Woodyard Fund giving grows

Midlands residents looked past an uncertain economy and offered a certain hope to many struggling to stay warm again this winter.

Donations to the annual Woodyard Fund totaled $159,758 this year — up more than $30,000 from the $125,340 collected last year. That generosity provided 508 families with the financial assistance needed to keep their heat running, compared with the 415 families who were helped last year.

“I think it is sometimes during those difficult times that people are reminded of their own financial vulnerabilities,” said Capt. Ethan Frizzell of the Salvation Army, which administers the fund.

For years, the community-supported Woodyard Fund has helped families facing difficulties paying their heating bills because of extreme financial circumstances. Those circumstances range from a loss of employment to an unexpected medical emergency. But Frizzell said that even while keeping a close eye on their own finances, many families have continued to reach out to others through the fund.

“The amount of contributions in the wake of some uncertain financial times has been really considerate,” Frizzell said.

The faces behind the Woodyard Fund are those like Shirley Jefferson’s. The 55-year-old disabled grandmother had approached several other services that provide funds for low-income families before finally receiving assistance through the fund.

Sharon Harrison had lost her two jobs and health benefits and was facing foreclosure on her home when the Woodyard Fund came to her rescue.

The list goes on.

Frizzell said that as stories like those and others have been told, many in the community have contacted the Salvation Army with offers of additional assistance, including paying off a remaining heating bill balance, providing transportation or helping with other bills.

“I think that carries on the compassion and the tradition of the Woodyard Fund. It’s been very kind,” Frizzell said. “The Woodyard Fund humanizes the situation, and people respond.”

Entering this week, the Salvation Army had provided $129,132 in direct assistance, or about $300 per family. With a few more weeks of potential cold weather ahead, Frizzell hopes to be able to serve the remaining applicants while also beginning next season with money on hand.

“We always try to carry a balance forward,” he said.

The Woodyard Fund traces its origins to 1816. The Ladies’ Benevolent Society provided firewood, and later coal, to needy families. The society turned management of the charity over to the Salvation Army around the turn of the 20th century.

In 1930, William E. Gonzales, then editor of The State newspaper, began publicizing the fund and those it helped, a tradition the paper continues each winter.

The Woodyard Fund serves residents in Richland, Lexington, Fairfield and Newberry counties and usually runs from late November through March, when temperatures generally are the lowest. While this year’s drive officially ends this week, donations still can be made and designated to next year’s drive.

TO HELP:

Donations to the Woodyard Fund should be mailed to Woodyard Fund, c/o The State newspaper, P.O. Box 1333, Columbia, SC 29202. Make checks payable to “Woodyard Fund.” All donations are tax-deductible.