Local organizations assisting those in-need at home, abroad
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Between the Palms Apartments fire in February, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and the rise in prices of everyday items, Lowcountry families have endured a lot lately. There’s a number of organizations, however, trying to make these tough times a little easier on everyone.
Local organizations are working to make a difference worldwide during challenging times.
“These last couple of years have been crazy, right?” Henry Grace, chief financial officer for the Charleston Hispanic Association, said. “With COVID, then the next COVID, and now a war and now inflation. It seems like when something is getting better, something happens to make it worse. And there’s a lot of people hurting, not just in South Carolina, but kind of almost everywhere.”
Grace says he is trying to make an impact both at home and abroad.
“We’re sending supplies to the Ukraine,” he said. “We’ve sent supplies to Thailand. We’re sending supplies to Honduras, Mexico, Venezuela. A little bit of everywhere.”
Those supplies they’re sending, weren’t originally meant to help in worldwide struggles. They were donated by community members after the Palms Apartments fire that left 180 people without homes on February 7th.
“The response was almost immediately happening after the fire,” Grace said. “I mean, everybody started to donate. A lot of churches, a lot of people stepped up, brought stuff in. We told them we were full, they kept bringing stuff in. Everybody wanted to help.”
With extra supplies on-hand, the organizations decided to host the March Mayhem Giveaway last weekend, and now, are helping communities across the globe as well.
“We knew we were going to get a bunch of donations,” Grace said. “We knew there was going to be a lot left over. So, now to give back to the community, to give back to several communities has been amazing.”
Grace says his childhood difficulties in Spain is the reason he works tirelessly to help families across the world.
“I remember what it was to go hungry,” he said. “I remember what it was to be scared. All of those, you never forget. And so now in Charleston, there’s a big Hispanic community, I know exactly what they’re going through. And just to be able to help a little bit, that helps me a lot as well.”
