Saturday, December 29, 2018

Two ETT guests needed assistance – December 28, 2018


This past week two Expanding the Table guests expressed a need. The ETT sites are often place where folks can be found struggling with the financial burdens of everyday living.   One, a woman whose gas heat was not working properly and the service tech could not arrive for several days.  She recently had to undergo heart surgery and was in need of a way to stay warm while waiting on the repair.  Change for a Dollar offered a space heater to hold her over.  Another guest who uses a bicycle for his basic transportation had the front light stolen from his bicycle last week.  The police will issue citations for folks riding a bicycle at night without lights in the front and back.  Change for a Dollar offered to get him a new head light for his bicycle.

Walmart – heater & bike light - $63.47

Single mom in need of washer – December 26, 2018


Recently a Summerville single mom’s washing machining broke. She was steadily employed but didn’t have enough cash to buy a new washer and was not eligible for credit.  For many weeks she was making two trips a week to the laundromat to stay on top of the laundry.  While she was able to afford the laundry costs it was getting burdensome and expensive.  Not to mention the time it took to pack the kids up and go to the laundromat each week.  Change for a Dollar became aware of the situation and offered to get her a used washer.  The washer was delivered to house, which she very much appreciated.

Used washing machine - $300

Part time school worker needed assistance – December 12, 2018


An owner of Ashley Ridge Church contacted Change for a Dollar regarding a part time employee in the local school where she teaches.  The employee was a hard working woman and was a well-liked by the staff.  She lived in a very small house not far from the school where she worked.  The staff at the school had heard that she was struggling with her expenses and asked if Change for a Dollar could assist in some way.  Change for a Dollar asked if she could possibly use some help with her electric bill because the winter is a bad time of the year to have electric disconnected.  They inquired and they found out that indeed her bill was coming due and she did not have the funds.  Change for a Dollar checked on her account status and offered to pay the current month’s bill and the next month to give her some margin, especially around the holidays.

SCE&G payment – $130.00

Local man who helps other needed assistance – November 29, 2018


A gentleman from Summerville who is on disability regularly socializes with other folks in the community.  He is a very friendly and outgoing person that is liked by all.  He often will help folks in need in the community often sharing the little he has.  Recently Change for a Dollar helped a friend of his who was a single mom with her electric bill but now he himself had fallen behind in his bills.  He supplements his disability with the occasional odd job but had not any work recently and his electric bill was due and he didn’t have the money.  Change for a Dollar offered assistance and paid his outstanding electric bill.

SCE&G payment – $283.18

Two ETT guests without heat– November 17, 2018


Two regular guests at the Expanding the Table (ETT) serving site were having trouble with their heating systems in their homes.  There was an early cold snap in the Lowcountry and these folks were without heat.  An ETT volunteer asked Change for a Dollar if there was any assistance available or space heaters.  Change for a Dollar paid for two oil filled space heaters that the ETT volunteer delivered to the guests at their home.

Two heaters from Walmart – $80.98

Saturday, November 17, 2018

Friend of ETT guest loses daughter, struggles – November 16, 2018


A regular guest at the ETT serving site has a friend who less than a year ago got custody of her granddaughter when her daughter died.  The grandmother lives in Charleston and the mother and her daughter lived in Summerville up until her death.  The grandmother was financially okay living alone in Charleston but since taking in her granddaughter she has struggled.  She is looking for a way to move to Summerville so her granddaughter can go back to her school and join her friends.  She is looking for an affordable housing situation in Summerville but struggles right now with the additional expenses of her granddaughter.   The ETT guest asked if there was any way we could help his friend out.  Change for a Dollar checked on her electric bill.  While the bill was current there was a significant balance. Change for a Dollar assisted the woman by making a partial payment to her SCE&G account
SCE&G payment – $225.00

New beginners bibles for kids new to Ashley Ridge Church – November 14, 2018


Three children who are grandchildren of an ARC regular attender have been coming to church on and off for a couple of months. They are really getting into the experience. They are all relatively new to religious instruction and didn’t have any bibles.  An ARC owner offered to get the kids a basic beginner bibles and Change for a Dollar offered to assist with the cost.

