Seasons of Gratitude

Again—and how quickly—we find ourselves in this season of gratitude where we are encouraged to count our blessings and express our gratitude more frequently. We who spend our days at Clemson Community Care find ourselves in a season of gratitude all year long.

While our staff, board, and volunteers work every day to provide needed services to our clients, we could not possibly do our work without all of you. Whether you are a corporate partner, retail establishment, community group, church or individual, you are a vital part of CCC.

As we count our organization’s blessings, we are grateful for:•Being part of a community whose members come together to form a safety net for all of its people•Our volunteers-who come in all ages and different stages-who contribute much time to make their community a better place•Donations of food and funds which enable us to serve our clients•The joys and challenges CCC brings to us daily•Our clients from whom we learn much and who bless us each day

Our staff is truly grateful and blessed to have the opportunity to be the caretakers of this organization—your organization—and appreciate being able to serve at CCC.

As you gather with your family and friends in warm homes around food-filled tables, we wish for you joyous holidays; and we thank you for partnering with us to provide the same for all our neighbors.

In gratitude,

Karen Baker Ellers, Executive Director

Clemson Community Care2016 Newsletter

P.O. Box 271, Clemson, SC 29633 | 105 Anderson Highway, Clemson, SCPhone: (864) 653-4460 | Fax: (864) 654-5109 | e-mail: ccc@clemsoncommunitycare.org

CCC Board of DirectorsVicki Miesbauer, President

Stacey Miller, SecretaryBenji Cumbie, Treasurer

Ed Arnold Barbara Blackmon

Scarlett CraigRay Crane

Diane GuffeeBecky HopkinsKathryn JamesRev. Pat Kelley

Susanne LemckePat MarcondesChris OwensJohn Peters

Anna SimonPeter SparksCarol Ward

v

CCC PartnersAnderson County United Way

Clemson Free ClinicClemsonLIFE

Clemson UniversityGolden Harvest Food Bank

Pendleton High School Work Skills Program

Pickens/Anderson DSS Pickens County Behavioral Health Services

Pickens County United WaySafe HarborSC Works SHARE

Area Churchesv

CCC StaffKaren Baker Ellers, Executive Director

Judy Grant, Program DirectorElaine Laiewski, Finance Director

Linda Breazel, Office Manager

When we give cheerfully

and accept gratefully,

everyone is blessed.

-Maya AngelouY Z

The Holidays Are Approaching!We have the opportunity to brighten the holidays for families in our area. Listed below are Clemson Community Care’s

holiday programs.

Holiday BasketsIn 2015, we distributed 12,163 pounds of holiday food to 367 families. This year, eligible families will be able to pick up

their holiday food between November 14 and December 22.Central and Clemson Elementary students filled grocery bags with food needed for our Holiday Food Bags during their

annual Spirit of Giving Week, October 24-28. We are grateful for groups and individuals who volunteer to pack the bags to give out to our client families. Please call Karen at 864-653-4460 to arrange a time after our regular hours or weekend if you are interested in helping.

Holiday TurkeysAgain this year we will try to provide each eligible family with a turkey and fixings for a

holiday meal according to the size of their family. We have our freezer space ready to keep the donated frozen turkeys. Many grocery stores run specials on turkeys during the holiday season, so please pick one up for a neighbor when you shop. Turkeys can be delivered to the back door entrance of CCC during our client hours, Monday-Thursday 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Both BI-LO and Publix of Clemson will allow you leave the turkey after purchase to be picked up daily by CCC workers. Please keep in mind that holiday food distribution starts on November 14. Thank you in advance for your generosity!

