CHARLESTON, SC — DEC.8, 2021 — South Carolina Ports has awarded $205,000 in grants to 111 community organizations and nonprofits throughout South Carolina as part of its fiscal year 2022 Community Giving Program.
SC Ports dedicates a portion of its revenues each year to support charitable organizations in the communities in which the port operates. Programs with measurable, sustained impacts receive priority during the selection process.
“The SC Ports team believes strongly in supporting the great organizations in South Carolina that work tirelessly to make a meaningful and measurable difference in people’s lives,” SC Ports CEO Jim Newsome said. “At a time of economic hardship for many, SC Ports is proud to play a small role in supporting the important work done by the Community Giving Program grant recipients.”
Many of this year’s grant recipients are dedicated to improving children’s lives through supportive mentoring programs, outdoor and enrichment activities, and confidence-building curricula.
Grant funding will support more than 135,000 children throughout South Carolina with programs like Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lowcountry, Healing Farms, Orangeburg County Community of Character, The Green Heart Project and Wings for Kids, to name a few.
Grants will also support literacy programs — such as Begin with Books and Reading Partners of South Carolina — benefiting nearly 7,000 students.
SC Ports continues to support organizations dedicated to addressing food insecurity and improving access to healthy foods. Programs such as East Cooper Meals on Wheels, Fresh Future Farm, Greer Community Ministries, Help 4 Kids Florence and Love Feeds will use grant funding to help serve more than 7,000 individuals around the state. SC Ports also recently donated $24,000 to the Lowcountry Food Bank.
Several grant recipients received funds for workforce development initiatives. Greenville Technical College will use the funding to create nine scholarships for its Truck Driver Training Program. Programs such as this create a career path and provide vital job skills for the logistics and maritime industry, which are crucial to the success of port operations.
This year’s grant funding will also support 17 health and wellness programs around the state, impacting more than 10,000 children and adults. Beyond Basic Life Skills, Children’s Cancer Partners of the Carolinas, Greenville Area Parkinson Society, Girls on the Run Charleston, Going Places, Good Neighbor Medical Clinic and Mercy Medicine Free Clinic are among the grant recipients working to improve people’s lives by providing access to health care and wellness programs.
“SC Ports strives to have a positive impact in our communities, as do these 111 incredible grant award recipients,” said Jordi Yarborough, SC Ports’ senior vice president of community engagement. “It is through partnerships with organizations like these that we achieve our shared goal of making a difference in South Carolina.”
2021 Community Giving Program grant recipients:
Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired SC
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lowcountry
Carolina Youth Development Center
Charleston Area Seniors - Meals on Wheels of Charleston
Charleston Gaillard Management Corporation
Charleston Habitat for Humanity
Children’s Cancer Partners of the Carolinas
Communities In Schools of South Carolina
Dee Norton Child Advocacy Center
Dillon County Chamber of Commerce
Dillon County Parks and Recreation
Dorchester County Economic Development
East Cooper Community Outreach
Edisto Island Youth Recreation (EIYR)
First Tee - Greater Charleston
Florence Area Literacy Council
Florence Crittenton Programs of SC
Friends of Coastal South Carolina
Future Entrepreneurs Foundation
Georgetown County Historical Society
Girls on the Run Charleston (Coastal South Carolina)
Greenville Area Parkinson Society (GAPS)
Greer Community Ministries, Inc.
Habitat for Humanity of Greenville County
Helping and Lending Outreach Support, HALOS
MUSC Hollings Cancer Center - LOWVELO
Hospice and Palliative Care Foundation
Junior Achievement of Greater SC
Kingdom Restoration Community Development Corporation
Latta Revitalization Commission
LowCountry Habitat for Humanity
Meals On Wheels of Summerville
Mother Emanuel Memorial Foundation
Orangeburg County Community of Character
Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Assault
Potters House Restoration Ministries Inc.
Reading Partners South Carolina
Real Talk Real Action Real Results
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Charleston, Inc.
Rural Area Leadership Initiative-Dillon County (RALI-DC)
SC School for the Deaf and the Blind Foundation
South Carolina Youth Advocate Program (SCYAP)
Winyah Rivers Foundation, Inc. (Winyah Rivers Alliance)
Wounded Nature - Working Veterans
About South Carolina Ports Authority
South Carolina Ports Authority, established by the state's General Assembly in 1942, owns and operates public seaport and intermodal facilities in Charleston, Dillon, Georgetown and Greer. As an economic development engine for the state, Port operations facilitate 225,000 statewide jobs and generate nearly $63.4 billion in annual economic activity. SC Ports is soon to be home to the deepest harbor on the U.S. East Coast at 52 feet. SC Ports is an industry leader in delivering speed-to-market, seamless processes and flexibility to ensure reliable operations, big ship handling, efficient market reach and environmental responsibility. Please visit www.scspa.com to learn more about SC Ports.