Bike repairs for homeless shelter residents – December 17, 2015

The new men’s homeless shelter, the Lowcountry Home of Hope in Summerville, is where most guests lack a vehicle.  Most of the men have been provided with bicycles for basic transportation around town by the generous donations from residents of Summerville.  Several of the shelter guests had bikes that recently needed some repairs.  A local bicycle shop offered to do discount repairs and Change for a Dollar paid for the repairs on two bicycles.

Bicycle repairs - $55.00

Single Mom no money for Christmas for kids – December 14, 2015

A very young Summerville single mom has had some legal problems that resulted in her children being placed in temporary custody of the grandparents.  The young lady is semi homeless as the environment at her mother’s house for her is very toxic and she is in and out.  As she struggles to address her issues ARC has been assisting and supporting her along the way.  She has never worked out of high school and married very young which resulted in divorce after the birth of her 3^rd child.  As she struggles and works towards putting her life together, find and job and a place to live she was not in a position to get any gifts for her children for Christmas.  Change for a Dollar helped her with purchasing gifts for her to give to her children on Christmas morning.  We helped her with the shopping and delivered the gifts to the grandparents to be put under the tree.

Car payment - $157.73

Summerville man in need of assistance – December 13, 2015

Expanding the Table participated in the 2015 Summerville Christmas Parade.  During the parade set up a gentleman from Summerville noticed someone he knew in our group of parade participants.  He was a coach with a group of young boys from a little league football team that were participants in the parade as well.  They talked and caught up and during the conversation it came to light that his truck was in for repairs and he was short the money to pay for the repairs and was currently walking to his job.  Change for a Dollar offered to help with a partial payment for the repairs.

Car repair payment - $100.00

Single man loses job, car at risk of repossession – December 2, 2015

A 63 single man was living with a friend.  He had a job and was contributing to the rent and expenses.  He recently lost his job due to health reasons and was applying for disability.  The friends were working with him letting him stay without contributing while he waited for his disability to be approved.  However, he had a car payment that was past due and the car was at risk of being repossessed.  His friends did not have the means to help with the car payment and he was seeking assistance through Trident United Way.  Change for a Dollar helped by making the car payment plus the $5.00 late fee.

Car payment - $250.00

Homeless woman seeks closure with family – November 21, 2015

A homeless Summerville woman has been living on the streets for many months.  She has family in Georgia but has been estranged for many years since her divorce.  Her parents are of very limited means, getting very old and frail and this woman was looking to reconcile with them before it was too late and possibly return home to join them.  She was very anxious about the meeting but felt she needed to reach out.  Change for a Dollar offered to assist if she decided to make the trip in hopes of a good outcome.  After a couple of weeks considering the offer she took us up on the assistance.  Change for a Dollar paid for a bus ticket to GA plus a couple nights in a hotel for her to clean up before the visit.  Last word was she was staying at the parents’ house after the hotel stay.  A good sign.

Trip to GA – $63.00 bus ticket, $203.07 hotel – total $266.07

Single mom evicted, relocating up north – November 6, 2015

A single mom in Summerville was living with some relatives for the past serval years.  She recently lost her job and there was some conflict within the household.  The tension came to a head in recent weeks and the relative informed her that she had to leave the house.  After a few days of living in her car with her children see began to reach out to agencies for assistance.  There was no vacancies in any shelters and she ran the risk of having trouble with DSS for living in her car.  She had other family in Massachusetts who she was in communication with and told her she come to stay with them.  They did not have enough resources to make the trip.  Change for a Dollar was approached for help and we provided gas cards for the trip up north.

Gas Cards – $100.00

Homeless man needed help to get medical care – Nov 2, 2015

A Summerville Homeless man was assaulted a couple of weeks ago.  As a result of the assault he required surgery that wired his jaw back together.  He recently lost his job and was due for a follow up visit to the surgeon to have the wires removed from his jaw.  He was conserving gas in his car for job hunting and asked for help with a gas card to get downtown to MUSC for the follow-up medical visit.  Change for a Dollar purchased him a gas card.

