Grace United Methodist Church is notorious for its giving and support to those in need. The primary focus of Grace Missions is the local community. However, assistance for state, national, and world projects is given as needs arise.
The Gleaning House Food Pantry in Pickens serves over 200 families per week. These families pick up boxes of food items on Tuesday mornings. About 15 members of Grace (75% of total volunteers) are responsible for packing the boxes, distributing the food, and picking up the food items during the week. In addition, Grace members donate food items and make monetary donations weekly. Missions also assists with other projects such as painting, repairs, and needed equipment. We have helped the Gleaning House in 2022 by providing awnings for inclement weather, paying for repairs to the ramps, doors and paying $2,000 to repair their box truck.
The Pickens County Shelter of Hope is a Homeless Shelter established by Tracy and Sunshine Gantt. Missions supports this shelter by providing bedding items, hygiene items, cleaning supplies and other items as needed. In addition, missions is working to establish mentoring and Bible study groups with residents in the shelter.
Missions proudly supports local schools. During the 2021/2022 school year, Missions paid the deliquent lunch accounts for all three local elementary schools, Pickens High and Pickens Middle Schools. Additionally, Grace missions supports Pickens High School by providing individual requests for student materials, clothing items, food, and other requests deemed important for student’s well being or self esteem.
Another need recognized was the lack of first aid supplies in the classroom. Children were constantly being sent to the school nurse for band aids, cough drops, Vaseline for chapped lips, etc. The nurses were overwhelmed. We put together classroom first aid kits for all of the elementary classrooms in Pickens, 200 in total, and distributed them at the beginning of the year.
Missions sponsors the Department of Social Services each year with the Angel Tree. Members provide Christmas gifts for 50-75 children whose names are provided by DSS. Missions provides gifts for any additional children on the tree. The Department of Social Services requested that we provide back packs filled with supplies for 50 children this past year. In addition, we provided 25 filled back packs to the High School and 20 to the middle school.
Other missions projects include Feed a Hungry Child. Monetary donations are given monthly for this non profit organization. Through this project, bags of food are placed in children’s bookbags on Fridays so they will have food on the weekends. Grace Members also volunteer to fill the hundreds of bags of food to be distributed.
Missions sponsors Clothing Kids in Dignity. This program provides duffle bags of clothing and hygiene items to children who are taken from their familes by DSS. Missions provides hygiene items, monetary donations, and pajamas as needed.
Grace supports our local Department of Behavioral Health. NA Groups meet at Grace each week. Missions provides snacks and drinks as well as encouraging messages to participants.
**The Children’s Missions program is very active. Some of their projects include…
-Filling stockings for each child on the Angel Tree with age/gender appropriate items
-Filling over 4000 Easter Eggs with toys and candy to go in 200 bags to be distributed to families picking up food at the Gleaning House the week before Easter
-Making children’s blankets to go in duffle bags for Clothing Kids in Dignity
-Collecting supplies and money for bookbags for local highschool students
-Collecting food for the Gleaning House
-Collecting change in “Clang Buckets” each month to go toward various charities
Other organizations that are supported by Grace Missions include…
–Hope Women’s Center, a nonprofit organization that supports and educates expectant mothers who are in crisis situations.
–The Parenting Place provides programs that advocate safety of all children. It provides counseling, supportive services and parent education.
–Salkehatchie– “Faith in Action” – Youth volunteers work in rural, low-income towns, “allowing themselves to be the face, hands and feet of Christ”.
–Epworth Children’s Home – Home for children who have been abused and neglected. Provides food, shelter, counseling, tutoring, etc.
–Home with a Heart – A Christian rehabilitation home-like environment dedicated to helping men free themselves from drug and alcohol addiction.
United Methodist organizations supported by Special Offerings include UMCOR, Society of St. Andrew, United Methodist Student Loan Fund, World Communion Sunday, Kairos, and UMW.
** Grace furnishes an office, rent free, to the Pickens County Habitat for Humanity.
Grace Members volunteer in many places throughout the community. Some examples of service include…
-Pickens County Literacy Association reading teachers
-Pickens County Meals on Wheels delivery
-Habitat for Humanity office workers and building crews
-Cannon Hospital Auxiliary workers
-Collecting and distributing food for the Gleaning House
-Boy Scout and Girl Scout leaders
-Teaching classes at the Pickens Senior Center