Bibles for kids – $81.51

Single mom moves in with mother and attends church – November 12, 2018


A single mom has moved in with her mother who occasionally visits Ashley Ridge Church.  The daughter had to leave Georgia where she was living with her kids due to some family relationship matters that needs to get resolved.  The stay is supposed to be temporary but in the meantime the grandmother suggested to the kids to come to Ashley Ridge Church.  The children really enjoyed their time at church and when their mother arrived to live with them she started to attend as well.  She is a spiritual person but had not been to church in a while but when she came to ARC she truly enjoyed the worship experience.  She would like to journal over the years and also liked journaling in church.  Change for A Dollar got her a new application study bible for worship and a journal for her to start journaling in worship.

Bible and Journal - $59.11

A guest at ETT requests a bicycle – November 8, 2018


A regular guest at the Expanding the Table serving site had asked for a bicycle.  Over the years ETT through donations of bikes from folks and Change for a Dollar has been able to assist with bikes for basic means of transportation for some of the guests.  This guest never asked for assistance in the past as she had a very modest vehicle, although not very reliable.  She said that recently she was in need of a bike as her car was in for service, again.  Change for a Dollar provided her with a basic bicycle from Walmart so that she could still get to appointments and to the stores etc. while her can was being repaired.

Walmart bicycle – $96.12

A regular guest at Katie’s Krops has house with no heat– October 26, 2018


A regular guest at the monthly Katie’s Krops dinner shared with the folks in that ministry that she did not have any heat in her house.  The folks at Katie’s Krops have a close relationship with other local ministries in town and approached an ARC Owner who in turn asked Change for a Dollar to see if we could assist.   Change for a Dollar provided funds to the owner to do some shopping and presented the folks at Katie’s Krops with two electric heaters for their guest.  They were graciously received and they offered much thanks.

Two oil filled electric heaters – $81.73

ETT guest in need of funeral clothes – October 18, 2018


A local Summerville woman who is a regular guest of Expanding the Table recently shared with some volunteers her sister had just died.  She needed to travel out of town with other family members to attend the funeral. She was saddened that she did not have any nice clothes to wear to her sister’s services.  One of the female ETT volunteers hearing the story asked Change for a Dollar if we could assist in getting her a nice new outfit.  The volunteer did the shopping and the ETT guest was thrilled with the selection and was able to attend her sister’s funeral looking nice.  Another volunteer also helped her out with a gas card to help with the gas for the family members making the trip.  Upon her return she shared pictures of the family gathered together after the services all looking well dressed.

New outfit – $73.40

Monday, October 1, 2018

Single Grandmother gets guardianship of two young kids – September 29, 2018


A single grandmother with limited income recently had to take in her two small grandchildren.  The kids are 8 and 10 and their mother needed some time to sort out issues in her life.  It is anticipated to be for a limited duration, hopefully no more than a year.  The guardianship came as a surprise and the woman wasn’t prepared for taking on the expense of child care, etc.  The kids were in need of some clothing as they did not come with much clothing.  An ARC owner approached Change for a Dollar to see if we could assist.  Change for a Dollar paid for a gift card to Walmart to help with clothing or groceries whatever was most needed.

Walmart gift card – $175.00

Prescription medications for poor and homeless - September 4, 2018


Change for a Dollar has received numerous requests to assist with prescription medications for the poor and homeless in the community.  Several were struggling with life threatening illnesses and medications are key to recovery.  Change for a Dollar has assisted several folks, many times over the years, and is thankful for a local pharmacy that offers Change for a Dollar a discount on the cash price for providing medications to those in need. 

Prescription medications - $100.00

Assistance with school supplies and uniforms– September 1, 2018


Expanding the Table has relationships with many children on the serving nights in town.  Many of the families that attend struggle to make ends meet and don’t have funds to get clothes and supplies for the new school year.  Several volunteers approached Change for a Dollar to see if we could assist.  Several volunteers partnered with Change for a Dollar and assisted with purchasing some pants and shirts plus some school supplies from Walmart for the children.

School supplies and uniforms – $58.26 plus funds from others

Local homeless man needed new bicycle – August 24, 2018


A local Summerville man who is in and out of homelessness was in need of a bicycle.  A few months back he suffered a broken leg as a result of a dog attack and lost his bicycle in the process.  Change for a Dollar offered to get him a new bicycle as soon as he finished rehab and got back on his feet.  His recovery was lengthy but he was eventually ready following much practice on a stationary bike at the senior center.  Has was thrilled to be able to become mobile once again assisted.

