Serving Up More Than A Perfect Burger Not only was the food delicious, but the servers were in a bit of a political mode as they came to wait tables to assist HELP of Beaufort and raise funds. Owner Nick Boreggine came up with this method to let local and national politicians assist HELP and serve up some of Fat Patties delicious burgers and fries. Rep. Mark Sanford and Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling were just two of those who waited tables. By the end of the night, the efforts of the staff, volunteers and the owner raised $1700 to donate to HELP. Fat Patties also participated in our social media food drive with much success at helping restock the bare shelves in HELP’s pantry.
A big thanks to all who were involved.
“Those who are happiest are those who do the most for others.” - Booker T. Washington
Marketing Matters
was chosen to receive a check for $2,500 and about 30, $10 gift cards for our clients to use at the Kangaroo Pantry stores. Several of our volunteers, GG Mackewich, Susan Shopshier, Anjie Neale and Catherine Pardue were on hand to talk to the folks about HELP’s services. And, to top that off, a few people made donations to HELP.
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arketing HELP of Beaufort involves many different approaches. Volunteers speak at community and civic events, award certificates to young people who volunteer at HELP, and write and publicize grant awards from businesses such as Hargray Caring Coins, the United Way of the Lowcountry, Food Lion, Friends of Callawassie, and The Beaufort Fund.
We are now a client of Mail Chimp and will soon be keeping our supporters updated on all the activities and progress of this organization. In addition, HELP’s website is under reconstruction by Richard Darby of 6 Grand Oaks Design. Anjie Neale keeps us on the social media path via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Vimeo. Schools which hold food drives for HELP can let their participating students know to check themselves out on HELP’s Facebook page.
During the summer, the Pantry, Inc., owners of our local Kangaroo Pantry stores, selected HELP of Beaufort as a nonprofit in our area to receive special recognition. We are proud that the folks at The Pantry, Inc., asked people in our community about HELP. From that input, HELP of Beaufort
Catherine Pardue, Marketing Director
There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them. -Denis Waitley 1
On August 12,2012 this facebook post made by HELP’s president, Steve Curless. “HELP Of Beaufort's Air Conditioning unit has gone out. The Compressor is out. I have been quoted $700 for the compressor and $300 to install it. I am looking for 20 people to donate $50 or more each. Is there anyone who is willing to help out on this. I have already had 2 people confirm that they will donate $50. Please let me know if you are willing. God Bless you all for helping with this.” Anjie Neale, HELP’s facebook co-
administrator, reached out to several businesses. The call for help was answered on facebook by owners Mike and Theresa Covert of COVERT AIRE. The original estimate was low as the entire unit ended up needing to be replaced. Allen and Kevin came out and made sure that the HELP building had a new unit. The entire job was donated by Covert Aire. Every year they also have a “fourth quarter food drive to end hunger” and again, they assisted us in a message from Covert Aire, in which they stated that the employees over-
whelmingly decided that HELP would be the 2013 recipient.
On December 31st, Covert Aire delivered over 2,750 pounds of food to the HELP Pantry. Thank you to this great business whose owners and staff give back so much to this community and make it a great one.
If you want to touch the past, touch a rock. If you want to touch the present, touch a flower. If you want to touch future, touch a LIFE!
Clothing Focus is “Distribution”
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istributing clothing continues to be a critical portion of HELP's mission. As a reminder: • All clothing is distributed without charge; • A client may visit HELP once a month to receive clothing; • There are limits per household member on the number of items a client may take during a visit. These limits are based upon the level of inventory HELP has. For example, in September, men and children were limited to 8 items of clothing per visit, but women were not limited by number of items. We continue to see strong demand for clothing from the clients we serve. During July-September, we had 2,250 visits to HELP from clients needing
clothing (an increase of 27% over the same period in 2012). Year to date, nearly 6,300 clothing visits have occurred. This is a increase of over 60% from our year-to date results in 2012. We continue to serve more clients and also clients return to us to meet their clothing needs throughout the year. Fortunately, our donations have been strong and have allowed us to keep up with client demand. As a result, our inventory continues to grow. We typically receive 10-15 individual donations each week and also receive group donations from time to time. While our inventory is strong, we need more men's and plus-sized women's clothing. Our clients' choice of clothing is significantly more limited in these categories, and increasing donations of these items would allow us to better serve our clients. For the remainder of 2013, we have a few key priorities for our clothing mission: 2
• Improve client service. We continue to look for ways to make it easier for our clients to find the clothing they need. During the summer, we reorganized the clothing floor by clustering similar types of clothing (for example, all long-sleeve men's shirts are grouped together versus putting all men's shirts into one group). This fall, we want to arrange our clothing sections (e.g., men's, plus women's, women's, and children's) so each group's full array of clothes is easier to find and access. • Increase our volunteer base. We can benefit by recruiting more volunteers to help us process clothing, keep our floor space organized and assist clients in finding the clothing they need. Ideally, we should have 3 volunteers each day so two can process clothes while one can help clients find clothes as well as keep the floor space organized. We currently have only 1 day, Tuesdays, Continued on the next page
ELP Mobile Meals, a program under HELP of Beaufort, is busy supplying hot, nutritious meals to people who are unable to provide healthy meals for themselves due to being ill, recuperating from an illness, are mentally or physically challenged, are elderly or do not have the funds to obtain the food. Over 40 volunteers deliver 70 meals a day, five days a week. The meals are supplied by Beaufort Memorial Hospital with some clients able to pay but over 70% are not. Mobile Meals is financially supported by United Way, grants and donations.