Gas card - $25

Bus Ticket for homeless man - October 30, 2015

As Summerville homeless man was looking to get into the new homeless shelter in town.  Unfortunately, the man had an outstanding legal matter out of state that would result in blocking his entrance to the shelter.  He explained the situation to ARC owners who know him and requested help.  After reviewing the circumstances and discussing options Change for a Dollar purchased a round trip bus ticket for this man to resolve his matters out of state.  He returned after a couple of days and was transported to the homeless shelter where he now resides.

Bus Ticket – $206.00

Bible for struggling young man - October 23, 2015

A guest of Expanding the Table was going through some difficult times and didn’t have any supportive family to turn to.  He suffered a bad accident one evening and was hospitalized as a result.  He had been communicating with one of the food truck volunteers and that was the person he called from the hospital.  The volunteer made a visit to him in the hospital and he was a bit upset.  During the visit he asked if the volunteer would get him a Bible.  Change for a Dollar purchased an easy to read bible / study guide.

Bible – $40.00

Bus ticket for woman stranded in Tennessee - Oct 16, 2015

The daughter of a Summerville woman who regularly attends the Expanding the Table dinners was working in Tennessee with her brother while her children stayed with a grandmother in Summerville.  She and her brother had some trouble with the law while in Tennessee and served a short jail sentence.  Both were anxious to return home to Summerville but needed to attend some counseling classes upon release from jail.  They both thought they had completed all the requirements.  They were stopped by Summerville police one night and a checked indicated that the sister had a warrant in Tennessee for missing a counseling session.  She was extradited back to TN and cleared up the issue in a matter of days but was now stranded in Chattanooga.  The family asked for assistance in getting the young woman back to her children in Summerville.  Change for Dollar paid for a bus ticket from Chattanooga to Summerville.

Bus Ticket – $127.00

Homeless women gets in out of rain storm – Oct 2, 2015

A young Summerville woman who regularly attends the Expanding the Table dinner is homeless.  For many months she was living in a storage unit until being evicted a couple of months ago. Since it was during the summer she was sleeping in the local parks on the warm evenings and was looking to set up a secluded “camp site” but had not yet found something.  With the recent record rainfalls and no place to get of the elements Change for a Dollar put her up in a local hotel for the duration of the storm.

Hotel room, 3 nights - $188.01

Knightsville Dad finally gets job – Oct 1, 2015

A Knightsville Dad who recently got divorced and shortly thereafter lost his job has been struggling with his bills.  His home was in danger of being foreclosed but was able to buy some time.  He has a pay as you go electric account with Berkeley County Electric and Change for a Dollar helped him out with a small payment on his account last month.  He was very grateful.  He recently got a job and was expecting his first paycheck next week.  He only had $11 left on his electric account and was fearful the electric would be disconnected before his first paycheck.  Change for a Dollar helped out with another payment to his electric account.  He has offered to repay the gift in the near future.

Berkeley Electric – 125.00

Homeless man out of jail, off to rehab – Sept 27, 2015

A homeless man from Summerville had to spend two weeks in jail for being convicted for public intoxication.  He is well known in the community and liked by all who know him but continues to struggle with his alcoholism.  As luck would have it his counselor had him scheduled to go into detox followed by rehab on the day he was picked up to serve his time.  He was devastated as he was prepared to make some changes in his life.  Change for a Dollar monitored his time in jail and when he was released he was sober for 2 weeks and still looking forward to changing his life around.  When he got out of jail there was a few days delay before he could get into rehab as he detoxed in jail.  Change for a Dollar put him up in a hotel for a few days away from his “stomping grounds” and set up a network of people to check in on him and support him until he was off to rehab.

Hotel Stay - $188.01

Homeless Dad, bus ticket to family up north – Sept 27, 2015

A homeless single Dad with two small kids had been living in a small local Summerville church for several months.  He was unable to get work as he needed flexibility to be available for his kids during the summer.  A shelter in Walterboro was supposed to take them in but there was an issue with some paperwork and he was turned away.  He was a regular at the Expanding the Table dinners and many of the volunteers tried various ways to help him out.  They got close to the two kids and even helped them with school supplies at the start of school.  After several attempts to work things out for himself and his kids in Summerville some family in Illinois finally agreed to take them in.  Change for a Dollar assisted with bus tickets and food gift cards for the 2 ½ day bus trip.

