Our History
It’s Spooky to Be Hungry® began in 1992 when founder Evelyn Browne asked a simple question: What if neighbors came together each fall to help ensure local families had food on their tables? Inspired by the success of a neighborhood food drive she organized in Rochester, Minnesota, she brought that tradition to Augusta and founded It’s Spooky to Be Hungry®.
What began in just a few Columbia County neighborhoods quickly grew into a community-wide tradition, expanding to include neighborhoods, schools, businesses, churches, and civic organizations across the region. By 2006, It’s Spooky to Be Hungry® had become the largest grassroots service project in CSRA history. In 2013, after more than 20 years of inspiring neighbors to help neighbors, Evelyn entrusted the campaign to Golden Harvest Food Bank, ensuring this cherished tradition would continue for generations to come.
Today, more than 30 years later, It’s Spooky to Be Hungry® continues to bring together neighborhoods, schools, businesses, churches, civic organizations, and thousands of volunteers across Golden Harvest Food Bank’s 24-county service area. Together, they carry on Evelyn’s vision of neighbors helping neighbors, proving that when a community comes together, hunger doesn’t stand a chance.
Where It’s Spooky to be Hungry Began
It’s Spooky to Be Hungry® was founded in 1992 by Evelyn Browne. It
started with only a handful of volunteers in a Rochester, Minnesota neighborhood.
Coming to Augusta
Evelyn Browne’s family relocated to Augusta when her husband, a military doctor, was transferred to Fort Gordon. She brought It’s Spooky to Be Hungry® with her, launching the campaign in three Columbia County neighborhoods.
Becoming a Non-Profit
To support its rapid growth, Spooky reorganized and incorporated as a tax-exempt charitable corporation under the name Big Changes Start Small, Inc.
National Recognition
It’s Spooky to Be Hungry® won national recognition from USA WEEKEND Magazine among thousands of volunteer service efforts across the country as one of the ten best Make A Difference Day projects.
Achievements
For the second year in a row, Spooky was nationally recognized as one of the top ten Make A Difference Day projects The campaign was also featured in Southern Living magazine, increasing its visibility beyond the CSRA. Several chapters were established across the country by Augusta-area Spooky volunteers who carried the mission with them to new communities. In 2004, Big Changes Start Small and It’s Spooky To Be Hungry were trademarked.
Expansion
It’s Spooky to Be Hungry® became the single largest grassroots service project in CSRA history, bringing together more than 2,700 volunteers, half of them children, across a ten-county region of Georgia and South Carolina.
As the campaign continued to grow, the Spooky CSRA Chapter formalized a partnership with Golden Harvest Food Bank, the longtime recipient of the food collected through the campaign. The partnership expanded the reach and impact of the annual food drive while preserving the community spirit that made it so successful. It’s Spooky to Be Hungry® also expanded to 12 chapters from North Carolina to Mississippi.
Evelyn Passes the Torch
After 21 years of service, It’s Spooky to Be Hungry® founder, Evelyn Browne, formally passed the torch to Golden Harvest Food Bank to continue to grow the campaign and help feed the hungry.
Virtual Food Drives
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, It’s Spooky to Be Hungry® pivoted, introducing virtual food drives to the campaign, a new concept to support the Food Bank at a distance.
The Johnston’s Contribution
Golden Harvest received a transformational $1 million gift from Rob and Pam Johnston that will strengthen and expand the It’s Spooky to Be Hungry® campaign over the next decade. The Johnston’s gift will be invested as an annual $100,000 match for It’s Spooky to Be Hungry. In 2025, Spooky raised more than $530,000.
Our Mission and Vision
Golden Harvest Food Bank is a volunteer-driven, non-profit organization that provides food to those in need. Our Mission is simple: To transform lives by feeding our hungry neighbors today and building a healthy, hunger-free tomorrow. Our Vision is to eliminate hunger in our communities. For more on our work, visit www.goldenharvest.org.
Golden Harvest Food Bank will continue to operate It’s Spooky to Be Hungry® according to the principles it was founded upon – a neighbor-to-neighbor, volunteer-driven, child friendly event that builds community and feeds the hungry.