Homeless family in leaking tent at campgrounds – July 10, 2015

An Ashley Ridge Church owner follows the posts on a Summerville Pay it Forward Facebook page.  She became aware of a homeless family of four who are staying at a local campground but their tent was leaking and they were looking for a new tent  The ARC owner contacted Change for a Dollar to see if we could assist.  Others were already trying to get a tent for this family amongst some other items like propane, etc.  Change for a Dollar referred them to a homeless shelter that takes families, men, women and children to see if they can get more suitable shelter.  ARC put them up in a hotel for two nights as they communicate with the shelter and hopefully make arrangements to get into some temporary housing.

Hotel stay $125.34

Homeless man’s camp flooded out – July 3, 2015

A homeless man was having dinner at the Expanding the Table and we inquired how he was doing.  He normally lives in the woods in Summerville and had a campsite that he calls home.  They inquired if he needed anything for his campsite when he indicated he was no longer at that site.  The heavy rains recently had washed out his camp site and he had moved on from it.  When asked where he has been sleeping he said someone had given him some sheets and he was sleeping on the streets as the weather was warm enough.  When we asked about what he was eating at other times he indicated he occasional gets some help from folks when he runs out of his food stamps.  Change for a Dollar offered him a gift card to Subway which he graciously accepted.

Subway Gift card - $40

Summerville man at boarding house – July 2, 2015

A guest at the Expanding the Table approached us for help.  He was a former Summerville resident who just returned to town and was staying with a relative until he got a job.  He had been working for a few weeks as a laborer and had moved to a boarding house in the Brownsville Community as a result of being employed.  He lost his job recently and was looking for new employment but was short rent money for the room at the boarding house.  Expanding the Table folks had referred him to a local temp agency for work and offered to assist with the rent.  Change for a Dollar paid for one weeks stay at the boarding house.

Boarding House rent- $100

Four year old girl and family battle cancer – June 30, 2015

A little four year old girl is battling a stage 4 Neuroblastoma.  She recently underwent a stem cell transplant but still has a lot of chemotherapy and other treatments to undergo.  Her mom has quit her job to be at her bedside at MUSC Children’s Hospital.  Her father works for Harris Teeter and has been missing a lot of work to be with his family in this battle.  The young family has moved in with the father’s parents and they now are a family of eight under one roof.  The family at least are secure with their housing but there is a strain on the budget for food and for gas for trips to MUSC.  ARC Change for a Dollar helped with gift cards for food and gas.

Bi Lo and gas gift cards - $250

Young woman downsized at work, financial trouble – June 23, 2015

A young Summerville woman had been steadily employed and was doing well this past year as she for qualified for brand new low income housing.  She loved her new apartment and things were finally going well when she lost her job through her employer downsizing several employees.  Her rent was due in a couple of weeks and she had not found a new job yet.  The property management company was very strict about past due rents and she was in danger of being evicted if she missed her rent payment.  Her electric bill was current but there was a bill pending in a few days.  The rental payment of $500 was beyond the means of the Change for a Dollar program to take care of but we made a partial payment on her electric to help her out.  During the course of researching the situation, we were approached by a local gentleman who was familiar with the Change for a Dollar program and became aware of situation and our inability to help with the rent.  This gentleman anonymously paid her rent so she would not be evicted.

SCE&G payment - $100

Homeless man with dog / broken jaw - June 24, 2015

The Dorchester Goodwill Prosperity Center called Ashley Ridge Church Change for a Dollar for assistance with a homeless man.  They were having a power outage at the center and were unable to assist him in any way.  The main reason they called was because he had a fractured jaw and was scheduled for surgery later in the week.  The whole side of his face was bruised and swollen.  He had been mugged while sleeping in his car one night and his upper jaw was fractured.  He was treated and released from Summerville ER and was scheduled for surgery at MUSC.  He lives in his car with his dog Dixie and she is his “family” and he is very close to her.  He was in fact more concerned with getting a job so he could care for the dog than he was concerned about his medical condition.  He needed gas for his car to get to MUSC later in the week and he was been unable to eat solid food.  He had been eating yogurt and milk shakes for the past several days but was out of money, he was stiffed on pay from working a roofing job the day before.  Change for Dollar filled his tank with gas, got him some high calorie protein drinks, Gatorade, ice, a gas card and some dog food.  We promised him if he got the surgery to take care of himself we would take his dog to the vet after he got out for a checkup too.