Greyhound - $213.30 + $100.00

Single Dad, needed help with rent/electric – Sept 14, 2015

A local man who was recently divorced had been concerned about his daughter.  He recently had received custody of his daughter through the courts.  In the process his finances were stretched.  He also at the same time had not gotten as much work as he had in the past.  His rent and electric bill were overdue.  Change for a Dollar helped pay his electric bill, thus preventing a shut off.

SCE - $230.40

Bicycle repair for Homeless man Sept 7, 2015

A local homeless man who lives in the woods rides a bicycle for transportation.  One day the “critters”, most likely squirrels, chewed up his bicycle seat.  For the past few weeks he had been riding with the seat missing half of its padding.  Additionally, the Ashley Ridge Food truck mission, Expanding the Table, has been helping distribute bicycles from a local bicycle mission to the guests who lack transportation.  In addition to buying the new seat for the homeless man Change for a Dollar supplied bicycle locks for several of the bicycle recipients.

Bicycle Supplies - $56.00

Homeless man in need of medical supplies – Sept 5, 2015

A local homeless man was admitted to the hospital a couple of weeks ago for a serious infection.  He spent eight days in the hospital on IV antibiotics.  He had a large open wound from treatment in the hospital that needed post hospitalization treatment.  He lacked the means to pay for medications, over the counter medicines and medical supplies to keep the wound clean while he heals.  Change for a Dollar arranged for him to get the necessary supplies through Guerin’s Pharmacy in Summerville to treat himself.  Change for a Dollar paid for the supplies.

Medical Supplies - $100.00

Man loses job, wife, & family - Aug 29, 2015

An Ashley Ridge Church owner had a customer come to her workplace to pay a bill.  The gentleman was having financial difficulties.  He shared he had lost his job a while back and the pressure on the family caused his wife to leave him as well.  When she left she took what they had in their savings and left him and his adult daughter living with him with nothing.  Recently the daughter left him also to go live with the mother which left him in further despair.  He owns his home and is in risk of foreclosure but the bank so far has been working with him.  He has some equity in the house but with the marital troubles and the loss of savings he is afraid his credit will not position him well to rent or buy even if he sells.  Change for a Dollar connected him with some places for possible job opportunities.  Change for a Dollar helped this man out by making a payment on his current Berkeley County Electric bill and his water bill to lighten his financial burden in this difficult time.

Berkeley Electric & Dorchester Water Payment $215.00

Summerville man loses son in hit and run accident - Aug 4, 2015

A Summerville man recently relocated to Summerville to follow his job when the company relocated and offered employees the option to follow.  He was a divorced gentleman working hard to make a living and was happy when his adult son had chosen to come live with him in SC as well.  His son had a job at a local restaurant and was working to save money to buy a car.  He rode his bicycle to and from work each day.  One day he was working late at the restaurant and was riding home in the late evening when he was struck by a vehicle going at excessive speed, according to the skids marks at the accident scene.  The driver never stopped. The young man suffered severe injuries and was transported to the hospital.  His Dad was woken by a phone call from the doctor and was able to be with his son at the hospital.  Due to the massive head injuries the son died in the early morning hours of the next day.  The father incurred considerable costs in transporting his son’s remains back to their original home state where there was more friends and family.  Change for a Dollar helped this man out with paying his current Berkeley County Electric bill to lighten his financial burden in this difficult time.

Berkeley County Elec Coop Payment $183.00

Disabled Couple, electric bill assistance - Aug 5, 2015

An elderly couple from Summerville who are both on disability live in an apartment that is in a bit of disrepair.  They have tried to get the landlord to fix drafty doors and windows but the response has been slow.  They try to cover the gaps with towels etc. in the winter but their gas and electric bills are especially high during the heating and cooling seasons.  They fell behind a bit after the winter but were making steady partial payments up until this month where they couldn’t pay the bill because of choosing to put food on the table depleted the required funds wanted by SCE&G.  They were in danger of disconnect so Change for a Dollar helped them out and paid the disconnect amount preventing the shut off.