New bicycle – $106.92

Local kids needed school supplies and haircuts – August 18, 2018


Several local Summerville kids that come to the Expanding the Table feeding ministry were in need of school supplies and haircuts.   One of the volunteers who spends time with the kids asked Change for a Dollar for assistance in helping the kids with the needed supplies and the haircuts.  Change for a Dollar assisted with helping the volunteer in purchasing some school supplies from Walmart for the kids.

School supplies and haircuts – $168.65

Thursday, August 16, 2018

Single Mom needed assistance with school uniforms– August 10, 2018


A local Summerville woman who is a single mom has a couple of children but is steadily employed cleaning houses.  Her one teenage son was in a school that required a specific dress code (school uniform) that was really stretching her budget.  She was often a guest at Expanding the Table and one evening was sharing her struggles with one of the volunteers.  The volunteer approached Change for a Dollar to see if we could assist.  There was also a need for some specific school supplies.  Change for a Dollar assisted with purchasing some pants and shirts plus some school supplies from Walmart for her son.

School supplies and uniforms – $150.00

Woman who helps others in trouble herself – August 9, 2018


A local Summerville woman who works at an apartment complex has been helpful to the residents by helping them out with deferred rent payments and small amounts of financial assistance out of her own pocket at times.  She has also made referrals to Change for a Dollar in the past. She would contact Change for a Dollar for help with larger expenses like helping with electric bills as she couldn’t afford to help that much.  Change for a Dollar had not heard from her in over a year until recently she contacted us.  She now herself was struggling as she has two young adult children that got into financial trouble and she helped them to the point of overextending herself. She had a past due electric bill and was in danger of disconnect but was able to come up with the funds to pay the disconnect amount.  She still had a significant outstanding balance on her account.  Change for a Dollar assisted her by making a payment toward the outstanding balance that she greatly appreciated.

SCE&G payment – $200.00

Homeless man needed new birth certificate – August 2, 2018


A homeless man who was working on getting back on his feet was having difficulty in getting a decent job due to lack of proper identification.  He did not have a SS card nor birth certificate.  To get the replacement social security card he needed to produce a valid birth certificate.  The cost for a new certificate was $25 but he only had a few dollars pocket money from odd jobs, etc.  Change for a Dollar was approached and asked if we could help.   A money order made out to the county in which he was born was given to folks helping him get the new certificate.  It should arrive in a couple of weeks and allow him to get his SS card and thus get a real job.

Replacement Birth Certificate fee – $25.00

Monday, July 23, 2018

Guest at Expanding the Table in need of rent assistance – July 19, 2018


A Summerville woman who is regular guest at Expanding the Table and was talking with one of the volunteers one evening.  She shared that her husband had been sent to jail for failing to pay some outstanding fines.  He was going to be in jail for 90 days and she would lose the income that he contributed for that time.  She indicated that his employer promised him his job upon release but in the mean time she was in danger of being evicted out of the trailer she rented.  Change for a Dollar offered to assist with the rent and some other volunteers help with food and cleaning products she had requested as well.  Change for a Dollar met with the landlord and contributed toward the monthly rent payment.

Rent assistance – $200.00

Repairs to woman’s bed so she wasn’t sleeping on floor – July 10, 2018


A young woman needed to replace her furniture in her apartment and was able to get a new queen sized mattress but it did not come with a frame or box spring.  She was sleeping on the mattress on the floor but had difficulty getting in and out of the bed due to her disabilities.  Change for a Dollar received a donated bed frame from an Ashley Ridge Church owner and was able to pick up a couple of pieces of plywood cut to size to support the mattress on the bed frame.  The repair resulted in raising the mattress enough off the floor to make it easier for the woman to get in and out of the bed.