Bi Lo / Sunoco - food, etc - $84.41

Two sisters living in house without Air conditioning - June 14, 2015

Two woman who frequent the Expanding the Table food truck one evening were talking with the Hospitality volunteer.  During the discussion the topic came up about the heat wave we were having and they were asked if they were staying cool.  The one sister indicated that they did not have any air-conditioning in the house and in fact her much older sister collapsed the day before but was OK now.  Change for a Dollar asked if they needed a repair to their HVAC unit but she indicated they never had one for the house.  In the past they had a small window unit AC but now just relied on fans.  C4$ purchased two small widow units for their bedrooms so they could escape the heat.

Lowes - $276.06

Summerville Woman helping others loses job - June 15, 2015

A Summerville woman is helping a friend by housing her friend’s daughter as the young lady recovers from a drug addiction.   The mother felt it best that a change of environment would be better for her daughter upon release from rehab.  The mother arranged with a friend a living arrangement to benefit the daughter but both families are of limited means.  The friend recently lost her job and was now struggling financially but remains optimistic as she continues to support her friend and her daughter.  The mother had worked with ARC Change for a Dollar in the past helping others in the community.   She reached out to ARC to see if we could help out her friend.  Change for a Dollar helped by paying an overdue electric bill.

SCE&G Payment - $250.00

Summerville Homeless man in need of food - June 4, 2015

A Summerville homeless man living in a small community church was in need of food.  The small church that is helping him out temporarily as he seeks employment does not always has food on had to provide “guests” with regular meals.  ARC Change for a Dollar purchased a couple of bags of groceries and gave to him to take back to the church where he stays.  Approximately a weeks’ worth of breakfast, lunch and dinner items were provided.

Bags of groceries - $39.94

Single Mom, lapse in pay, overdue electric bill due - June 4, 2015

A single Mom from Knightsville is working but the current company she works for was sold to another company.  As a result of changing payroll systems there was a delay in issuing paychecks for more than a week. The woman who lives paycheck to paycheck with nothing to spare and often falls short was up against an overdue electric bill.  Her pay was to be brought up to date on the following payday but her electric would have been disconnected prior to that.  ARC Change for a Dollar assisted the woman with a payment to SCE&G to prevent the shutoff.

SCE&G Payment - $182.95

Single Mom helped as she supports young homeless girl – May 31, 2015

A Summerville single mom recently took in a young lady who was kicked out of her house.  The woman has several kids of her own and the additional child has put a strain on the budget but felt compelled to provide a safe place for this girl to finish school.  She was managing and was not seeking help and acknowledged that God would provide for her and her family’s needs.  ARC wanted to help her out as she works to provide a safe stable environment for her “extended family”.

BiLo Gift card - $100.00

Divorced woman struggles to support family - May 22, 2015

A Summerville woman recently divorced still has two adult children living at home with the adult son who has disabilities.  As a result of the divorce her income was insufficient to maintain the mortgage and she lost the house.  She had a part time job but lost that recently as well.  She has been living in a small apartment with her children for the past several months.  Thankfully, her daughter recently got a job to help with the expenses but she was still falling behind in her rent as she looked for a job herself.  ARC Change for a Dollar helped the family by making a partial payment towards the rent.

Rent payment - $300.00

Disabled community volunteer in need of help - May 25, 2015

An ARC owner met a woman at an Expanding the Table serving who herself has been involved for years with helping those in need in the community.  She is disabled and in recent years her disability has gotten worse.  Being of limited means herself and now struggling with her disease she has all but stopped her help of others.  This has been a difficult thing for her to accept.  After years of service in helping with food panties and the homeless community in general she was convinced that it was time for her to accept some help at this time.  Her disability / Medicare coverage does not cover all the costs associated with her physical therapy and it has put a strain on her finances.  She was in danger of having her electric disconnected.  ARC Change for a Dollar made a payments to her SCE&G account to avoid a shut off.