SCE&G Payment $216.43

Homeless woman evicted from storage unit – Aug 1, 2015

A couple of volunteers from the Expanding the Table Food Truck were approached by a homeless man asking that we help a woman in his homeless community.  The young woman had been living in a 5 foot by 5 foot storage unit for the past year.  There were other homeless people living at the facility as well, some who were jumping the fence after hours, and when the owner became aware of the security violations he evicted all of them.  The woman had no place to stay and was looking for someone to help her move her belongings to a friends shed as she was planning to sleep on the streets until she found someplace else to settle into.  A few volunteers helped her move her belongings and ARC Change for a Dollar offered to put her up in a hotel for the next two nights as thunderstorms were predicted for those evenings.  She was able to get in from the rains, at least for a couple of days, and have a real bed to sleep in for a couple of nights while she worked on plans for where she would reside going forward.

Hotel stay $125.34

Single Mom with 4 kids, no food - July 31, 2015

An ARC owner became aware of a single mom who at the end of the month was lacking funds to buy groceries for her family.  Although the family is on food stamps lately it has not been enough to sustain the growing family.  Mom regularly struggles to make ends meet and was now wondering how she would feed her children until she was able to get more funds.  The ARC owner brought her some groceries for the next day or two and asked if Change for a Dollar could assist as well.  Change for a Dollar purchased grocery gift cards to be given to the single mom. .

BiLo Gift cards $200.00

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

Neighbor of ARC Owner seriously ill - 3/24/15

An ARC owner informed Change for a Dollar that her neighbor was recently hospitalized and diagnosed with a very serious and rare lung disease.  The prognosis is very poor and he is being treated at MUSC.  Also, the wife of the sick gentleman only recently stated a new job and has no paid leave to visit and stay with her husband while he is in the hospital.  Her boss has been very supportive but there is a loss of income now as well.  While the neighbors have been very helpful to the family the loss of the wife’s income on top of everything else has put additional strains on the family.  Change for a Dollar helped out the family with some gas cards to cover the cost of repeated trips downtown to MUSC.  Additionally, they were given some BiLo food cards to help relieve some of the strain on the budget.

 

Amount: Gas Card & BiLo food card - $250

Summerville man lost his home / now homeless - 3/19/15

A Summerville man has been struggling with health issues and recently got divorced.  He was continuing to pay his mortgage but lost his job due to health issues.  He started selling goods at the local flea market and spent what was left of his savings.  He ran out of funds and recently was foreclosed on and evicted from his home and is now homeless.  He had a prescription from his doctor for his medication but could not afford to pay for it.  ARC Change for a Dollar help him by paying for the prescription.

 

Amount:  Prescription - $20

Recovering addict / single mom needed help - 3/12/15

A Summerville woman who is a recovering drug addict has been doing well in putting her life back together for herself and her 12 year old son.  She is part of a very small local church who has been helping her with her recovery.  She was going to school for a period of time and is now seeking employment.  She was getting some income while attending school but has fallen behind on the bills while looking for employment. The small church she attends had helped her financially in the past but was unable to continue to do so.  The pastor of the church approach ARC Change for a Dollar to see if there was some help available.  Change for a Dollar paid a portion of her electric bill and put her in touch with the SCE&G Customer Advocate who is helping her get her bills under control.

 

Amount:  SCE&G Payment - $330

Prescription assistance for mentally challenged man - 2/26/15

A 52 year old patient the Medical Outreach Clinic in Summerville is mentally challenged and still lives with his elderly mother.  He recently suffered a mild stroke for which he was hospitalized and thankfully recovered quite well.  He was directed to continue with follow-up medical care and had been trying his best to continue with his medication.  His mother brought him to the free clinic at the direction of another physician.  He was given a prescription for medication which he was unable to afford.  He had no income and his mother was on a small social security payment so the Change for a Dollar program paid for his prescriptions and upcoming refills.