Two sheets of plywood – $49.90

Battered woman assisted in returning home - July 3, 2018


A young woman and her son had located to Summerville with a boyfriend from Virginia.  The boyfriend had a local plumbing business he brought to SC and they were all hoping for a new start.  After a few weeks in Summerville the couple began to have some domestic disputes.  The situation started to get very tense and eventually escalated to physical violence.  The woman had enough money to put her son on a train back to Virginia to his grandparents as she wanted him away from the problems.   At one point the boyfriend pulled a knife on the woman and stabbed her, thankfully the wound was minor but the police were called and he was arrested.  The woman realized she had made a mistake and was now looking for a way to get back to Virginia but had no money and no transportation.  The Victims Advocate was helping her and referred her to the local homeless shelter for some basic assistance and an Ashley Ridge Church owner became aware of the situation and requested assistance for the woman. Change for a Dollar assisted with some gas gift cards for the woman as she found someone to catch a ride up north but needed to share in the expenses.  The victim’s advocate put her up for a few days in a hotel so she didn’t have to return to the apartment as the boyfriend had bonded out.  A few days later she was headed home.

Gas gift cards – $100.00

Monday, June 25, 2018

Man needed tire for his truck, June 26, 2018


A gentleman who is a regular guest at the Expanding the Table serving site is often there with his young son.  He works but struggles to make ends meet.  Recently he was at the site and his truck had a flat tire.  He had an air pump he carried that he used to fill the tire several times a day.  He would every day or so also put in a can of Fix a Flat to help keep it inflated.  One of the ARC volunteers offered to see if they could get Change for a Dollar to help.  Change for a Dollar picked up a used tire and the ARC volunteer delivered it to the man the following day.

Used tire – $48.15

Disabled single mom and daughter sleeping on floor, June 17, 2018


A disabled single mom and her teenage daughter are regular guests at one of the Expanding the Table serving sites.  After the meal one evening one of the volunteers helped the family bring some meals back to their apartment and chatted with them a bit.  It turns out the mother’s sister who was living with them had to leave and they now were struggling with the loss of assistance she provided.  They had fallen behind on their electric bill and were two weeks away from a disconnect, had little food in the house and for some reason the apartment was almost totally bare of furniture.  There was only one chair in the house and a coffee table, they were sleeping on the floor.  Change for a Dollar offered to assist.  The electric bill was paid, a mattress was purchased for the teenage daughter and they were given a Walmart gift card and taken to do grocery shopping.  Other volunteers heard of the situation and donated a queen size mattress for the mother, others donated a kitchen table and chairs and another offered a couch and a love seat.  The family was much appreciative of all the help

Various - $100 Walmart card,, BJ's Mattress $97.19 & $281 SCE&G

Homeless couple living in truck, June 17, 2018


There is a local Summerville couple who are living in their truck.  The husband has been looking for work but was limited due to a bad back.  They had no gas for their vehicle and the meals were coming largely from local food pantries and soup kitchens.  Other folks in the community were helping them with water and a little gas to run the AC in the vehicle to try to avoid the current heat wave.  They were referred to other options to get out of the heat, a place to do laundry and take a shower but they did lack some other needed items such as clothing, specifically undergarments.  Change for a Dollar assisted them with two gift cards, one for Walmart to purchase food and clothing and a gas card to be able to fuel the vehicle for the husband to be able to seek employment and stay cool.

Gift cards - $100 Walmart & $50.00 Gas

Large demand for prescription medications for homeless, June 13, 2018


There is a local Summerville man who is homeless who is battling Stage 3B lung cancer.  Thankfully he is getting his radiation and chemotherapy though a local hospital charity program at this time. However, his medication to help him tolerate the treatments are not covered.  Between his ongoing need for prescriptions and a spike in the demand for medications for other homeless in the community, Change for a Dollar has been called on to assist once again.  Thankfully there exists a relationship with a local pharmacy that offers Change for a Dollar a discount on the cash price for the medications that allows us to assist the local homeless population.

Prescription medications - $200.00

Homeless woman needed room for a few nights, June 9, 2018


A regular guest at one of the Expanding the Table serving sites pointed out a Summerville woman to change for a Dollars who recently became homeless.  The woman was living with her daughter but there was trouble in the relationship and she needed to leave her daughter’s residence.  The woman had recently lost her job but was actively looking for new work.  A distant family relative was coming in from Walterboro to put her up in a hotel for a night or two but was not sure what else she could do as all the homeless shelters were full.  Change for a Dollar offered to get her two more nights in the hotel to buy her some additional time to get her situation under control.  Upon informing her that the room was paid for she indicated that she had gotten a job that morning and would be able to get back on her feet.

