Toys, food donations needed: Here’s how you can help people in your community
With Christmas approaching, organizations in the Rock Hill region are seeking donations to meet the needs of as many families as possible.
You can help.
Here are some ways you can donate or volunteer during the Christmas season.
The Herald will continue to update this list. If you would like your organizations included in this list, email Tobie Nell Perkins at tperkins@heraldonline.com.
Dorothy Day Soup Kitchen
There’s a huge number of people needing Christmas meals this year, Jan Stephenson, executive director of Dorothy Day Soup Kitchen says. “It’s unbelievable. We’ve never seen it this way.”
Stephenson is asking for specific ingredients to make sure meals served at the soup kitchen are flavorful and special for the holidays. “I don’t want to serve anything to anyone that I wouldn’t put in my mouth,” she told The Herald.
The kitchen is in urgent need and has provided a specific list of items to donate all the way up until Christmas. Donations can be made at Soup Kitchen, 902 Crawford Road in Rock Hill.
The items needed are: Canned creamed soups, chicken broth, canned tuna, canned chicken, canned salmon, fresh produces for salad other than lettuce (eg: tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, celery), and ingredients for sandwiches.
While the soup kitchen has enough volunteers so far, if you would like to volunteer time on Christmas Day or any time, you can call Jan Stephenson at 803-412-0411.
WHRI’s Toys For Happiness
WHRI is holding their Toys For Happiness event again this year, which has provided Christmas gifts for the less fortunate of York County since 1986. WRHI and the United Way of York County partner together to make Christmas a reality.
“We have thousands of kids we’re taking care of right now,” Allen Miller, managing partner of WHRI Radio & OTS Media Group, told The Herald. “We’re in need of a lot of stuff right now.”
Various organizations, including the local school districts, submit names of families who are in need of donations each year. Miller says Toys for Happiness is in need games and crafts for boys and girls age seven through 10.
You can donate by either dropping a gift at a drop box or attending the Stafford Park Light Show this Friday and Saturday. The cost of admission to the light show is one gift or one canned good for the Dorothy Day Soup Kitchen.
Those wishing to donate can drop gifts at the following locations:
- WHRI’s office (142 N. Confederate Ave. in Rock Hill)
- Williams and Fudge Inc. (300 Chatham Ave., Rock Hill)
- Any of the York County YMCA locations: Charlotte Avenue YMCA (402 Charlotte Ave., Rock Hill); YMCA Wellness Center (1735 Heckle Blvd.); Fort Mill YMCA (971 Tom Hall Street, Fort Mill); Baxter Close YMCA (857 Promenade Walk); and Clover YMCA (107 South Main Street, Clover)
Marine Toys for Tots
Marine Toys for Tots, which The Herald reported distributed 1,540 toys last year, is still collecting gifts for families in Chester County.
Donation boxes still be out at the following locations until the end of this weekend:
- Chester City Fire Department (156 Columbia St., Chester)
- Sherry’s Pampered Pet Parlor & Lodge (508 Lancaster Hwy., Chester)
- The Wagon Wheel Restaurant (5724 Lancaster Hwy., Fort Lawn)
- Family Dollar (5414 Pendergrass Blvd., Great Falls) and Dollar General (516 Chester Ave., Great Falls)
Clover Open Air Flea Market
The Clover Open Air Flea Market will be serve Christmas dinner (turkey or ham) at noon Christmas Day. They will serve to-go plates only, to as many families as possible. “The more the better,” says owner David Bowles.
If you want a meal, pull up to the market, wait inside your car, and a volunteer will come to take your order.
The market is located at 406 Kings Mountain St., Clover. Locals are encouraged to drop off any cooked meals or desserts by the end of the day.
This story was originally published December 16, 2021 at 2:01 PM.
