COLUMBIA—The Sisters of Charity Foundation awarded $80,950 to 30 Caritas grantees in December. The foundation awards grants to select non-profit and faith-based organizations meeting the immediate needs of the poor in South Carolina.
The Caritas Grants program supports organizations dealing with situational poverty or crisis poverty. The demand for food, clothing, shelter and free health programs as well as other immediate needs is expanding for organizations providing these services. Caritas grants are up to $5,000 for a one-year period.
The grantees are:
· Anderson Free Clinic – ($3,000) Providing dental care to low income, uninsured adults (Anderson)
· Area Churches Together Serving Acts – ($3,000) Funding for a daily food pantry and senior food program. (Aiken)
· Birthright of Georgetown – ($2,500) Emergency assistance for disadvantaged new mothers and their babies. (Georgetown, Williamsburg)
· Bluffton Self Help – ($1,000) Funding to purchase refrigeration units to store fresh vegetables and fruit for a food distribution program. (Beaufort, Jasper)
· Caring And Sharing – ($2,500) Funding to purchase a walk-in cooler to store fresh produce and healthy foods for a food distribution program. (Florence, Georgetown, Horry, Williamsburg)
· Christ Central Ministries Columbia – ($4,950) Enhancement of a kitchen for a food service program that prepares meals for the homeless and working poor. (Richland, Lexington)
· Clarendon County Community Development Corporation – ($3,000) Providing assistance to a local Meals on Wheels program and food bank. (Clarendon)
· East Cooper Meals on Wheels – ($5,000) Preparing and delivering healthier meals and foods for health impaired seniors. (Charleston, Berkeley)
· EmmanuWheel – ($1,500) Building wheel chair ramps for those in need. (Lexington, Richland)
· Family Promise of Pickens County – ($3,000) Providing services to help homeless families transition into affordable housing. (Pickens)
· Fields to Families – ($2,000) Delivering fresh produce from local farms to community outreach agencies. (Berkeley, Calhoun, Dorchester)
· Golden Strip Free Clinic – ($3,000) Providing medical services to chronically-ill and uninsured individuals. (Greenville)
· Good Neighbor Free Medical Clinic of Beaufort – ($3,000) Providing free primary medical care to low income, uninsured adults. (Beaufort)
· Greer Community Ministries – ($1,000) Funding for Meals on Wheels and Senior Dining programs. (Greenville, Spartanburg)
· Healthy Smiles of Spartanburg – ($4,000) An oral health outreach and education program for children ages 4 to 18. (Spartanburg)
· Help 4 Kids Florence – ($1,500) Distributing weekend meals to needy public school students and their families. (Florence)
· Helping Hands of Goose Creek – ($3,000) An emergency food program serving families and individuals in crisis. (Berkeley)
· Hopewell Senior Day Care Center – ($2,500) Funding for a food program providing breakfast and lunch, five days per week for seniors, and distributing food packages monthly to seniors and low income families. (Georgetown, Williamsburg)
· ICNA Relief USA, Shifa Free Clinic – ($3,000) Funding for a child hunger prevention program providing weekend meals to students in need. (Charleston, Berkeley, Dorchester, Sumter, Georgetown, Colleton)
· James Island Outreach – ($1,000) An emergency outreach program for those in need. (Charleston)
· Lowcountry Orphan Relief – ($1,500) Providing clothing, underwear and socks, school supplies and basic essentials to abandoned and abused children. (Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester)
· Marion Food Bank – ($1,000) An emergency food assistance and disaster relief program. (Williamsburg)
· MedNeed of SC – ($2,000) Funding to provide durable medical equipment to uninsured indigent citizens. (South Carolina)
· Mercy Medicine Clinic – ($3,000) Offering coordinated services to homeless and battered women in transition. (Florence)
· North Strand Helping Hand – ($1,000) Funding to expand a perishable food distribution program. (Horry)
· Pro Bono Legal Services – ($5,000) A program providing free legal services to low income children, families, and individuals. (Charleston, Berkeley, Dorchester)
· Roscoe Reading Program – ($3,500) Support for a program that uses therapy dogs and provides incentives and prizes to encourage reading amongst elementary school students. (Berkeley)
· South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness Board of Trustees-Chesterfield – ($2,500) Helping families in need with food and with access to a broad array of assistance services and information on community services. (Chesterfield)
· Teachers’ Supply Closet – ($3,000) Offering free classroom school supplies to teachers from Title One public schools. (Charleston, Berkeley, Dorchester)
· The Lighthouse Ministries – ($5,000) Providing emergency outreach to those in need. (Florence)
