Mount Pleasant nonprofit to break ground on $5 million renovation

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) – A Lowcountry nonprofit helping community members facing financial hardship will break ground on an expansion project Wednesday morning.

East Cooper Community Outreach (ECCO) will see renovations to its Mount Pleasant headquarters which leaders say will allow their 250 volunteers to work more efficiently.

The project will also allow everything from medical and dental services to their food pantry and clothing closet to exist under one roof.

ECCO said Wednesday’s groundbreaking marks the start of the project, but after raising almost $5.2 million, it also marks one of the largest capital campaigns they have ever run.

The nearly 35-year-old nonprofit served almost 1,700 households in 2023, showing a great need for help within the East Cooper community; the expansion project hopes to make it easier to serve those clients.

In addition to the renovations, ECCO is looking to create a transportation service to reach clients who may have a hard time driving to their facility.

Ahead of Wednesday’s groundbreaking, the nonprofit’s executive director, Stephanie Kelley, said it is important for people to know that just because construction fences will be up, it doesn’t mean their facility will close.

“We will continue to operate out of this facility during construction, we are not closing, we cannot relocate our dental clinic or our medical clinic. So instead we will continue to operate while construction is happening, and put in lots of systems to be sure that everyone, our staff, our volunteers, and the public, including our clients, will have very safe, clear, indications of where to go, when to go,” said Kelley.

Kelley tells News 2 that this project is expected to take roughly a year to complete. Mt. Pleasant Mayor Will Haynie is set to give remarks Wednesday morning along with other ECCO partners and leaders.

ECCO plans to name its food pantry after founder Monsignor James A. Carter during Wednesday’s ceremony.