Chapin’s We Care Competing for $25,000 Grant on Facebook

April 14, 2013

200 Causes Battling for Top 40 Spots in State Farm Neighborhood Assist contest 

CHAPIN, SC – April 9, 2013 – Chapin’s We Care Center is one of 200 causes competing to get enough votes on Facebook to be eligible for a $25,000 grant. The contest is part of the State Farm Neighborhood Assist program, which supports efforts to build safer, stronger, better educated communities.

We Care provides food and warmth to those in need in Chapin and the surrounding communities. Founded in 1986, We Care operates a food pantry as well as provides emergency assistance to individuals and families living in Chapin, White Rock, Prosperity, Peak, Pomaria and Little Mountain. The center has outgrown its 1800-square foot building in Chapin and is in negotiations to lease a 3300-square foot building just across the parking lot from its current site.

According to We Care Board member and State Farm agent Scott Hanners, participating in the Neighborhood Assist contest made perfect sense as the board examines ways to build a larger facility with more rooms for food storage, offices for interviewing clients and opportunities to provide additional services, such as referrals, counseling and training opportunities. “We have had to store food off site during peak collection periods, and we have a donated walk-in cooler that we haven’t been able to install because of a lack of space,” Hanners explained. “We are helping more people than ever before, and this grant would go a long way in helping us renovate a larger building that is conveniently located for both our clients and donors.” 

We Care is encouraging members throughout the Chapin community and the Midlands to rally in support of Expanding We Care, the name of its cause in the contest, and vote up to 10 times a day on Facebook. “We are one of five causes selected in South Carolina and the only one in the Midlands,” Hanners added. “You don’t have to be from South Carolina to vote for our cause. We are asking folks to invite their friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers regardless of their location to vote for Expanding We Care.”

The voting continues through Monday, April 22 and the top 40 vote-getters will be announced on April 29 at 9 am EST. Those 40 causes will each receive a $25,000 grant from State Farm to pursue their efforts to creatively solve local problems and improve communities. To vote for Expanding We Care, go directly to https://www.state-assist.com/cause/3185/expanding-we-care to download the free app.

Individuals can vote 10 times a day, and Hanners says the process takes about 30 seconds. Then after completing your votes, people are encouraged to invite their friends to vote for the cause as well as share links on their Facebook and Twitter accounts.

About State Farm Neighborhood Assist Program

State Farm Neighborhood Assist empowers people to identify problems in their community, connects them with local nonprofits that can help solve the problem and provides an opportunity for communities to receive funding to make a positive impact in their neighborhood. In alignment with the State Farm commitment of building safer, stronger and better educated communities, the Neighborhood Assist cause was required to fall into one of three categories – safety, education or community development – to be considered.  Some 3000 applications were submitted for review by the State Farm Youth Advisory Board which identified 200 finalists based on a scoring rubric created specifically for the program. The top 200 causes went live on the State Farm Neighborhood Assist app on April 4 and anyone who downloads the free Facebook application can vote for their favorite cause.