Greer Relief is serious about helping its neighbors. Outreach specialist Tom Condor Tuesday explained the operation to me on a grand tour of the complex.
Condor said, “Donors give food, clothing, toys, cash for rent, and mortgage payments to neighbors who have fallen on hard times.”
A statement sheet said that in 2023, for example, the Relief helped more than 6,000 neighbors, some 90% of whom were new to the program. And 728 persons were helped to keep their homes with $209,000 of aid for rent and mortgage payments.
Four hundred and four donors donated $727,000 for the year, the statement said.
Local donors have been generous to Greer Relief since its founding in 1936. Yes, during the Great Depression, local farmers donated foodstuffs to Greer Relief to distribute to neighbors in need. The program has grown measurably to include many more programs and benefits.
If there is a pedigree for charitable giving, what could be better than receiving donated commodities and giving them at no cost to needy neighbors?
A previous location was on Victory Avenue, also owned by the city. However, it needed remodeling, so it was deemed prudent to relocate to the Perry Avenue location.
Scope of Service Area
Spartanburg, Greenville, Startex, Wellford, Duncan, Taylors.
Rating with Charity Navigator, an independent nonprofit organization.
Score
92
Most Recent Fiscal Year:
FY 2023
Financial Metrics
Liabilities to Assets: Ratio - 1.64%
25 out of 25 points
Program Expense: Ratio - 96.73%
92%
Range of Services
Offered services range from Greer Medical, grant writers, and IT experts who maintain its slick website, are present in a large way at this location. Qualified counselors help clients increase their skills, enabling neighbors to manage the many complicated tasks of home management, budgets, mental health, job skills, social interactions, and other tasks.
Other social agencies occupy small incubator suites, offering many more services to Greer residents. See picture.
Major Players
Forrester Center for Behavior Health, which specializes in helping clients overcome drug addictions, has a presence at Greer Relief, but they have their main location in Spartanburg. Anyone can come here for treatment, which can be expensive, but donors absorb treatment costs.
It Takes a Village Child Development Center also has a tiny office in what Greer Relief calls incubator suites at the Greer Relief complex.
Alston Wilkes Society helps veterans and their families in need of hope for a brighter future.
WIO stands for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. They also have a suite here.
Traffic Controllers
The many services here can be confusing, so applicants are screened and given a list of available foodstuffs in a nifty list of items. See picture.
The Relief has grown to include faith-based elements today, even though secular volunteers started the Relief.
Such a dizzying maze of services and benefits can confuse clients. So knowledgeable consultants ascertain the needs of clients and lead them to the appropriate place.
If the Relief cannot help them here, clients are referred to other agencies in the city or county for help.
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