Sumter Fireside Fund helps couple raising grandson escape cycle of cold
I have a bad habit of rarely checking the weather. Too often I head out without a jacket only to be greeted with frigid air and regret.
Recently, I went out unprepared for the elements and felt cold. It would be one of those days that nothing - not going inside, not a second cup of coffee, not even a blanket - made me feel warm. Once I felt cold, I could not overcome it.
This is that stretch of winter when it is tough to guess what kind of day we will have. The afternoons that reach above 60 degrees yield to 30-degree mornings. We are anxious for spring. On a warm day, many of us will notice the heat never runs and thermostat rises naturally above the heat setting. That is not the case for many of the clients we see at Sumter United Ministries.
In poorly insulated, older homes, in which many of our clients live, brief stints of cool temperatures can lead to lasting cold to battle inside. In many of these homes, the heating units are also in need of repair or better efficiency. It is an ongoing cycle. To put it simply, staying warm is a lingering issue for those that cannot take comfort for granted.
We continue to see well-deserving families in need of assistance. Just this week, a disabled lady in her late 50s visited us. Her husband is 60 years old and has had a long career in teaching until he recently suffered a stroke. In the short term, as benefits are being processed, they have had months of greatly reduced income, depending on her meager disability income to survive. They are also raising a grandson, and the money is not stretching far enough to cover all of their needs.
As you enjoy the nice, warmer afternoons when they come, please remember that many are still struggling to stay warm and comfortable. Each time you give to the Fireside Fund, we are doing our best to evaluate the best scenarios to assist deserving neighbors in need. Thank you for giving!
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.
New donations as of Feb. 28: Robert W. and Bee Kemmerlin Brown, $50.