Fireside Fund helps Sumter woman abandoned by spouse keep warm in rough time

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All it takes is the cruelty of one person to leave a life in shambles.

Though we never get to hear both sides of the story at Sumter United Ministries, when a spouse who has been abandoned comes in to interview, it elicits immediate compassion.

Recently, a woman in her late 50s came to our office at the Crisis Relief Ministry. As she approached the counter, she was overwhelmed and emotional. She could not articulate what she needed from us. She needed everything!

She had been abandoned by her spouse of nearly 20 years and left without any income. She worked until a few months prior when her then-husband urged her to quit working. Not long afterward, he left her and has since provided no financial support.

It is one of those initial conversations where the client is too emotional to think clearly and you, as the one assisting her, have to ask specific questions and think clearly through what she needs and how you can assist. Now, in this case, there were four to five different ways to assist this client, and she may be eligible for all of it. However, it was to her surprise that the Crisis Relief Ministry offered to help fill up her propane tank to heat her home. She was not accustomed to being independent, and since her husband owned a business, he may have handled their personal accounts, as well.

The CRM was able to offer sound counseling, direction for the job search and some Christ-centered encouragement. She received a voucher to fill her propane tank and will have heat in her home for many weeks to come.

All it takes is the cruelty of one person to leave a life in shambles. It will take immeasurably more kindness to restore that same life. This was a step in that direction: pleasant smiles, caring words, listening ears and, most importantly, tangible assistance, in this case, in the form of a warm home. Your donation to the Fireside Fund is more than a gift. It is a piece of the puzzle in helping others in the journey back to joy. Thank you!

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 or business leadership.

This year, Sumter lost two stalwarts in local business and community support on the same day, Billy McLeod of Piggly Wiggly and Carl Simpson III of Simpson Hardware Co.

McLeod was 93 when he died April 4. His father, Gilbert McLeod, founded Mac's Supermarkets, which changed into Piggly Wiggly in the mid-1950s, and McLeod worked in the stores for 70 years, dating to 1954.

Mac's Supermarkets started with two small stores in Sumter. The McLeod family currently owns three Piggly Wigglys in Sumter and eight total. At one time, the family had 16 stores.

Simpson was 82 and died suddenly. Simpson's father, Carl Simpson Jr., founded Simpson Hardware Co. in 1951 with the purchase of stores in Camden, Hartsville and later Sumter. Simpson opened a second location at Palmetto Plaza in Sumter in 1963. Currently, Simpson Hardware has five locations: three in Sumter, one in Manning and one in Lake City.

New donations as of Jan. 13: Crusaders Sunday School Class / Dalzell Baptist Church, $50; James E. Jones, $550; Stephanie N. China, $40; Maureen Maclin, in memory of James (Jim) Maclin, $100; Robert Brown, $25; Dorothy Cheagle, $100; Christmas donation from the Wesley Fellowship Sunday School Class / Aldersgate United Methodist Church, $50; Charles and Kay Shugart, $200; and The LeNoir Family Christmas, in loving memory of Walter and Leilah LeNoir and Raymond and Jean Cook, $610.


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