Clinic patient in need of ride home - 12/18/14

A single Mom with two kids is a new patient at the Medical Outreach Clinic of Summerville.  She just recently was able to get out of a physically abusive relationship and was now living with her parents in Berkeley County.  She was able to get a ride to the clinic with a friend / acquaintance as her parents did not have the means to provide transportation.  The “friend” who drove her to the clinic became very angry with her when she became aware that there would be a bit of a wait before the woman could be seen by the doctor.  She told her that she could not wait any longer and was leaving with or without her.  This left the patient in tears and she really needed to see the doctor and was going to be stranded if she did so.  One of the volunteers at the clinic offered her some money for cab fare which covered about half of the cost.  ARC Change for a Dollar picked up the balance of the cab fare bill to get her and the kids home safely following the doctor visit.

 

Cab Fare - Amount: $34.00

Single Dad with three children - 12/16/14

A single Dad whose wife abandoned him and their three children has been homeless as a result for the past several months.  He and the kids were taken in by a small local church and have been living there in a small prayer room converted into living space with four beds.  The three children attend a local Summerville elementary school and an aunt who is local gets the kids off to school each day.  The dad has a job as a sub with the post office and recently became approved for an apartment in subsidized housing.

 
ARC Change for a Dollar was paying a chance visit to a local hotel that was upgrading their rooms.  We inquired about what was happening with the old furniture in hopes of getting a piece or two for the family.  When asked why, we explained this situation and the General Manager for the hotel donated a full room full of furniture to this family; two double beds, a dresser, two night stands, a table and two chairs.  ARC volunteers donated a kitchen table with 4 chairs, bed frames, bedding and other items.  The furniture was delivered over the past few days to their new apartment.  Making their home more livable for the Christmas holiday.
 

Amount: $0.00

Disabled Mom supporting family - 12/15/14

An ARC Owner notified ARC Change for a Dollar that a coworker of hers is disabled and struggling to support two adult children, one a college student, the other an unemployed  mother of two.  While the woman has a part time job it has been become ever more difficult these past months to make ends meet.  The family was in danger of the electric service being disconnected.   ARC Change for a Dollar the necessary minimum to prevent the disconnect.

Amount: SCE&G payment $235.41

Widowed Grandfather with 2 small children- 12/13/14

An ARC Owner notified ARC Change for a Dollar of a 75 year old widowed man who has custody of his two great grandchildren, ages 6 & 7, who was having some difficulty.  His wife, who was a hoarder, died about a year ago and he was still struggling with some of mess from the hoarding.  A local elementary school had concerns for the children’s wellbeing and Dorchester County Sherriff’s Deputies were dispatched to investigate.  Dorchester DSS/CPS visited the family as well.  The grandfather has a serious heart condition and has difficulty with the daily chores in caring for two young children.  It is a loving family and both the Deputies and DSS felt the children were in no present danger but the living conditions needed some serious improvement.  Additionally, his water heater failed and the heat went out shortly thereafter.  Change for a Dollar arranged for an HVAC contractor to respond to fix the heat at no charge. A crew of volunteers from Ashley Ridge Church spent the day getting the house cleaned and decluttered.  Additionally, the volunteers supplied new beds, other household items for the children’s bedroom and did other household repairs.  Other issues are to be addressed in the near future to help this family stay intact and back on track to living effectively.

 

Amount: Cleaning supplies $82.66

Homeless grandmother with 2 children - 12/12/14

ARC Change for a Dollar was contacted by the principle of a local Summerville middle school regarding two of their students.  The two girls live with their grandparents who have custody of the girls.  Recently the grandfather decided to leave the family and it wasn’t long after that the grandmother, who is disabled, and the two girls became homeless.  Their small savings and the small disability payments that the grandmother receives soon ran out paying for hotel stays.  The school took up a collection to help pay for additional time in the hotel.  The family is eligible for subsidized housing but is on a waiting list for that plus on a waiting list for the One80 Place Summerville residence.  Change for a Dollar paid for a few additional nights as additional options are explored.  C4$ also gave the grandmother two local restaurant gift cards for the family to eat through the weekend.

 

Amount: 3 nights hotel stay and gift cards - $306.89

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

Phone card for homeless man - 10/2/14

There is a homeless man from Summerville has been helped in the past by Change for a Dollar.  He was very appreciative of past help and as a result his faith has continued to grow.  As his faith grew he asked those who were in his phone contacts if he could share a daily devotional / periodic bible verses with them.  He has been doing that for the past couple of months.  This past month he was unable to come up with the funds to pay his monthly phone charges and notified his contacts he would be stopping his texts as a result of termination of phone service.   Ashley Ridge Church Change for a Dollar anonymously paid his monthly charges – he texted his appreciation and his devotional texts continues.

