Homeless couple living in car, no gas - 11/23/14

A homeless couple has been living in their car for the past few weeks.  Mike lost his job a few months back and has not been able to find work yet.  They eventually were evicted from their apartment.  A small local church has allowed them to stay in the parking lot with an extension cord run to the car so they can access the Internet through the church Wi Fi.  They have been applying for jobs on line and are hopeful something will come through soon. This past weekend their car was on empty and they had no money.  ARC Change for a Dollar filled their car with gas so they could keep warm and have gas to go on interviews as they came up.

 

Amount: Fill gas tank - $42

Help with a phone bill - 11/20/14

A friend of an ARC owner has been struggling for some time but has been getting by.  He is reluctant to ask for help and his phone bill is always the last thing he pays for each month.   This month he was going to lose his phone service because of lack of funds to make a payment.  There is no family locally and the phone was his only means of staying in touch with those he cared about.  The ARC owner helped him with a partial payment on the account and Change for a Dollar picked up the balance keeping his phone in service for the next month.
 

Amount: $25

Disabled Single Mom in need of help - 11/19/14

A disabled N. Charleston single mother who receives no support from her ex-husband was in financial trouble.  Upon her divorce she did not get the necessary documents to remove her husband from joint accounts and therefore was stuck with large past due electric bills.  She paid off the bills but has fallen behind with two teenage boys with big appetites.  Her food stamp card had run out a week short of being replenished and with the additional expenses has fallen behind on the electric bill again.  ARC Change for a Dollar helped with a payment to SCE&G to prevent any shut off and also sent her a Bi Lo food card to help with groceries until the beginning of the month.
 

Amount: SCE&G Payment - $100, BiLo card $50 total $150

  

Free Clinic Patient in financial trouble - 11/14/14

A patient of the Medical Outreach Clinic was seeking medical attention when during his intake his financial situation came up.  The single man is disabled and has been seeking disability but in the meantime has been supplementing his food stamps by selling items at the flea market at the Fair Grounds.  Normally he makes enough to just get by but these past few weeks with the Coastal Carolina Fair in town the flea market has lost a lot of business.  He had an electric bill that was due and hoped to be able to pay it but with the decrease in his sales / income he was unable to pay the bill.  Change for a Dollar offered to help him in part on his bill and made a payment towards his balance due.  He was confident he could pay the balance in the weeks to come as SCE&G would give him additional time since a substantial payment was made.

 

Amount: SCE&G Payment - $200

Single Mom with no heat - 11/11/14

A referral came from Rural Missions, a Johns Island ministry directly to the Ashley Ridge Church office.  A Summerville single mom with four kids living in a house within the East Edisto region was without heat in the home she recently purchased.  The house needed a full heating system which was beyond the means of Change for a Dollar.  During discussions as to how Ashley Ridge Church could help in some other way the thought of an indoor Kerosene heater came to mind.  The mother was comfortable using the heater as she had used them in the past. Change for a Dollar supplied a 23,000 BTU heater and a container with 5 gals of kerosene to get her started.  The heater appeared to be able to heat the small house until a more permanent solution could be found.

 

Amount: Kerosene Heater - $206

Rent deposit for displaced family - 11/11/14

An ARC owner referred a Summerville family with children for consideration for Change for a Dollar.  The father of the family works but his income is seasonal and they had been getting by.  Recently they were told that they needed to relocate as their lease was not going to be renewed.  The news was sudden and unexpected and put a hardship on the family finances.  The new apartment they were moving to required a significant deposit for which they did not have.  Change for a Dollar helped the family by paying the deposit on the new apartment

 

Amount: Apartment Deposit - $400