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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Homeless man needed help with rent deposit – December 14, 2017

A local Summerville homeless man was taking a step towards independence.  He had recently gotten involved with a local church and was working hard at turning his life around.  Through his connections with the church he was able to pick up some odd jobs in the community.  He was hopeful of getting into a boarding house in Summerville after the first of the year but in the meantime he was renting a room in Ladson.  He needed some assistance with the deposit for the room.  Change for a Dollar was asked to assist this fellow with his rent deposit.  Change for a Dollar met with the landlord and paid for the deposit.

Rent deposit - $100

Church Angel Tree supplemental gifts – December 12, 2017

For the past couple of years Ashley Ridge Church has provided an Angel Tree for gifts for children that frequent the Expanding the Table food truck.  This year there was a large number of kids and a very large response from the church.  The distribution is scheduled for the coming weekend and an inventory of all the Angels and names of kids (new kids always arise at the last minute) indicated there was a shortage of gifts with no time to re-solicit folks to purchase.  The ETT ministry wants to insure no kid would be missed so they asked Change for a Dollar if it could assist with some funds for additional Christmas gifts for the additional children.  Chang for a Dollar paid for some additional gifts and several volunteers offered to  wrap them for the upcoming distribution.

Angel Tree Children Christmas gifts - $210

Homeless man needs prescriptions filled – December 8, 2017

An uninsured homeless man was recently hospitalized for pneumonia.  While in the hospital he was also diagnosed with COPD and spent a week in the hospital recuperating.  Being uninsured, he was given prescriptions upon discharge that he could not afford to get filled.  It was critical that he have his four medications to prevent a relapse or further complications.   Change for a Dollar was asked to assist this fellow with his 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- $140