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Prevention is at the core of our mission. In 1936, in the depth of the Great Depression, Greer citizens founded Greer Relief to help prevent their neighbors from starving and freezing. We have continued to fight hunger and homelessness in our community. Our focus has matured with time, and today, we intervene when crisis threatens a family’s life using proven practices that meet needs and offer solutions to alter each family’s trajectory.
Our key methods include:
We believe that our community’s health is reflected by its residents’ well being. Similar to the circumstances surrounding the Great Depression, circumstances contributing to need are complex. Families may need relief due to generational cycles of poverty and addiction. Conversely, families may encounter a completely unexpected crisis, such as job loss, injury, a death, or other disaster.
The long term goal of Greer Relief is to help recipients identify their core problems and to treat the situation, not just their immediate need. In 2018, 3,355 neighbors in need received Greer Relief assistance. As a testimony to our prevention efforts, we track repeat requests for assistance. 65% of our neighbors were new to need!
Greer Relief receives funding from the United Way of Greenville County and the United Way of the Piedmont. We also rely heavily upon donations of time, goods, and money from concerned citizens, businesses, and faith-based groups to meet the needs of our neighbors.
