing the world, one county at a time.
Need something more localized?
We offer custom research and consulting across the U.S.
Reach out to us to learn how our food insecurity expert and other specialists can help!
Who is Mari Gallagher?
Mari Gallagher, founder and principal of Mari Gallagher Research & Consulting Group, is a nationally recognized expert in food access, grocery market analysis, hyperlocal data modeling, and community health impacts. She popularized the term “food desert,” helped motivate billions in federal investment into underserved areas, and continues to shape public policy and on-the-ground programs nationwide.
