Item readers raise more than $27K for Sumter United Ministries in annual Fireside Fund campaign

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." Now, that is how to hook a reader!

I have always believed that tough times come in seasons. We have a bad day, a tough week, a busy season. However, I read an article by a famous pastor that described life in comparison to a train track, always having pleasant circumstances and negative circumstances running alongside at all times in our life. Perhaps Charles Dickens had it right.

As we end the Fireside Fund for this 2023-24 season, it's a time to reflect on what kind of year it has been. This winter has certainly featured many cold spells and chilly evenings. The prices for fuel and electric rates continue to be affected by inflation, stressing many of our low-income and fixed-income clients.

Our days at the Crisis Relief Ministry during this year's campaign have been busy mostly. It changes you when you open the door in the morning and 20 people are waiting in 32-degree temperatures for you to open. Many weeks left us exhausted from talking with neighbors about their worries and needs, though it is a privilege to be here for them. From the staff and volunteer perspective, the work has been strenuous, but the gratitude and smiles of the clients who were assisted were unnecessary blessings that increased our joy. Further, the generosity of people all across our county never failed to amaze us, giving thanks that we live in a community that shares.

For all that have donated this season, we at Sumter United Ministries want to thank you! Your gifts have truly made the most difficult of seasons more comfortable for many people that have nowhere else to turn for help. In these last few days, we will try to help a few more clients with the last remaining gifts. Loving our neighbors in need turns a winter of despair into a spring of hope. May God bless you!

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

New donations: Hazelee Hallman Circle - St. James Lutheran Church, $50; and Roger I. Williams, $200.