November will bring on an important event for Mobile Meals – fundraising to bring in much needed funds. Letters will be sent out and donations will be accepted to provide meals for our clients around Thanksgiving. Many of us sit down to big, delicious meals on Thanksgiving but most of our clients do not. We will be asking for donations to help them out as well as to make a difference to the citizens of Beaufort and to become the Beloved Community that Martin Luther King spoke of. We hope that many of you will help us.
Send donations to: HELP Mobile Meals P. O. Box 720 Beaufort, SC 29901
There are many items that are ALWAYS in need for the Food Pantry. Here is a list so you are well informed if and when you are asked.
Peanut Butter
Boxed Cereal
Jelly
Boxed Mac&Cheese
Flour (small)
Canned Tuna
Sugar (small)
Canned Beef Stew
Grits (small)
Canned Meats
Continued : CLOTHING where we have more than 2 regular volunteers. On Tuesdays, we have 3 regular volunteers. Plus, during the school year, HELP has 4-6 Beaufort High School students and 2 teachers. Who participate in sorting clothing. On Thursdays, we have 2 regular volunteers. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, we have only 1 regular volunteer. However, getting more volunteers is critical for us to keep up
Canned Vegetables
Vegetable Oil
Mayonnaise
Any item is appreciated!
with donations and maintain the proper supply of clothes on the floor. • Improve our "Green" practices. It's important that we discharge our duties in an environmentally friendly basis. For many of our volunteers, being environmentally friendly/responsible is important. It helps engage them when they can accomplish this as they volunteer at HELP. While we are always looking for new ideas, there are many things we have begun to do: 1. We are recycling all cardboard and plastic bags we receive when processing donations; 3
Each May, the National Association of Letter Carriers from the Charles St., and Burton post offices pick up food for HELP of Beaufort and other nonprofits. May 2013 was no exception as NALC picked up more than 21,000 pounds of food for those who are hungry and come to HELP. This food drive is always held on the second Saturday in May. With this in mind and the many pounds of food that get collected, we are always seeking assistance to load and unload and also we need people to sort and assist in the pantry. Please follow us and help recruit for assistance as these events come around.
2. We donate soiled/torn bedding (which we'd normally discard) to local humane shelters to use for animals in their care; 3. We donate heavily worn and/or mismatched shoes (which typically would be discarded) to help a group fund a mission trip to the Dominican Republic; and, 4. We are currently looking for a textile recycler to accept clothing we must discard because it is torn/worn/soiled, out-ofseason or is persistently not selected by our clients.
Rick McGill
Abigail Henry is 8 years old. Jack McDougall just turned 9 years old. These children are extraordinary children. When they had their birthdays recently, they decided to do something more than just have cake and ice cream. Instead of seeing how many presents they could get, they decided to help someone else out instead. On Abigail’s 6th birthday in 2011, she decided to ask all her guests to bring food for the needy instead of presents for herself. She collected a huge amount of food and donated it to HELP of Beaufort. Since her birthday, she has come to HELP to assist in sorting clothes and food, and to help out in any way she can. Jack McDougall also celebrated his birthday recently and he decided to do the same thing. These two children do not know each other, but had the same plan….to help the less fortunate. In addition, Jack took the extra money he received for his birthday and
went with his mother, Shawn McDougall, to purchase more food. She decided to match Jack’s funds and doubled his amount to purchase even more food. Jack is also looking forward to coming to HELP to assist in any way he can. These two children set an example for all of us. It takes so little to touch a life. We want to not only thank Abigail and Jack for their kindness and generosity, but to also commend their parents, Amy and Brian Henry, and Shawn and Lin McDougall. They are exceptional parents who strive to teach their children that there is so much more to life than just birthday parties and gifts. Since this article was posted in the Island News, Gavin Midyette also asked friends to bring food for HELP to his birthday party in lieu of presents. Thank you to all these young people for their selfless, generous nature. Steve Curless, President
Jack McDougal and Abigail Henry These two are setting a new standard. With the guidance of their parents and the heart of angels, they are setting the bar for children in this area to get involved and to give to those who need it most . They are the future of HELP.
Please help us bring more people into this organization. We need time, talent or resources.
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AAA Storage conducted a Thanksgiving food drive and donated 100 frozen turkeys, dressing, cranberry sauce, and everything else to fill Thanksgiving food orders. We would like to thank AAA storage for the generosity and determination to assist .
This is our first official newsletter. Please feel free to give feedback or stories to help improve this newsletter. Constructive criticism is also welcome as we want nothing more than to provide everyone with Information and current events as well as past highlights. If you would like to get involved, please contact Steve Curless and he will direct you to the correct person. Hope you enjoyed!
There are so many businesses that help us throughout the year. I would like to point out a few businesses that have stepped up many times in many different ways.
VinCo ATM Services was one of the first business supporters of HELP. VinCo has helped in every aspect of HELP including delivering mobile meals. No matter what is needed, we can always count on VinCo to support HELP.
Butler Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram has been a supporter of many of the events for HELP, both directly and indirectly. The General Manager, Tim Stewart, has proven that he has a great heart and continues to support HELP and this organization thanks him and his staff.
Kyle Warren from Rapid Ink and Toner has assisted HELP in many ways. Last winter he teamed up with AAA Storage and they did a turkey and meal drive that brought many families dinner for the holidays. This year is no exception as HELP has been informed that more turkeys will be collected.
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Zack Manley from Sonic provided many resources for last year’s “Happy Days for HELP”. Zack not only provided the skater, he also helped with ice and now has joined the fundraising board to help this coming year’s fundraiser to be that much better. Welcome aboard Zack.
Eric and Susan Smith from Captured Moments Photography have earned a huge thumbs up. Both have been involved in the fundraising events. Eric is always there to take photographs and assist where needed and we would like to thank them both. HELP of Beaufort appreciates all of the individuals, churches, civic groups and organizations and businesses which support it.