Amount: Boost Mobile - $49

Food card for homeless man - 10/20/14

An ARC owner works in Charleston.  On her morning commute she often sees a homeless man on the corner seeking help.  She felt compelled to do something for him.  ARC Change for a Dollar suggested a food card to offer him to establish a relationship and see if additional assistance may be needed.  She agreed and gave him a $25 gift card.

 

Amount: BiLo Gift card - $25

Summerville family financial bind - Sept 24, 2014

An ARC owner from Summerville became aware of a family with four children that has fallen on hard times.  The husband works as a landscaper and with the inclement weather has missed many days of work.  With four kids in school and one starting college the family finances that were barley covering expenses became further stretched with the loss of the work days.  Due to the shortfall of income they fell behind in their bills and the electric was in danger of being turned off.  Ashley Ridge Church, Change for a Dollar plus some assistance from other churches has prevented the electric from being turned off.  The family was confident that once the husband got back to a regular work schedule they will be OK.

 

Amount: SCE&G $150

Abusive family situation - 9/16/14

An ARC owner from Summerville has a neighbor who is a young mother and has been in an abusive relationship.  Last week the abuser was jailed for assaulting the mother and the mother needed to be hospitalized.   She does not have a job and relatives (who are temporarily caring for the children) don't really have the means to provide for the family.  Ashley Ridge Change for a Dollar helped the family out with a food gift card.

 

Amount: Bi Lo $100

Single Mom with Autistic son needed help - 9/11/2014

An ARC owner works at the Trident Health system has a coworker who recently relocated to the Charleston area.  She is a single mom who has an Autistic son who moved to SC for a better way of life for her family.  She has been struggling with care for her son and has met with delays in getting him into the care system in SC.  As a result she has incurred large amounts of debt for the care for her son while she works.  Her son remains on waiting lists for assistance but in the meantime her finances have been stretched to the breaking point and is behind in some bills.  The ARC owner referred her to ARC Change for a Dollar and we helped her out with a Bi Lo food card and paid her SCE&G bill

 

Amount: SCE&G - $340.00, Bi Lo $80

Man just released from prison – needs prescriptions - 9/6/14

A local Summerville man who was just recently released from prison was dealing with several health issues.  He came to the Medical Outreach Clinic of Summerville for medical attention.  The prison had released him with some medication, which has run out, and he remains unemployed but is staying with a friend.  As a result of his exam he needed several prescriptions that he could not afford.  ARC Change for a Dollar worked with Guerin’s Pharmacy in town to provide the prescriptions that Change for a Dollar paid for.

 

Amount: Guerins - $86

Woman battling cancer needed assistance - 9/3/14

A single mom who is battling a recurring cancer asked for assistance.  Her disability was expected to kick in at the end of the month but currently she was in financial need.  Her greatest need at the moment was the electric was in jeopardy of being shut off for outstanding balance. Ashley Ridge, Change for a Dollar helped her out by paying the outstanding balance on her SCE&G account.

 

Amount - SCE&G $200.00

Military family with unexpected expenses - 8/26/14

A young Air Force family with two small children were caught up in difficult situation.  The wife recently had to seek employment with a new employer and was required to attend a two week training program in North Carolina.  The job was an excellent opportunity for the family but as luck would have it the husband was temporarily assigned to a mandatory one month out of state training assignment for his job within the Air Force. The two training assignments overlapped and put the family in a difficult situation for child care while they were both away at training.  The only available option was to drive the two young boys to Texas to stay with grandparents.  The round trips to Texas and the lapse in pay between jobs stretched the family finances to the breaking point. They had to borrow money from the other out of state grandmother just to buy groceries.  Ashley Ridge church helped them out by providing food cards to help lighten the load.

 

Amount: Bi Lo $200

Auto accident results in job loss - 8/24/14

A young man from Summerville was involved in an auto accident where his car was totaled.  Unfortunately he had only basic insurance and no collision.  As a result of the accident he suffered a bad head injury that need significant medical attention as well.  Between doctor visits and loss of transportation he lost his job at a local retail store.  He was getting some help from local friends which has been significant.  Change for a dollar helped with a food card to Bi Lo and also helped lightened the financial stress by paying his electric bill.

 

Amount: Bi Lo $100, SCE&G $250.00