Secret Santa ProgramA monetary donation will provide a child in our community with a gift for

Christmas. Your generous contribution to the Secret Santa Program will help furnish families in need with a Toys “R” Us gift card that will be given to the parents for each child in their family. The gift cards allow parents to play an active role in providing their children with Christmas presents. The gift cards are distributed to participants of the annual children’s Christmas party that CCC will host at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday December 3, at Trinity Wesleyan Church. At the event each child will receive a Christmas treat bag and picture with Santa. Girl Scouts and the youth group at Trinity Wesleyan will provide face painting, games, and crafts for the children. Volunteers on the day of the event help with set up, distribution and clean up. Thanks to all who give to and help with this special program.

Please complete this form and mail it with any donation you wish to make in the envelope provided.

Name:

Address:

City: State: Zip:

Donation Amount:

Preferred Designation: rFood r Toys r No Preference

NOTE: If you would like to honor someone with your gift, please include their address information so we can send an acknowledgement.

#Could you assist with the Holiday Program or make a donation?

Thank you!

Buck-A-Book Program

For many years, Clemson Elemen-tary first graders have contributed to their community by reading. The creative Buck-A-Book Program was created by teacher Sarah Turpin. Students wrote letters inviting com-munity leaders, family and friends to their class to listen to them read their favorite books. Guests purchased tickets for $1.00 and gave the tickets

to the student for reading the book. Clemson Community Care has been the recipient of funds from

this project for the last eight years and appreciates all the hard work of the students and teachers who work with is wonderful program. Mrs. Turpin has moved from first grade to fifth. We wish her good luck and thank her for all of her dedication to this program and to CCC.

Senior Safety ProgramThe City of Clemson Planning and Codes De-

partment, Clemson University Fire Department, Clemson Downs Retirement Center, and Clem-son Community Care partnered to receive a 2015 National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Remembering When™ grant.

Remembering When™: A Fire and Fall Pre-vention Program for Older Adults, was developed by NFPA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help older adults live safely at home for as long as possible. It is cen-tered around 16 key safety messages—eight fire prevention and eight fall prevention—developed by experts from national and local safety organiza-tions, as well as through focus group testing in high-fire-risk states. The program was designed to be implemented by a coalition comprising the local fire department, service clubs, social and religious organizations, retirement communities, and others.

Teams were selected from 30 communities across the United States and were trained at a conference in Orlando, FL, last November. Our team is comprised of Bill Box, Fire Marshal for the City of Clemson, Wanda Palmer from Clem-son Downs, and Dick Desjardins a volunteer with Clemson Community Care.

2015 Volunteer of the Year

Congratulations to

our 2015 Volunteer

of the Year—Bob Andraesen. Bob works in our pantry and handles our inventory—ordering food items, picking up orders from grocery stores, weighing and sorting, along with many other jobs. He also does anything else we ask of him with a great smile! Bob is retired from the financial world and he and his wife Ruth are active members of the community, both volunteering with several organizations.

We are so happy that CCC is one that Bob chose and grateful for all his work here! Thank you Bob Andraesen!

On August 4, Trinity Wesleyan Church hosted our annual School Success Workshop, the purpose of which is to facilitate communication between schools and homes. Parents and school children who attend this event receive a book bag packed with supplies required by their teachers.

Representatives from area schools in Clemson, Central, and Pendleton were invited to discuss topics such as registration

procedures, bus routes, and school lunch programs. Thank you to the following school personnel who spoke at the

workshop and answered questions: Clemson Elementary School Principal Michelle Craddock, Assistant Principal Michael Turner, Assistant Principal Wendy Cawood, and After-School Care Program Director Teresa Skewes; Mount Lebanon Elementary School Principal Elliott Southard and Counselor Annie Mitchell; Pendleton Elementary School Principal Jeffrey Simpson and Guidance Counselor Kristy Tilley; Edwards Middle School Principal Jeff Duncan; and Daniel High School Principal Josh Young.

After the workshop, the Trinity Wesleyan youth group provided face painting and activities for the children. Teresa Skewes and her team cooked and served hot dogs.

We are grateful to the Rotary Club of Clemson and Publix Grocery for donating school supplies; and to the volunteers who sorted and packed the student backpacks by the teacher’s list were members of the Clemson University Impact group and Girl Scout Troop #1443.

