Grassroots Generosity
Written by Nina Greenplate
Photographed by Rob Kaufman
Finnegan’s Sharing Shack is a grassroots venture blending generosity with waste reduction, all in the name of beach-time fun.
Lowcountry resident Bethany McDonald is the brainchild behind this effort — and Hilton Head Island vacationers are the beneficiaries.
Each weekend from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., from Memorial Day through Labor Day, McDonald and her friend Haven Banks set up a tent on Hilton Head’s Driessen Beach at the end of Bradley Beach Road. That’s where abandoned beach items and donated gear are collected, sanitized and made available for free to anyone in need.
Tourists coming to the island often buy new gear, then have difficulty fitting larger items into a car or on the airplane heading home.
“The beach is swept every night, and anything in good, unbroken condition is collected,” McDonald says. “The Sharing Shack is really a recycling program where we get a lot of help from our lifeguards and the Turtle Tracker volunteers.”
Chairs, boogie boards, umbrellas, tents and toys, some with tags still attached, are made available to pleasantly surprised visitors who can keep the items or return them to the shack.
“I love doing this; it’s almost like Christmas for them,” says McDonald. “Tourists ask, ‘How much?’ And I get to tell them, ‘Free!’”
Originally from West Virginia, McDonald graduated from the University of South Carolina Beaufort with a degree in hospitality management. The university’s Sand Shark mascot, Finnegan, became the inspiration for the Shack’s moniker.
McDonald’s idea formed during a course lecture on current issues where she learned that more than 595 tons of trash was collected from local beaches between May and October of 2020.
“Insane,” she recalls thinking.
Her mission came into focus soon after, and in their first summer Finnegan’s Sharing Shack collected and gave away 673 items. Last summer saw a substantial jump: 449 chairs, 31 umbrellas; 207 boogie boards; 1,693 toys, with 2,290 overall giveaways.
Families also reached out to donate.
“One family moving to Alaska gave us scuba gear, tents, umbrellas, seven boogie boards, five beach chairs and corn hole,” McDonald said.
McDonald recalls a busy mother on the beach whose special-needs child was having difficulty sharing with other children in her care. She had only one boogie board, so leaving the beach was impossible. The Sharing Shack was able to provide her with boogie boards and other sand toys.
“This mom came to me crying, but was thrilled in the end,” says McDonald. “I told her that she came to the right place.”
McDonald’s efforts also help preserve important wildlife. Protecting the Lowcountry’s endangered sea turtle population is a priority on the island. Baby sea turtles can take several days to make their straight-line trek to the ocean and have just enough energy to do so.
A clean pathway is essential.
McDonald, who works as a sales agent for Hilton Grand Vacations Club Ocean Oak Resort Hilton Head, plans to create satellite sharing shacks in higher-traffic areas of the island.
She said she receives messages from as far away as Texas, Arkansas and Canada in anticipation of upcoming trips.
“People are excited for it,” she says. “And the town of Hilton Head has been so gracious in allowing us to use the (Driessen Beach) storage space. We are super thankful for that.”
To learn more, visit the Finnegan’s Sharing Shack Facebook page, or follow it on Instagram @thesharingshack.
