Initiative kicks off summer of helping Sumterites

After a successful inaugural year, The Sumter Item is continuing its mission to try to help the community with the second-annual "Summer of Caring."

The initiative raised more than $5,000 in its first year, and there are plans to raise even more money in the second year.

"We are excited to be a part of helping Mark Champagne and United Ministries again this summer to help those in need," said Jack Osteen, editor and publisher of The Sumter Item. "Even though we raised just a little over $5,400 last summer during our first year, we know every little bit helps and feel confident now that the word is out we can improve on donations these next few months."

Summer of Caring aims to raise money for different community projects. The initiative is modeled after The Sumter Item's Fireside Fund, which raises money to donate to The Salvation Army to help people pay heating bills in the winter.

The money United Ministries of Sumter County receives goes to three bigger projects: crisis relief, construction ministries and emergency shelter. These programs, according to Champagne, United Ministries' executive director, are there to help with the constant needs of the community.

"You're always going to have people losing jobs or having crises so somebody can't pay a utility bill, or they're about to get evicted," Champagne said. "You're always going to have people that are living in homes where their roofs are leaking. The need is always so huge, and we're just scratching the surface of it."

Crisis Relief Ministry helps community members pay overdue rent notices the renter cannot pay. The ministry also helps replace damaged furniture if it was lost in a fire or if a victim of domestic abuse has to move out of his or her home, and it helps pay for medication if a senior citizen is not able to pay for his or her prescription.

The Construction Ministry does just that - it is a volunteer-based home-repair program that helps fix damage to homes such as roofing, floors and door problems. The ministry also constructs ramps to help handicapped people.

The Emergency Shelter program provides temporary night lodging for homeless people. Champagne said they have the capability to house 20 men and eight women at the shelter, and hot meals are provided nightly by people in the community.

The shelter, like the rest of the ministry work, is staffed heavily by volunteers.

"This place doesn't exist without people," Champagne said. "We're setting up the platform, but it's people in this community. There are thousands of people, thousands of volunteer hours every year; that is the reason why this stuff happens."

Last year the campaign raised $5,542 to help community members in need. Champagne recalled a memory from last year's summer projects about a woman in her 80s whose roof was leaking. He said she had to put a 5-gallon bucket on her bed to catch the water while she slept. United Ministries fixed her roof, and now it no longer leaks.

And stories like that are the reason The Sumter Item and United Ministries are trying to raise money. The more money received, the more charity United Minstries can do in the community.

Appointments to receive assistance can be set up by calling (803) 775-0757. Meetings can be made Monday through Thursday between 9 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

Financial donations for Summer of Caring can be mailed to:
The Sumter Item
P.O. Box 1677
Sumter, SC 29151

Contributions can be dropped off at The Sumter Item's office at 20 N. Magnolia St.

If donations are to be made in someone's name, identify the person, and correctly spell his or her name.

If you want the donation to be made specifically to one of the three programs, please indicate which one. If no indication is made, it will be divided among the three.