Two nights hotel stay - $154.00

Monday, May 28, 2018

New High Schooler needed uniform – May 25, 2018


A teenaged girl who often helps out on the Expanding the Table Food Truck is entering Summerville High School.  She tried out for the High School Marching Band color guard and was very excited to be accepted to be part of the group.  However, when she got some of the details on being accepted she got the sad news from her family that they could not afford the cost of the uniforms for her.  A volunteer from Expanding the Table approached Change for a Dollar to see if we could possibly assist with the cost of the color guard uniform.  The volunteer went to Summerville High School and arranged for the payment of the uniform so the young lady will be able to participate in the marching band in the new school year.

Color Guard Uniform - $145.00

Disabled woman victim of home invasion – May 15, 2018


A disabled woman who is a regular guest at Expanding the Table had a recent traumatic experience.  During the night she was a victim of a home invasion while she slept.  Thankfully she was unharmed.  The intruders kicked in her door and stole her fanny pack with her wallet etc. that was located just inside the door.  She lost her ID cards, food stamps and $150 in cash.  Change for a Dollar was asked for assistance.  The apartment maintenance man did not do a very good job on repairing her door dead bolt /door jamb so C4$ helped make it more secure.  When we inquired as to what her other needs were she said she really needed a new manual wheelchair that she was saving for to use in the house.  She uses a motorized one when venturing outside.  Change for a Dollar assisted by getting her a new wheel chair.  Other volunteers have assisted in getting her documentation, etc. replaced as well.

Manual wheelchair - $171.19

Monday, May 14, 2018

Homeless man battles cancer – April 30, 2018


A local Summerville homeless man recently collapsed and was taken by ambulance to the Emergency Room.  He was having difficulty breathing as a result of fluid in his chest cavity from an infection and the presence of cancer.  Upon further testing in the hospital they found he had a cancerous tumor the size of a baseball in his left lung.  He had a chest tube to drain the fluid and was treated for the infection.  Upon discharge he was referred to an oncologist who diagnosed him with Stage 3B Lung Cancer, a very serious condition.  The local homeless shelter took him in and assisted with getting him plugged into treatment.  He is in the process of getting Medicaid but has no insurance at this time nor prescription coverage.  He needed several medications as part of his treatment and Change for a Dollar offered to assist with the cost.

Medications at local pharmacy - $150.00

Friday, April 6, 2018

Family loses everything in fire – April 5, 2018


A local family recently lost everything in their house fire.  Their son whose room was the starting point of the fire was also burned in the escape from the house.  The family had a lot of support from their friends, employers and the local high school where one of the children attended.  The high school office shared the information with Ashley Ridge Church staff and Change for a Dollar reached out to see if we could assist in any way.  The Red Cross puts families in a hotel for three nights following a serious fire.  This family was struggling to continue to pay for the hotel stay beyond the three nights but most other needs like clothing and food had been met.  They told Change for a Dollar that keeping a roof over their head and staying locally for the kid’s school attendance was the biggest need at this time.  Change for a Dollar offered to help with the cost for extending their stay in the hotel while they continue to sort their situation out.  Thankfully the burned son was released from the hospital after several days of treatment for his burns and was expect to have a good recovery.

Additional hotel stay - $500.00

Assistance for rehab for homeless man - March 22, 2018


A Summerville man has been struggling with addiction for the majority of his adult life.  He has a very supportive family and they tried to help him through all his struggles over the years.  In the past year however the family was no longer able to continue to provide housing and support for a variety of reasons.  The man was working on and off and was attending AA and NA meetings on and off too but really struggled staying engaged.  When he found himself living in a homeless shelter and no place to turn after failed local rehab attempts he got serious about making a change.  He is also on disability and has insurance that is now helping pay for an intensive inpatient 3 to 6 month rehabilitation facility in Upstate SC.  He did need to have a substantial copay to enter the facility but was short the funds to do so.  Change for a Dollar offered assistance to the family and helped pay the copay for him to enter the program.

Co Pay for Rehab center - $500.00

Friday, March 9, 2018

New bicycle tires for homeless man – March 9, 2018


A homeless man regularly visits the Expanding the Table food truck by bicycle.  He is pretty good at maintaining his bicycle as he is handy enough to do minor repairs.  However, his tires were showing extensive wear and he was in need of new ones.  Change for a Dollar approached him to see if he could use some new tires.  He was thrilled at the offer where Change for a Dollar paid for two new tires, two tubes and a bike lock.  Since he didn’t have a lock he was concerned with the new “wheels” he might be a target for theft so he was helped with that also.

