A public transit bus that took homeless from Street Reach to the Greek Orthodox Church last year for the annual Red Cross Christmas dinner won't run Saturday, potentially keeping hundreds from receiving a hot meal on Christmas Day.
Federal regulations prohibit The Coast RTA, the publicly funded authority in charge of the buses, from providing such services to private organizations, said marketing manager Yvette Jefferson.
She said an employee drove the bus without agency approval last year and is no longer with the organization. Jefferson said the organization was interested in helping the American Red Cross in any way it could.
The development has Red Cross organizers scrambling to find transportation to the annual dinner that feeds more than 4,000 people.
Angela Nicholas, CEO of the Coastal South Carolina chapter of the American Red Cross, said she assumed the employee received prior authorization last year.
Nicholas said she called The Coast a few weeks ago to ask for the service again this year.
Then she learned the employee was no longer with the organization and the agency couldn't authorize the bus service.
Red Cross officials have been in contact with dozens of churches who own activity buses and are hoping for a last-minute save.
"A lot of people have offered buses, but we don't have certified drivers," said Lee Zulanch, a co-chairman of the dinner. "We're continuing to do what we can to find a bus."
While some can still walk to the Greek Orthodox Church, they could face inclement weather on Saturday. There's a 60 percent chance of rain, and low temperatures could reach 30 degrees.
"If the weather is bad, that hurts the people on the street that will walk," said Mark Rybicki, another co-chairman of the event.
Nicholas said buses weren't needed until last year when the annual dinner moved to the Greek Orthodox Church from First Presbyterian in Myrtle Beach. The Street Reach homeless shelter is just blocks away from First Presbyterian.
The Greek Orthodox Church promised the Red Cross a large industrial kitchen where the organization can both cook and feed thousands.
Previously, food for the dinner was cooked at an off-site location and then transported to First Presbyterian.
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