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NewslettersWarm hearts this winter: Give clothes to the needy
thager@beaufortgazette.com
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Growing up in North Carolina -- where snow is not a complete stranger, more like a friend who visits a couple of times a year -- if the weatherman said we might be getting a dusting of the white stuff, it meant a run on the grocery store, the revving up of the salt trucks and general chaos for all involved.
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Here in the Lowcountry, where snow is like that uncle you met once but haven't seen in 20 years, we don't have that problem. But when the temperature dips below "freezing" (which, according to my wife's body, is the low 50s), you can expect firewood to sell quickly and for the parkas to be removed from the dusty box in the attic. It's not quite panic, but it's panic's less-anxious cousin.
For those of us who love cold weather, we rejoice for winter in Beaufort, which occurs in a brief window from Dec. 20 to Jan. 22. But it's easy to forget, when you are enjoying a 70-degree November day, that the temperature is more than a daily guessing game. For the poor, the elderly and the needy, a cold January night, even in the Lowcountry, can be dangerous.
That's one of the reasons Nancy Easler and Gospel Light Christian Ministries is collecting clothes, shoes, blankets and heaters for those in need. The church is accepting donations through Nov. 17 and will be holding a "Help Keep Our Community Warm" event from 1 to 3 p.m. Nov. 22 at the church at 201 Jennings Road.
Easler, the event's director, said the warm clothing drive grew out of the church's outreach program.
"We have other programs we wanted to get started up," she said. "I thought, 'Why don't we go ahead and do a clothes drive, since winter is coming.' "
Her brother organized a similar event four years ago. It wasn't for her church and didn't receive a lot of publicity, but it was a success, with the community supporting the cause.
"There are a lot of people out there who don't have coats and blankets," Easler said. "So, I just wanted to meet the needs in the community for people who really, truly need it."
We spoke on a warm November day, with temperatures in the upper 60s. That's not exactly the danger zone, but Easler knows the weather in the Lowcountry can change rapidly. An Indian summer can be followed by a stretch of freezing rain.
For those who have the means to adapt, preparation involves turning up the heat. For the less fortunate, a warm blanket or an extra shirt might be their only defense.
"I'm sure people are aware of (the dangers of winter weather), because it's all over the news. It's everywhere," Easler said. "I haven't heard anything in this community about these type of (clothing drives) happening. But I can say that since we started this outreach program for this event, a lot of people are donating clothes all over Beaufort."
Gospel Light Christian Ministries knows the importance of community support more than some. It was founded 10 years ago in a small day care. Because of funds raised by the congregation, it was able to build its own church, debt free. The non-denominational church is raising money for a second building, a community center.
The Help Keep Our Community Warm event also will offer soup and cornbread, whether the weather calls for it or not.
The food is a thank you not only to those who donate but also to those who need the donations. Easler said the church, fortunate in its own success, is eager to give back.
"We figured it was a way to show people that it doesn't matter if they don't have money or if there are no clothes for them to wear, there's still a place for them to go if they need help," she said. "We wanted people to know that someone cares, and we are there for them."
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