Sisters of Charity awards spring grants

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The Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina has awarded $152,558 to 50 state organizations in its spring Caritas grants cycle.

The foundation, founded in 1996, awards grants bearing the name of one of the guiding principles of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine to organizations meeting the needs of individuals and families living in poverty.

The recipients, along with the counties they serve, are:

• Backpack Buddies Seabrook Island, Charleston: Funding will support a weekend backpack program that alleviates weekend food insecurity. 
• Barrier Islands Free Medical Clinic, Charleston: Funding will support the high-risk disease management initiative, which includes tracking and monitoring diabetic clinic and lab appointments.
• Camp Happy Days, Statewide: Funding will support a family financial assistance program, which provides aid to families during a child’s cancer treatment.  
• Charleston Area Senior Citizens Services, Charleston: Funding will support a daily healthy continental breakfast for homeless and low-income seniors.
• Charleston Jewish Federation, Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester: Funding will support Charleston Jewish Family Services, which provides financial assistance for medical, housing, and utility expenses.
• Christian Assistance Bridge, Richland and Fairfield: Funding will support the organization’s emergency assistance fund, which helps cover utility and medical bills, car repairs, rent and other immediate needs in times of crisis. 
• Circle of Hope Ministries, Beaufort, Jasper and Hampton: Funding will be used to aid street outreach programming to the homeless, which provides food, clothing, toiletries, backpacks, transportation and temporary lodging in emergency situations. 
• Columbia Oral Health Clinic, Richland, Clarendon, Fairfield, Lexington and Sumter: Funding will support a denture program for the oral health clinic that specifically serves the uninsured HIV/AIDS population in South Carolina.
• Cooperative Ministry, Richland and Lexington: Funding will support the Autos for Opportunities program which addresses transportation-related barriers to securing living-wage employment. 
• Dorothy Day Soup Kitchen, York: Funding will provide operational support for the soup kitchen, founded in 1986.
• East Cooper Faith Network, Charleston and Berkeley: Funding will support “Fix It!” program, which provides essential home repairs and wheelchair ramps for low income families through the coordination of skilled volunteers and community agencies. 
• East Cooper Meals on Wheels, Charleston and Berkeley: Funding will support providing healthy meals for seniors.
• EmmanuWheel, Lexington and Richland: Funding will support the purchase of building materials and supplies for the program, which provides wheelchair ramps to needy individuals.
• Family Promise of Beaufort County Inc, Beaufort and Jasper: Funding will support holistic programs, which provide temporary shelter, family stability and permanent housing solutions for homeless families.
• Family Support Services of Horry County Inc., Horry: Funding will support the diaper bank, which provides diapers, wipes, formula, and baby food along with infant, toddler, children’s and maternity clothing. 
• Food Bank of Greenwood County, Greenwood: Funding will support the weekend backpack program, which provides prepacked nutritional bags of food to 12 elementary and primary schools.
• Free Medical Clinic of Aiken, Inc., Aiken: Funding will support the clinic’s Dispensary of Hope program, which provides medications to the community throughout the year.  
• Friendship Medical Clinic and Pharmacy, Horry: Funding will support the purchase of medications and cover the cost of lab work for patients.    
• Greenville Free Medical Clinic, Greenville: Funding will support the nearly $1 million worth of dental services the clinic provides to low-income, uninsured patients each year.  
• Hands of Christ, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Laurens, Orangeburg and Williamsburg: Funding will support Hands of Christ’s back to school program, which provides children with school necessities including supplies and uniforms.
• Harvest Hope Food Bank, Calhoun, Richland, Chester, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Dillon, Fairfield, Florence, Greenville, Kershaw, Laurens, Lee, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, Newberry, Orangeburg, Saluda, Sumter: Funding will support Harvest Hope’s backpack program, which provides weekend meals for children who attend schools with high rates of free and reduced lunch. 
• Help 4 Kids, Horry: Funding will support the Backpack Buddies program, which provides food each weekend to children referred by teachers and school counselors. 
• Help 4 Kids Florence, Florence: Funding will be used to help purchase weekend bags of food for 2,200 food-insecure children in 34 schools.
