DECEMBER: SOLE STEPPING. This month, we donated over 600 pairs of socks and two pairs of shoes to help Sole Stepping provide 4009 pairs of new shoes and socks to ALL the students at EIGHT local elementary schools.
DOUBLE DOWN FOR GOOD. 17 Boston Butts purchased to support the Lexington High School baseball team were donated to the homeless veterans at Central Midlands Transitional Retreat, the women and children at Samaritan’s Well as well the children at Chris Myers’ Children’s place and Nancy K. Perry Children’s Shelter to enjoy a lovely Christmas dinner!
NOVEMBER: HALLOWEEN CANDY FOR FIRST RESPONDERS. Our fire, EMS and protective services work around the clock to make certain everyone is safe and healthy – even during the holidays. We delivered laundry baskets filled with thousands of pieces of Halloween Candy and notes of encouragement/cards of gratitude to almost two dozen local stations.
JULY: SCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVE. We partnered with The Forgotten Initiative of Columbia, SC, a ministry dedicated to supporting the foster care community, to distribute our donated supplies to local foster youth: 1839 pencils, 566 pens, 249 markers, 934 erasers, 310 highlighters, 587 crayons, 124 color pencils, 110 paper, 296 notebook, 264 folders, 200 hand sanitizers, 142 post-its, 916 glue/glue sticks, 17 index cards, 65 backpacks, 91 pencil pouches, 144 pencil sharpeners, 102 rulers.
JUNE: BOOKS + BACKPACKS. 95 bags of books (5-8 books per bag along with three handwritten blessing cards) were delivered to Oliver Gospel/Toby’s Place and Homeless No More. Almost 1,000 books shared with those who could benefit greatly from a moment of comfort and grace that a good book can provide. Transitions Homeless Shelter received over 300 blessing bags: 170 hygiene bags (full needed items and snacks) and 170 period packs (6 pads, 6 tampons, 6 liners each). Each pack and bag received three handwritten notes. All of this goodness was delivered in time for record breaking heat.
MAY: BBQ FOR THE BRAVE. Memorial Day weekend is intended to be a remembrance for those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our many freedoms. We can never repay that debt, but we can help homeless veterans in our community. Along with Sharkey’s Cuts for Kids-Lexington, we hosted our fourth annual Memorial Day BBQ. Selling plates of pulled pork, beans, slaw and bbq hash, we raised $5,000 for Central Midlands Transitional Retreat. Plate it forward donations provided our homeless veterans dinner that night and lunch the next day. We’ll host this event every year until there is not a single homeless veteran in our community.
APRIL: WILDLIFE BABY SHOWER. As the population in Lexington County continues to expand, we rapidly encroach upon animal habitats, creating a need to protect our wildlife. We helped restock supplies at Carolina Wildlife Center to support the rehabilitation of injured and orphaned animals. Among the items we donated were: storage bins, laundry baskets, Purina Dog Chow Tenders, animal water bottles, animal sleeping hammocks, unscented laundry detergent, laundry bleach, trash bags, facial tissues, paper towels, cleaning supplies, toilet paper, gently used towels and sheets, receiving blankets, bandages, first aid wraps, duct tape and clip boards.
FEBRUARY: UNDIES FOR EVERYONE. As a frontline responder, Mission Lexington has been providing life essentials and needed resources to our community since 1978. In support of their Undercover Buddies program that provides new undergarments to those receiving clothing assistance, we collected 616 pairs of underwear (241 women underwear, 180 boy underwear, 195 girl underwear) which were divided into 308 packets of 2 underwear and a note of encouragement.