Sumter Item kicks off Summer of Caring fundraiser for Sumter United Ministries

Temperatures are rising, and it's scorching already.

Our prayer here at Sumter United Ministries is that everyone is staying cool and hydrated. Summer is here, and boy has it made an entrance. With that being said, we need you.

Every day, we come in contact with individuals who need our help. As of late, many of those individuals have been a part of the senior population. With failing health and lack of basic needs, it is imperative that we are able to provide adequate temporary services that can lead to a more whole and independent lifestyle in a permanent setting. Take our friend Willow, for example. She came to us two months ago in poor physical condition due to a recent illness. We were able to shelter her, provide her with regular meals that helped her to regain her strength, and she was able to utilize our free clinic for her health care needs. Willow used the two months that she was with us to get all of her personal affairs in order while working with one of our housing partners to procure a new apartment in our wonderful city. She is now comfortably settled into her own home where she can continue to recuperate and regain her strength at her own pace without having to navigate these intense temperatures during the day. There are others with the same issue that Willow had. As the temperatures increase, we are in need of provision to help keep the others and our homeless community hydrated and as cool as possible while they're in transition.

With that being said, we are currently seeking partners to provide space for hydration stations on the lawns of your churches and businesses as well as donations to stock the hydration stations and shelter. Share this opportunity with your pastors, neighbors and friends. It will simply consist of making a cooler of ice with waters, electrolyte drinks, etc., available to those as they walk past. If you need a cooler, we have a few that can be borrowed. I hope to hear from you all very soon. Please see the needs in the list below if you are planning to donate items for participant pickup and our shelter guest needs.

- Bottled water

- Sunscreen

- Hats, sun visors, etc.

- Umbrellas

- Popsicles (unfrozen)

- Gatorade, Powerade, powder packets (electrolyte drinks, etc.)

- Sunshades

Any and all help is appreciated. Please bring donations to 36 S. Artillery Drive from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

We are also in need of volunteers, meal volunteers to help us fill in our calendar for the summer months as well as volunteers interested in assisting with the day-to-day tasks of the shelter. There are also volunteer opportunities in the other areas of Sumter United Ministries. You can do many things, from interviews with our Crisis Relief Team to inventory and distribution in our In-Kind Department. We even have Construction Ministry projects available for you.

If you are unable to provide physical donations or the services of your time, please consider donating to The Sumter Item's Summer of Caring. You can drop off money or a check to their office, and they donate every penny to us that we in turn use to directly help our clients.

There are so many ways to give back and serve in the community this summer. Please feel free to contact us to set up your service of choice today! We look forward to all the ways you'll show that you care.

Blessings to you.

Daphney Scarborough is the Shelter Ministry director at Sumter United Ministries.