 

Amount:  Pharmacy bill - $150

Medical clinic patient stranded - 3/5/15

A patient who visits a Summerville free medical clinic was stranded one evening at the clinic.  She had gotten a ride to the clinic by a friend but the friend was not going to be able to pick her up.  She had made several calls to other friends who were not able to assist.  She called a taxi company and was quoted a price for transport to North Charleston but she only had $10 to her name.  ARC Change for a Dollar assisted with the cab fare.

Amount: Cab fare - $20

Wounded Warrior family assistance - 3/3/15

An SC&G Customer Advocate notified ARC Change for a Dollar of a wounded Afghanistan war veteran that was in financial trouble. The wounded warrior suffered multiple injuries in a roadside bombing including severe brain trauma.  He is currently disabled at over 100% and is receiving benefits and medical care through the VA.  The young man has been trying to live independently but suffers from a variety of seizures that he routinely needs to be hospitalized and treated for.  Ironically, a couple of the prescriptions, of the many he is on, are not covered by the VA or his insurance.  The prescriptions cost him over $1,000 per month.  Between the hospital stays, the seizures, and the high cost of living he has had to move back in with his parents.  The family continues to try to find additional doctors to assist in his care and spends a lot of time monitoring him so he does not get hurt during his seizures.  The family has decided to forego the rent and any utilities on his place as any hopes of him living independently in the future are slim at best.  This has put a strain on the family financials and Change for a Dollar tried to ease some of that burden with some food gift cards.

 

Amount: BiLo food card - $200

Homeless man in need of medical care- 2/16/15

A Summerville homeless man was recently dealing with a severely infected finger.  The infection had gotten so bad his finger was swollen to twice its normal size.  He was self-treating with no success and when the pain got unbearable he was looking for transportation to the emergency room.  His infected finger did not warrant tying up very expensive emergency room resources.  ARC Change for a Dollar convinced him it was not a good idea to use the ER and offered to take him to a walk in urgent care facility which he agreed to.  The urgent care doctors drained, treated and bandaged the infected finger and prescribed an antibiotic.  Change for a Dollar assisted by paying the doctor bill and the cost of the antibiotic.

Amount: Medical bill and prescription - $238

Local Church Warming Center Support - 2/6/2015

A small local Summerville church opens their doors in the winter as an emergency warming center for the homeless in the community any time the temperature gets below freezing. The church also has a small food pantry that they use to prepare meals for the folks who are spending the night to get out of the cold.  They will also give their guests and others in need a small bag of groceries from time to time.  This winter they were open for several nights and had a significant number of guests that resulted in the pantry getting much depleted.  Between breakfast and dinner for all the guests these past weeks they were in need of help to restock the pantry.  Ashley Ridge Church Change for a Dollar helped out the church pantry by purchasing some bulk groceries for the pantry until they could get some significant donations of food.

Amount: Costco groceries - $105.68

Disabled Mom needs help with electric deposit - 1/26/15

A single mom who is on disability and was homeless for a period of time was recently approved for subsidized housing.  She was thrilled to be able to have a home for her and the two girls but found that when it came to getting settled into the new home there was some unexpected expenses.  When she applied for the electric service to be transferred into her name there was an outstanding balance due on an account she was joint with her ex-husband.  SCE&G worked with her to pay off the past balance due but she only had enough money for a partial deposit on the new account.  ARC Change for a Dollar helped her out by paying a portion of the deposit.

Amount: SCE&G Deposit - $150

Clinic patient without means to pay for prescriptions - 1/9/15

A patient from the Medical Outreach Clinic of Summerville came to the clinic just prior to Christmas.  She is a single Mom who recently escaped form an abusive relationship with her two children.  She was staying with family but was unemployed at the moment due to health reasons, in part related to her situation.  She was prescribed several medications by the clinic doctor but did not think she would have the means to pay for them.  She hoped family, who was also of limited means, could help but they could not.  Ashley Ridge Church partners with a local pharmacy in Summerville who will help by giving discounts to patients we refer.  Change for a Dollar helped this woman out by covering the cost of her prescriptions.

 

Amount: Four Prescriptions - $100