LAURINBURG — The Church Community Services of Scotland County Center hosted an open house and awareness event on Thursday during a Business After Hours.
The center opened in 1989 and has been working with various churches since its founding to provide people with food, clothes and other necessities. Robin Monk, the food pantry coordinator, said that nearly 70 people come in every weekday, and the number is only increasing.
“Lately, it’s been higher,” Monk said. “With everything that’s happening with the pandemic ending, a lot of people are losing their emergency allotments of food benefits, and there’s a lot of decrease in income from loss of employment.”
Monk said that after 2020, significantly more people started needing to supplement their sources of food and clothes, but the stigma around needing to turn to food banks makes it much harder for people to access these services.
“This isn’t just for a certain category of people,” Monk said. “This is for all people in Scotland County.”
The center has services for people from all walks of life, including financial assistance for people struggling to pay utilities, rent, gas bills and short-term motel stays for those dealing with homelessness.
The financial services advisor, Vince Bateman, said he reviews four to five applications daily. However, summer and winter peaks show an uptick in people requesting financial assistance for their increased heating or cooling bills.
“Sometimes it seems like the line is about as long as it is for the food pantry,” Bateman said.
People may receive financial aid through the center twice. Those two times must be separated by at least 12 months.
The food pantry service is open Monday through Friday, and households may freely choose from the available donated foods twice a month. Families may pick up cans of Cambell’s soup donated by the company each Friday.
Local farmers often donate extra produce, such as watermelons, beans and tomatoes, to the center. A farmer from Clarkton donated 50 watermelons to the center on Thursday, but Monk predicted they would run out within an hour of opening as each family that comes will be allowed to take one.
The center also has a clothes closet service with options for men, women and children. They also have a large selection of medical scrubs available. The clothes closet is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and families can shop twice a month.
A lesser-known aspect of the center is its supply of medical items, such as adult diapers, crutches and wheelchairs. These items are not kept up front and are available upon request.
The Church Community Services Center is always accepting donations and clients. Donations can include anything from dried goods, fresh produce and canned foods to old crutches, clothes and diapers for adults and infants. Those needing the center’s services are encouraged to visit it any weekday.
The center is located on 108 Gill St. in Laurinburg.