As winter winds down, Sumter Fireside Fund is still meeting needs

I have discovered that winter is a most valuable season. Winter is a time in which the schedule is clearer and the weather encourages you to stay inside to rest, watch movies and play games. The older I get, the more I enjoy this time of year for these very reasons, understanding the importance of slowing down and being intentional with my time.

For the last six to seven months, the Crisis Relief Ministry has been on a torrid pace. The majority of days during this stretch have included consistent large crowds. However, as it does every year, we have witnessed a sizeable slowdown in the past few days as many of our clients are receiving tax refunds to stave off immediate emergencies. The opportunities to make a significant difference still abound, however.

Yesterday, I arrived at 7:45 a.m. and began walking to our entrance. There was one lone work truck in the parking lot that I assumed was part of the construction crew working in the back of our location. As I walked by, he exited the truck and proclaimed his need for help with an electric bill. "I was told by many people to be here early to be in line." As I explained that we have slowed down and that he would be waiting for over an hour for us to open, he happily waited in his truck for 9 a.m. to arrive.

He is a laborer and enjoys working with his hands. He has a family of five, a teenager, two pre-teens and a disabled wife. The entire family depends on his income to keep afloat. Though he has been in the construction field for his entire adult life, a recent lapse in available work was more than he could manage. It was obvious the strain he felt that his family could be without electricity. That burden is squarely on his shoulders, and he is carrying it alone. For this reason, he was willing to wait and not complain. He was simply grateful that someone was available to offer assistance and encouragement.

On that day, we only had eight people come through the office, and he was the only financial interview, a real rarity for us. However, it was as obvious as ever that our mission and purpose are viable 365 days a year, whether they be busy days or not. I am certain that this gentleman would have felt like he was the only one in our office that day even if our lobby had been full. We assisted with a voucher to keep his electricity on and to keep his family warm on these cool mornings. We still have a few weeks remaining, and your donations to the Fireside Fund are empowering great stories like these daily. Thank you for sharing and giving … let's finish the season with a strong response!

Kevin Howell is the director of the Crisis Relief Ministry at Sumter United Ministries.

ABOUT THE FIRESIDE FUND

Each winter since 1969, The Sumter Item has run a fundraiser to collect money from its readers to be donated entirely to Sumter United Ministries.

The faith-based nonprofit provides emergency and life-rebuilding services ranging from food, shelter and clothing to final notice bill pay, access to educational opportunities and a medical clinic. The Sumter Item recognizes and appreciates every ministry their staff and volunteers run, but the Fireside Fund was created to focus on one area that becomes critical for the next few months: heat.

Every penny donated will directly help people who live in Sumter by preventing heating services from being turned off, allowing access to propane or other heating sources and, when enough funding is available and the need is there, funding long-term housing fixes to make homes more efficient.

IN HONOR OF

Each year, The Item's leadership team picks a person who has recently passed away to which the year's campaign will be dedicated. The person honored is someone who made a positive impact in the community, whether through service or philanthropy, business or community leadership.

If you think about the impact the Rev. William Samuel Randolph imparted in terms of civic service, entrepreneurialism, faith leadership and human rights, he checked all the boxes.

The now-late uncle of current Sumter City Councilman James B. Blassingame moved to Sumter to attend Morris College. His legacy is as a pastor of First Baptist Missionary Church for 47 years, owner and operator of Randolph General Construction Co. and city councilman from 1987 to 2008, including mayor pro tempore for 19 of those years. His civil rights legacy is the 1961 S.C. Supreme Court case that, while he was arrested 11 times in the fight for racial equality, was pivotal in charges being dropped for several civil rights activists.

Randolph died Sept. 17 at the age of 88.