Non-profits take hit from poor economy

HEMINGWAY—As the national economy begins to show signs of recovering from the hardships of the last year or so, many charitable organization and no-profit agencies continue to struggle.

Caring and Sharing, the Hemingway based organization that serves Williamsburg County and the surrounding areas, has been hit hard by the downturned economy.

According to Carl Harmon, the organization’s director and founder, it is growing more and more difficult to offer the same services to the community as donations from area residents continue to drop.

Compared to this time last year, donations to the group’s food bank are down 40 percent. As a result, many who depend on Caring and Sharing are having to go without staple foods like canned vegetables and meat. Harmon said numbers may continue to drop as the holiday seasons approach. Despite the area’s history of charitable giving around this time of year, Harmon wonders if lingering financial difficulties and an aging population will keep people from getting involved in groups like his.

“That’s what makes it hard” Harmon said. “The need is greater because we’ve got so many people out of work, and more and more people, the ‘Baby Boomers,’ are getting on social security, so that number is increasing all the time, people that live on fixed income.”
The Caring and Sharing food bank normally receives anywhere from 15,000 to 20,000 pounds of food monthly, the bulk of which comes from Lowcountry Food Bank in Charleston and through partnerships like what the group has with Food Lion. However, the most expensive food items, canned vegetables, rice and meat, as been where costs begin to mount. Each year, the Caring and Sharing spends around $300,000, most of that going towards staple food items. Lately, the need for those foods has been steadily increasing while donations have been slipping.

Harmon’s group isn’t the only one suffering due to the economy. During free screenings offered by the Lions Club at Johnsonville Middle School last week, programs manager Steve Berch said the club was forced to make layoffs at the state level due to drops in donations. The most drastic example might the South Carolina Epilepsy Foundation, whose outreach coordinator Erin Stone hails from the Hemingway area, which was forced to close its doors due to lack of funding. 

While the situation at Caring and Sharing has not reached that level, Harmon said drops in donations, both monetary and from foodstuffs, is on the decline.

The success of Caring and Sharing’s outreach has been significant. The group provides for roughly 645 families in need, which is part of the reason why a steady supply of food is required to sustain the need.

“If you’re feeding a small bunch of people you wouldn’t have any problem,” Harmon said. “When you feed over 650 families, that’s when it runs into a problem, getting that much food from a food bank.”
 
Last week, Caring and Sharing was operating off donations from a food drive held by Safe Auto at the beginning of the month to satisfy needs for canned vegetables. Safe Auto hosts one of five major food drives that benefit Caring and Sharing each year, the others held by Firestone Tires and three area schools.

Shipments of rice and meat have been hard to come by; emphasizing the importance of locally held food drives from area churches, schools and other groups. Harmon said this would prove vital as the holiday season approaches. Despite the difficult times facing his and other organizations, Harmon said if the area’s record of charity in the past is any indication, he believes the community will be up for the challenge.

“This community has always come through, always,” he said. “They have never ever let us down. If you think about it, maybe the Lord is testing us. Maybe he planted the seed right here in Hemingway. Maybe he wanted to see what we’d be able to do with it. 

“I hope during Thanksgiving and Christmas that people really sit down and think, even in rough times,” he continued. “How blessed we are and how much we have more than any country in the world. We’ve still got a lot to be thankful for.”

For information on how to donate to Caring and Sharing Inc., call 843-558-7966 or visit the group on the wed, at http://www.caringandsharingonline.com.