Clover center expands outreach after $200K Kirsh family donation boost
An outpouring of community support, including $206,000 in donations and long construction days, help propel the opening of a new Clover-area outreach center.
The Community Outreach Center, operated by the Clover Area Assistance Center, opened on June 6, with locals sharing praise for Kevin Kirsh and the Kirsh Family Foundation
Last June when construction began, the foundation made a $106,000 donation to cover the remaining costs for construction.
One year later, at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, welcoming all to the center, the foundation announced another hefty donation of $100,000.
The vision of the Community Outreach Center is to provide support to local Clover families in need, while also having a broader impact on the community.
“People in the community who need help are getting help,” said Clover resident John Gossett said on Facebook. “Our schools have a lot of organizations that are devoted to giving back to the community, and teaching kids to help others and to realize there are other people less fortunate.
“I think it is good to see support for the Clover Area Assistance Center. It’s good that they’re helping folks, but it’s also good to see the community supporting them through our schools. And those are good lessons to teach our kids.”
Gossett said the Kirsh family donation helped assistance center leaders to acquire the start-up materials and resources needed to open.
“They’ve [the Kirsh family] always been big supporters of the community,” said Gossett, who added Kirsh’s parents, Sue and Herb created a family trust.
The Kirsh Family Foundation began in 2014 after Kirsh’s father died. During it’s 11 year existence, the foundation funds a scholarship every year for one Clover High School senior, as well as donations to other community organizations.
“I was always taught to give back to the community, so that’s what I do,” said Kirsh, adding this was a motto he grew up with.
That spirit of service is what drives Kirsh to stay involved, especially with programs that empower others to become independent.
“They got a good deal going. They help a lot of folks out. They teach them finances, they teach them how to budget their money, they teach them how to get up and get a job and take care of themselves,” said Kirsh. “So I just try to help out where I can.”
The center offers other services as well. There is a food pantry, called a Full Choice Pantry where people can shop directly from the shelves while assisted by a volunteer.
Additionally, the center has Living Basic Classes that help individuals understand budgeting and assist them in shifting towards achieving self-sufficiency, while also providing financial assistance.
Clover Area Assistance Center evolution
After the local textile mills closed in the 1980s, the Clover Caring Center and the Good Neighbor Pantry merged in 1999 to form the center — which has helped generations of families since.
“The staff and volunteers of the Clover Area Assistance Center are very excited for the completion and opening of our new administrative and outreach center,” wrote Jerry Epping, the center’s current president, in a email to the Rock Hill Herald. “For the past four or five years, CAAC has been cramped for space in our pantry building and we have had to conduct our basic financial education classes in borrowed spaces.
“Our new building will allow the relocation of our administrative staff, thus enabling us to expand our current pantry and food storage area. This will allow us to serve over (30%) more families. We will also be able to host our education classes in our training room. The outreach portion of the building will allow multiple other agencies to meet with our local families without having to travel to Rock Hill or, in some cases Columbia.”
This story was originally published June 13, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
