Sumter Fireside Fund helps senior woman in overwhelming situation stay warm
Any good parent knows that kids will translate an adult's words into simpler terms.
If you say "not yet," "not now" or "not that," all a child will hear is "NO!" If it is not on the child's terms, it will seem to them that you have simply chosen not to honor the request. It may be why the phrase, "Did you hear what I said?" may be the most repeated sentence in all of parenthood.
Sometimes, this plays out at Sumter United Ministries, too. We have five different ministries here that can provide a broad range of services and assistance to our neighbors in need. However, we cannot assist with every request (and, boy, do we have some odd requests at times). We choose to focus on what we can do to help, and that is where both the joy of serving and the relief from receiving come together in rich fulfillment.
A senior lady came to us recently and requested assistance with propane gas to heat her home. After a house fire razed her home to the ground a few years ago, she moved in with family. She was recently displaced and chose to occupy her parents' old home (inherited property).
The house is in need of drastic repairs, too numerous to mention them all. The HVAC system malfunctions. The front door was kicked in. She needed appliances. Possessions were stolen from her home. She is behind on property taxes. To make matters worse, she has a deadline to remove the demolished remains of the house that burned down or the fee will be levied against her existing property.
It seemed overwhelming and beyond our reach. We cannot furnish new appliances. We cannot replace an HVAC system. We cannot replace all that was stolen. We cannot replace her front door. We cannot perform debris removal or pay property taxes.
We can provide heat, however, and that was the reason that she came to see us. The Crisis Relief Ministry was able to provide substantial financial assistance for a propane delivery. In a case like this, we as a staff often ask what is going to happen to clients like these, clients with adverse circumstances so large in scope. For this client, I am without answers. I do know, however, that she will be warm for the next six to eight weeks because of generous donations like yours to the Fireside Fund.
Focusing on what we can do to help - turning a "no" into a "not that" - is a joy that your support enables to happen here at SUM. Thank you for your support!
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 Jan. 16: Brewington FCL, in honor of Gladys Atkinson: $165; and Brewington FCL, in honor of Marquirite Porter: $165.