SCE&G payment - $169.70

Young lady graduates - May 22, 2015

An ARC owner requested we help out a young lady who was high school senior about to graduate.  She had been put out of her house a while back by her mother, the living conditions were less than ideal. The mother of a friend of hers offered to take her in.  This woman who took her in is a single Mom with three kids.  The conditions that were set for this young lady was she had to quit her job and focus on school so she could graduate.  She did just that and has been a trouble free part of the family.  While achieving the goal of graduating, neither the family nor the young lady had any means to celebrate the graduation.  ARC change for a dollar provided gift certificates for her to get her hair and nails done for graduation.  We also provided a gift certificate for new shows and another kind person purchased a new drees for her.  She celebrated the accomplishment of graduating in style.

Gift certificates - $170

Battered woman assistance – May 20, 2015

An ARC owner requested assistance for a woman who was living in a very abusive relationship.  In addition to the physical abuse the woman was not allowed to work independently and could only work with her husband so he could control her behavior.  The ARC owner was looking for an opportunity to intervene and when the police got involved one evening she called DSS.  DSS arranged to remove the woman and the children from the home.  The woman was temporarily placed at her parents’ home but they are still too close to the abuser and this family has very limited means.  Change for a Dollar was able to refer to some services, victims’ advocacy and a safe house.  As the woman had no financial means to do anything Change for a Dollar set up an emergency fund for her to access as she escapes form this terrible situation

Emergency Fund - $500

Single woman with sick granddaughter - May 12, 3015

A disabled Summerville woman has been going through a difficult divorce and has been struggling to make ends meet as she is still not getting any child support.  She recently moved into an apartment with her two granddaughters after being homeless for a short period of time.  One of her girls recently was diagnosed with a respiratory ailment that requires the use of some electric powered medical equipment.  Her husband has not been helping financially and her disability payments were stretched especially with the additional electric consumption for the medical equipment.  She has fallen behind in her SCE&G monthly payments.  Change for Dollar helped by paying an outstanding payment that will prevent any electric shut off.

SCE&G Payment $292.91

Elderly couple in need of assistance - May 6, 2015

An elderly gentleman and his wife were in need of assistance.  For years he was serving in his local church as a Deacon and was very active.  In recent years, due to health reasons, he has been limited in what he can do and is on a fixed income.  He has had to stop serving at his local church but he and his wife remain faithful and do what they can.  In recent months he had some unexpected expenses that caused him to fall behind in his electric bill, this was upsetting for him as he had prided himself in always being able to provide for his family.  ARC Change for a Dollar was approached and asked if we could help him through this difficult spot.  Change for a Dollar paid a portion of his electric bill thus keeping him out of the arrears / disconnect process.

SCE&G Payment $336.73

Newlywed looses job, falls behind on bills - April 29, 2015

The pastor of a small local church approached ARC Change for a Dollar for assistance for one of their members.  A couple who attends their church regularly recently got married and moved in together, both were working at that time.  The husband shortly after moving in with his wife lost his job and is still looking for work.  In the interim the utility bills grew as the family size had increased and they fell behind in their payments to SCE&G.  Their church helped them out some but they were still short on the bill to prevent the shut off.  Change for a Dollar made an SCE&G payment to prevent the disconnection of service.

SCE&G Payment $626.52

Panhandler approaches ARC Owner - 4/20/15

An ARC owner was approached by a panhandler in the parking lot of Target.  The woman claimed to be a single mom living in a motel at the moment and was receiving a small amount of disability benefits.  It was towards the end of the month and she was about a week away from receiving her benefits.(She produced her disabilities papers and ID showing her payments of approx. $800 per month)  As she had not yet established South Carolina residency she was not yet eligible for food stamps.  She had spent the last of her money for the room for her and her two children but had no money for food.  She was told that they would not give her cash but offered to help buy some groceries.  She graciously accepted a gift card to Target for groceries.

 

Amount: Target Gift Certificates - $40

Food Gift Certificates for homeless - 4/14/15

An ARC owner reached out to several homeless folks from Summerville about their needs.  One woman who has been living in her truck for several months and struggles with some mental health issues welcomed the help in the form of $50 worth of gift certificates (alcohol and tobacco excluded) for Piggly Wiggly where she routinely shops.  Another woman who frequents the “Square“ in town during the day spends her nights at a small local church in the middle of town.  Her and her boyfriend relocated here from Pennsylvania for a better way of life but he lost his job shortly after arriving and found themselves on the street.  The small local church has been housing them but they were very much in need of the gift certificates ($50) making it possible for her to shop at the “Pig” for necessary items.

 

Amount: Piggly Wiggly Gift Certificates - $100