On Monday, August 15, families picked up their filled book bags at the Clemson Central Library. A total of 50 families were assisted with a total of 119 backpacks. Thanks to the many volunteers who helped make this program possible, and those who packed and distributed the book bags.

2016 School Success Workshop

Holiday Canned fruitCanned green beansCanned cornChicken brothCorn muffin mixCranberry sauceEvaporated milkFlourFruit/pumpkin pie filling

Every DayCanned beansCanned meat and fish Canned vegetablesCereal Dry beansDry pastaFlour/corn mealFruitInstant potatoesJell-oJuice

MiscellaneousBaby diapersBath soapDish detergentLaundry detergentPaper towels ShampooToilet paperToothpaste

Food pantry needs:

Macaroni and cheeseOatmeal/gritsPasta saucePeanut butterPork and beansPowdered/canned milk RiceSoupTomatoes-cannedTomato pasteTomato sauce

Pie crust mixStuffingSugarTurkeysYams

Canned and Non-Perishable Items Needed for Our Pantry

We have about a one month’s sup-ply of food on hand. While donations increase during the holidays, so do the needs of our clients. Our clients truly appreciate the holiday food basket pro-gram, but also continue to need basic food staple items during the holidays. Additionally, children are out of school

for the holiday break, so households experience increased needs dur-ing that time. When you go to the grocery store to purchase a turkey, an extra bag of stuffing, or can of cranberry sauce for our holiday food drive, please consider purchasing much-needed staple items as well. Thank you so much for helping to make the holidays a little bit easier for our clients and their families. Below is a list of products we need for holiday food baskets and a list of the staple items we always need, including during the holidays.

How Your Donations Help

In November and December of last year, your donations made it possible for Clemson Community

Care to not only to distribute 12,163 pounds of holiday food to 367 families, but to also distribute 36,155 pounds of food from our pantry to 498 families, providing food staples for 1,078 individuals.

In addition, we distributed Senior Food Boxes, put food out on our lobby table daily, and provided refreshments for the Christmas party.

BI-LO Partners with CCCThanks to a donation by BI-

LO, some CCC families received tickets to the Clemson v. Syracuse football game. “Clemson and BI-LO share a nearly 30-year partnership that involves a rich history of giving back to the community. We’re thrilled to be a part of BI-LO’s movement to inspire our future athletes and to help these incredible kids and their families create memorable experiences,” said Fred Shropshier, Regional Vice President for BI-LO. Tickets were also given to children participating in the Boys and Girls Club of Anderson County.

Recipients were given a shirt to wear to the game, a bus ride to the stadium and concession vouchers. BI-LO Manager Alvin Farrow, Clemson Assistant Athletic Director Mike Money, and CCC staff members were on hand for the ticket distribution. Clemson Community Care appreciates these partnerships and is grateful for this thrilling experience for some of our families!

Senior Food BoxesOn the first Tuesday of each month, a team of

four Milliken employees comes to help CCC put together senior food boxes. These dedicated volun-teers spend several hours packing approximately 70 boxes. In addition, they weigh and record the weight of each box and make sure they are ready for distribution.

The seniors are then called and told the “Brown Boxes” are ready for pick-up. After her volunteer day is over on the following Thursday, Mamie Martin graciously delivers approximately 26 boxes to those who are not able to pick them up.

For $250, you can sponsor the Senior Food Boxes Program for one month and provide this ad-ditional food for local residents who are over age of 60 and living at or below the poverty line.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federal nutrition program intended to help eligible recipients stretch their food budgets and purchase healthier foods. SNAP benefits may be used at grocery stores, convenience stores, and at some farmer’s markets and food co-ops. Benefits are transferred electronically each month on to a debit card used by recipients. If an item is not edible, it may not be purchased with a SNAP card. Items such as toiletries, baby products, paper products and cleaning supplies are not SNAP eligible.