Bike tires, tubes and lock - $59.50

Bus ticket for homeless man – March 1, 2018


A homeless man was recently hospitalized following an accidental poisoning.  He was scheduled to reside at the local homeless shelter but when he was in the hospital he connected with a sister from Tennessee who he hadn’t spoken with in a while.  She offered to put him up following his discharge from the hospital and had a job lined up for him as well in Tennessee, if he could arrange to get himself there.  He preferred to take his sister up on the offer rather than staying in Summerville and the shelter.  Change for a Dollar assisted in purchasing him a bus ticket to Tennessee.

Bus ticket to Tennessee - $134.55

Refrigerator needed for Community Center - February 14, 2018


A local Community Resource Center that services a poor section of Summerville recently began receiving food donations from various organizations.  They have a small food pantry and only a small “dormitory” sized refrigerator.  Their ministry was growing and they were in need of a larger refrigerator to store food as they were regularly serving lunches to people from the community.  Change for a Dollar became aware of this organization as they are in the midst of several other ministries ARC conducts.  A larger refrigerator would allow them to better serve the same community ARC was supporting in many ways.  Change for a Dollar arranged for the purchase of a used refrigerator for the Center.

Used Refrigerator - $315.65

Widow needed car repairs - February 13, 2018


There was a couple that regularly visited the Expanding the Table food ministry that recently experienced a death in the family.  The husband of this this couple died of cancer and left his widow struggling a little bit financially.  The wife has a job but her car was in need of some repairs.  She was short some funds to give the mechanic to start work because she was still a week away from getting paid.  She had arranged for transportation to work but need the car ASAP.  An ARC owner was approached for assistance who reached out to Change for a Dollar.  Change for a Dollar arranged to pay a deposit for the mechanic to get the parts and begin the repairs, which she was going to pay for the balance once she got paid at work.

Car repairs - $100.00

Monday, February 5, 2018

Prescription medications - January 19, 2018

Change for a Dollar has received numerous requests since the first of the year to assist with prescription medications for the poor and homeless in the community.  The winter of 2017/2018 is proving to be a big challenge for both the hospitals and free medical clinics.  There has been a flood of flu cases, pneumonia, bronchitis and winter colds that have kept those facilities packed.  Most all of the poor and homeless in the community lack insurance and often the ability to pay for their medications.  Change for a Dollar has assisted several folks many times this season and is thankful for a local pharmacy that offers Change for a Dollar a discount on the cash price for providing medications to those in need. 


Prescription medications - $100.00

Sunday, January 7, 2018

Disabled man without electric/heat – January 1, 2018

Change for a Dollar received a phone call from an apartment manager in Summerville regarding one of their tenants.  The man who rented the apartment was disabled but worked a little to supplement his disability income.  He had gotten behind on his electric bill and was scheduled to be disconnected but planned to pay the bill when he got his pay check.  Because of the holidays, there was a delay in getting his check and getting it cashed which prevented him from paying the bill in time.  That resulted in the electric being shut off.  He would have the money to get the electric back on but the SCE&G offices were closed for the holiday and he needed some assistance for the short term with the forecast frigid temperatures.  The apartment manager asked if we could assist in some way.  Since he had no electric the only option was for a kerosene heater which was provided to supply heat until he could arrange for the electric to be reinstated.


Kerosene heater, container and fuel - $163.67

High demand for prescription assistance – December 18, 2017

The poor and uninsured in Summerville struggle to get the necessary medications for their basic health care needs.  Often they are given prescriptions upon discharge from the hospital that they cannot afford to get filled.  Also medications are often the first thing to be put aside when folks who are poor, homeless and or receive their health care from free medical clinics have other financial demands like food.   This winter season has seen a spike in upper respiratory infections, bronchitis and pneumonia with many hospitalizations.  Change for a Dollar was asked from a variety of sources to assist folks once again with their prescriptions.  Change for a Dollar has a relationship with a local pharmacy where they offer a discount on medications and Change for a Dollar paid for those prescriptions.


Prescriptions for patients- $100