The Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation awards $210,000 to seven South Carolina organizations addressing child welfare, food insecurity and arts education

Seven organizations focusing on projects in the areas of child welfare, food insecurity, and arts education have been granted $210,000 by The Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation. Each organization will receive a yearly grant of $10,000 for three years, amounting to $30,000 per organization. The Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation has provided financial support to South Carolina nonprofits and public schools since 2000, awarding over $3.6 million in total.

This year’s grant recipients are:

Cellis Major Driffin I-Cedric Moses Driffin Pantry (Williamsburg County)
Project: FoodShare Williamsburg – FoodShare Williamsburg provides fresh food boxes biweekly to low-income families in Williamsburg, Florence, and Clarendon counties, containing 18 pounds of locally sourced fruits and vegetables to improve their health. This project will strengthen organizational capacity and expand partner sites, as well as support some program costs.

The Community Kitchen of Myrtle Beach (Horry County)
o Project: Children’s Hunger Initiative Program – The Community Kitchen’s Children’s Hunger Initiative Program (CHIP) offers after-school snacks and summer lunches to combat childhood hunger in Horry County.

Dickerson Children’s Advocacy Center (Lexington County)
o Project: Handle with Care: Protect, Heal, Thrive – The Handle with Care program trains school staff and law enforcement to care for traumatized children quickly. Law enforcement, school resource officers, and other school personnel will work together to create personalized care and safety plans to help children heal and thrive after a traumatic event.

Lowcountry Orphan Relief (Richland County)
o Project: Midlands Orphan Relief, Just In Case Closets – Lowcountry Orphan Relief will expand its Just in Case Closets (JICC) program from 15 to 59 schools over three years. The JICC program provides children with clothing and toiletries when they experience an emergency need during the school day.

Palmetto Place Children and Youth Service (Richland & Lexington Counties)
o Project: Palmetto Place Unaccompanied Youth Aftercare Services – Palmetto Place will receive support for wraparound case management to promote healing and well-being for homeless youth in the Midlands. This includes emergency shelter, and an unaccompanied youth program offering medical care, mental health services, support groups, education support, recreational activities, money management training, and employment readiness education.

Pick 42 Foundation, Inc. (Marion County)
o Project: Community Garden Food Share – Community Garden Food Share is a weekly gathering to provide fresh local foods to community members at no cost. During the event, community members share recipes and learn about garden education. Pick 42 Foundation, Inc. will extend the number of weeks and families served and introduce fun activities, including a playlist with Hootie & the Blowfish hits.

Saluda County School District One (Saluda County)
o Project: Express Yourself Through Arts Education – Saluda County District One is committed to providing elementary through high school students with the necessary materials and resources to explore the arts and achieve a well-rounded education. Saluda County School District One will update and replace classroom materials and resources, provide opportunities for the arts field trips, and support extended learning and professional development.

“Due to the great success of the Monday After the Masters event and golf tournament year after year, the Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation is able to increase its annual giving to assist charities in South Carolina that are doing great work in areas of need the band loves to support,” shares Hootie & The Blowfish Foundation director Chris Carney.

Darius Rucker, Mark Bryan, Dean Felber and Jim “Soni” Sonefeld created The Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation to even the playing field in educational funding and lend an encouraging hand to all those in need. The band sought to give back to the state that has nurtured their dreams since the start of their career.

Hootie & the Blowfish established their donor advised fund at Central Carolina Community Foundation to increase their philanthropic impact. The Community Foundation is the point of contact for all grant requests and manages its grant administration, evaluation, outreach and distribution.

About Central Carolina Community Foundation

Central Carolina Community Foundation, the Midlands’ leader in collaborative philanthropy, is a nonprofit organization serving 11 counties in the Midlands of South Carolina by distributing grants and scholarships and linking the resources of donors, nonprofits and area leaders to communities in need. Major initiatives include the online giving challenge Midlands Gives, Connected Communities grants, the One SC Fund and annual scholarships. For more information about the Foundation, visit www.yourfoundation.org or call (803) 254-5601.