Sixty-one percent of CCC clients are receiving SNAP benefits averaging $203 per month. Many are seniors who no longer work. SNAP benefits must be applied for and are awarded for one year with a mid-year recertification process. Recipients must complete a renewal application every year before their deadline to avoid a disruption in benefits. Those applying for

SNAP must provide verification of income and expenses and supporting documentation must be submitted

Clemson Community Care is a partner in a SNAP outreach grant through the S.C. Department of Social Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Through this program, clients fill out the application at CCC, have their application and documentation submitted correctly and have follow up on their application. This allows clients to receive benefits in a timely manner and avoid the transportation costs of a visit to a DSS office. CCC can also assist with the recertification process.

An additional component of SNAP program is ABAWD, or Able Bodied Adults Without Dependents. Applicants for the SNAP program who are between 18 and 49, have no dependent children, and are not working or disabled are required to participate in this program to receive benefits. Participants are required to search for ten jobs a week and turn in the paperwork to a SNAP case manager in order to receive and maintain SNAP benefits. Benefits are suspended if the requirements are not met.

CCC Partners with SNAP

Profile of SNAP households in South Carolina Congressional District 3:

• Households receiving SNAP benefits: 39,768• Percentage of households receiving SNAP benefits that are below the poverty line: 56%• 63.6% of households receiving SNAP benefits are white; and 33.5% are African American• Median Income of households receiving SNAP benefits: $16,593• Work status of members of households receiving SNAP benefits: 26.3% of receiving households had no one working in the last 12 months, 51.2% had one working member and 22.5% had two or more working members in the household.The statistics for SNAP sourced from USDA FNS SNAP program data. February 2015.

Pictures of Community SupportLeft: Clemson Football Coach Dabo Swinney presents a check to CCC from his All In Team Foundation.

Immediate Right: Volunteers sort donations received during the 2016 Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.

Far Right: Members of Girl Scout Troop 1443 weigh and sort their food donations.

Members of Clemson University’s IMPACT program volunteer at CCC.

Girl Scout Troop 1443 purchases groceries to donate to CCC.

Adults and youth from Fort Hill Presbyterian Church sort food donations.

Clemson CROP Hunger Walk 2015Thanks to the local churches and all who walked in teams or as individuals as well as spirit walkers and all who made a

donation for participating in this year’s CROP walk which was held on Sunday, October 2. The CROP Hunger walk is held annually on World Communion Sunday to raise funds to combat hunger locally and

globally. Seventy-five percent of the proceeds are given to global hunger initiatives and twenty-five percent stays in the local community and fights hunger through the work of Clemson Community Care.

Special thanks to Susanne Lemcke who chaired our committee, Pastor Chris Heavner who continues to serve as walk treasurer, and Phil Maiberger who handled logistics along with Arnold Air Society from Clemson University.

We are grateful for our business sponsors of the walk!

Local Girl Scout Project Benefits CCC

Girl Scout Shelby Robinson has chosen to do her Silver Award Project to benefit Clemson Community Care. The Silver Award is the highest award a girl can earn in her age group, and it prepares her to move on to the Gold Award, Girl Scouting’s highest award. For her project, which requires 50 or more hours of ser-vice, Shelby is working with Marie Schmidt, Children’s Ministry director at Clemson United Methodist Church, to prepare reverse Advent calendars for members of the church and the wider community. Participants will be given a wrapped grocery box and a list of items. Each day of Advent, an item—such as a jar of peanut butter, a toothbrush, or a can of vegetables—will be placed in the box. At the end of the Advent season, the items will be

donated to CCC. Shelby hopes her project will encourage people to think of others and will be a creative way to give during the season. A list of items for the boxes is available at CCC for those wishing to join Shelby with her project! We appreciate her work benefiting our clients and their families.