• Helping Hand of Myrtle Beach, Horry: Funding will support the short-term crisis intervention and referral agency, which provides immediate emergency assistance to the community.
• Hopewell Senior Day Care Center, Williamsburg: Funding will support the health intervention and education program for the center which aids senior citizens living in poverty.
• Housing Development Corporation of Rock Hill, York: Funding will support a rental assistance program, which provides up to three months of help to those facing eviction within 60 days
• ICNA Relief USA, Shifa Free Clinic, Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester: Funding will support a food pantry a nd a weekend food program for elementary school students.
• James Island Outreach, Charleston: Funding will support the client-choice pantry for the organization, which provides food, medicine, utility support, and emergency assistance to individuals and families in the community.
• Lowcountry Furniture Bank, Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester: Funding will help purchase and deliver of total of 60 twin beds for the organization, which provides furniture and essential home items to homeless families who have secured housing.
• Lutheran Social Services of the Greater Charleston Area, Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester: Funding will support access to dental care for uninsured and underinsured patients.
• Meals on Wheels Bluffton-Hilton Head, Beaufort: Funding will support the provision of meals for homebound, low-income clients.
• MedNeed of SC, Lexington and statewide: Funding will support MedNeed’s programming, which accepts and delivers donations of quality medical equipment to the uninsured and indigent.
• Mercy Medicine Clinic, Florence and Williamsburg: Funding will support costs associated with chronic disease management medications, life-sustaining medications, short-term acute illness medications and dental pain and infection medications.
• Mill Community Ministries, Greenville: Funding will support Village Wrench, which provides bicycle repair and cycling opportunities to under-resourced communities.
• Neighbor to Neighbor of South Carolina, Horry and Georgetown: Funding will help support a transit program serving low-income, homebound adults.
• North Family Community School, Orangeburg: Funding will support educational software and other resources adult students towards completing GEDs.  
• Operation Sight, Charleston and statewide: Funding will support vision restoration of low-income, uninsured individuals suffering from cataracts or urgent sight-threatening retinal disorders by providing medical treatment at no cost.  
• Richland County Court Appointed Special Advocates, Richland: Funding support the recruitment and training of more than 100 additional volunteer guardians ad litem serving 500 children.
• Second Helpings Inc., Beaufort, Jasper and Hampton: Funding will support general operating costs for the organization, which provides a distribution channel between food donors and charitable food providers.
• Senior Centers of Cherokee County Inc., Cherokee: Funding will support the Free Medical Clinic of Cherokee County, which provides medical care for uninsured individuals.
• Senior Resources, Richland: Funding will support the organization’s Meals on Wheels service, which provides meals to those with transportation and financial constraints. 
• Serve & Connect, Richland and Lexington: Funding will support the Compassionate Acts Program, which provides assistance to individuals and families in poverty.
• Sistercare, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lexington, Newberry, and Richland: Funding will support emergency shelter operations for victims of domestic violence and their children.
• Smith Medical Clinic, Georgetown: Funding will support the provision of free medical care to low-income, uninsured residents.
• The Children's Council, Lancaster:  Funding will support the transformation of an area neighborhood through 1,200 hours of volunteer community service during the next year.
• The Salvation Army of the Midlands, Richland: Funding will support the organization’s meals service to the homeless and hungry program, which served more than 400,000 meals last fiscal year. 
• United Christian Ministries of Abbeville County, Abbeville: Funding will support the emergency assistance ministry, which offers financial support to families in crisis.  
• Vital Aging of Williamsburg County, Williamsburg: Funding will support a home-delivered meal program that provides nutritionally balanced meals and daily contact to elderly low-income residents.
• Volunteers in Medicine, Beaufort and Jasper: Funding will support the Gift of Hope program, which partners with physicians in the private sector and at surgical centers, outpatient diagnostic centers and Hilton Head Hospital to provide diagnostic procedures and surgeries. 
• York County Free Clinic, York: Funding will purchase glucose monitoring strips and meters and patient medications and help fund patient transportation.