The Spartanburg County Foundation has continued its work to meet the needs of Spartanburg County residents with an additional $100,000 grant provided by AARP Foundation. The funds will help meet the needs of older Spartanburg County residents as recovery work continues following Hurricane Helene.

Data informed: According to United States Census data¹, there are more than 120,000 older residents (age 50+) living in Spartanburg County. AARP Foundation reports² that one in every three older adults is struggling to meet their basic needs. The Spartanburg County Foundation is committed to meeting the needs of residents across our community. It has been working with the Spartanburg County Joint Funders and nonprofit organizations to respond to the immediate needs for relief following Hurricane Helene and continues working with them to meet recovery and long-term recovery needs.

“Since October 2024, more than $400,000 has been granted from the Spartanburg County Foundation Disaster Relief Fund to nonprofit organizations in our community.  The additional funding provided by AARP Foundation has enabled us to work strategically with United Way of the Piedmont on the grants process and collaborate with nonprofit partners focused on older adults, ensuring a path toward recovery and resilience,” said Ashley Whitt, Vice President of Grants and Community Impact.

The following is a brief summary of the organizations and work supported by AARP Foundation grant funds:

• Help for Our Elderly– to purchase a trailer that would allow the organization to deliver supplies to individuals that are unable to travel to the organization’s central office. They expect to provide up to 1,000 residents with cleaning products, medical equipment, and hygiene and health supplies for older low-income residents living across Spartanburg County.
• St Luke’s Free Medical Clinic – support for the Wallace Pharmacy fund that provides critical medications and diabetic supplies for individuals who are either uninsured or have low-income. St. Luke’s clients include more than 450 adults age 50 or older with fixed incomes, transportation challenges, and increased risk of chronic illness.
• Benjamin E. Mays Family Resource Center – to provide financial assistance, home repairs, and debris removal for older adults in the Pacolet community.
• Spartanburg Housing (Housing 360) – to replace lost food, income, and household items, complete home repairs, and perform debris removal for older residents ages 50-80+  living in four properties in Spartanburg County.
• Mobile Meals – to purchase and deliver shelf-stable meals over the period of one year to homebound residents across Spartanburg County. Of the organization’s 1,300 active recipients each weekday, 1,298 (96%) are aged 50+.
• The Salvation Army – to provide financial and basic needs assistance to older adult households.

¹https://censusreporter.org/profiles/05000US45083-spartanburg-county-sc/

²https://www.aarp.org/aarp-foundation/about-us/

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The Spartanburg County Foundation is committed to improving the lives of Spartanburg County residents by promoting philanthropy, encouraging community engagement, and responding to community needs. Established in 1943, the Spartanburg County Foundation is the oldest community foundation in South Carolina. Additional information about the Foundation is available at www.spcf.org.