Thank You to Our CROP Hunger Walk Sponsors

Fort Hill Presbyterian Church Circle 1Griff’s Farm and Home Center

Jazzercise of ClemsonTrinity Wesleyan Church

Karen Baker EllersJohn and Sylvia Peters

Dr. Mark Stamey

Edward Jones InvestmentBaker Financial Group

Beverly Smith Guild of Mt. Zion United Methodist Church

Carolina Milk Carriers, Inc.ALIVE Wesleyan Church

First Baptist Church of Clemson

www.edwardjones.comMember SIPC

CE

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Being part of the community means

Clemson Community Care

Lee WoodsFinancial Advisor.

402 College Avenue Suite 2Clemson, SC 29631864-654-6831

Jim HillFinancial Advisor.

501 Forest Ln Suite CClemson, SC 29631864-654-5556

About Clemson Community CareClemson Community Care was established in 1988 by ministers of

various denominational church in Clemson, Central and Pendleton as a non-profit charitable corporation to serve the local community. The goal of all our services is supporting low-income families and individuals to overcome periods of financial crisis and become self-sufficient, contributing members of the community.

In cooperation with local religious, civic, educational and private agencies, staff and individual volunteers, Clemson Community Care supports a variety of basic human needs, emphasizing development of self-sufficiency. Services offered by CCC include:

• Food and food stamp application assistance • Food pantry • Utility bill assistance • Emergency rental assistance • Homeless emergency support • Back to school assistance • Holiday help for Thanksgiving and Christmas

Thank you to all our supporting churches!

Abel Baptist Church

Alive Wesleyan Church

Bethel United Methodist Church

Central United Methodist Church

Clemson Area Congregations in Touch

Clemson Community Church

Clemson Presbyterian Church

Clemson United Methodist Church

East Clemson Baptist Church

First Baptist Church–Central

First Baptist Church–Clemson

First Baptist Church–Pendleton

Fort Hill Presbyterian Church

Golden View Baptist Church

Greater Faith Baptist Church

Holy Trinity Episcopal Parish

Lawrence Chapel United Methodist Church

Mt. Zion Presbyterian Church

Mt. Zion United Methodist Church

New Holly Light Missionary Baptist Church

New Hope Baptist Church

Peace Congregational Church

Pendleton Presbyterian Church

Pendleton United Methodist Church

Pleasant Hill Baptist Church

Refuge Baptist Church

St. Andrew Catholic Church

Trinity Wesleyan Church

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Clemson

University Lutheran Church

CCC Dates to Remember

November 14 Holiday Food Distribution Begins

November 24-25 CCC Closed for Thanksgiving Holidays

December 3 Children’s Christmas Party (9:30 a.m.)

December 26-27 CCC Closed for Christmas Holidays

December 28-30 CCC Closed for Inventory

Thank you!We would like to thank the many churches, civic groups, businesses, university groups, scouting groups and neighborhoods who have held food drives in support of Clemson Community Care’s initiatives. There are too many to name individually, but we couldn’t have done it without you! Know that your efforts are truly appreciated.

Special thanks to Carolina Real Estate!

Carolina Real Estate allowed CCC to sell parking spaces at their office for the Clemson v. University of South Carolina football game on November 26, and keep the proceeds.

Clemson Community Care is a partner agency with both

United Way of Anderson County and

United Way of Pickens County.

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONUS POSTAGE PAID

PERMIT #33CLEMSON, SC

ZIPCODE 29631

Clemson Community Care

P.O. Box 271

Clemson, SC 29633

(864) 653-4460

The Mood of Christmasby Howard Thurman

When the song of the angels is stilled, When the star in the sky is gone,When the kings and princes are home, When the shepherds are back with their flock,

The work of Christmas begins: To find the lost, To heal the broken, To feed the hungry, To release the prisoner, To rebuild the nations, To bring peace among people,

To make music in the heart.

Thank you for taking the time to be a part of Clemson Community Care.Happy holidays and best wishes for 2017!