Single mother’s patience pays off with help from Woodyard Fund
Quaeisha Prescott, a single mother of two children with health needs, was falling behind on her utility bills.
Her only income comes from a part-time job at Transitions homeless recovery center. Then someone suggested the Salvation Army’s Woodyard Fund to her. .
After two months of calls, Prescott was able to get the help she needed. Not only was the Woodyard Fund able to help her catch up on her electricity bill, but she got help with a deposit on a new place to live.
“When that young lady was able to help me that was a blessing, because my lights were about to get cut off at the time,” said Prescott, who remembers the sum to be around $220.
“My lights were about to get cut off and my baby needs his (nebulizer),” she said. “I’m grateful.”
The Woodyard Fund helps residents in crisis in Richland, Lexington, Fairfield and Newberry counties pay for utilities. The fund dates to 1816, when the Ladies Benevolent Society provided firewood and coal to families in need. In 1930, The State newspaper’s editor, William E. Gonzales, began publicizing the fund. It became a tradition the newspaper continues every winter.
The fund usually runs from late November through mid-March, when temperatures generally are the coldest.
Prescott would encourage anyone who can’t seem to get through to keep calling until you reach someone. She said if she ever needs help again, she knows she could call.
“It’s a great program,” Prescott said. “They pay what you need. That’s great.”
Woodyard Fund
How to give help: Donations can be mailed to the Woodyard Fund, c/o The Salvation Army of the Midlands, P.O. Box 2786, Columbia, SC 29202. Make checks payable to the Woodyard Fund. All donations are tax-deductible.
How to get help: Area residents who need assistance with heating bills can call (803) 462-5093 for more information or to make an appointment for assistance.
Donations to date
Week of Feb. 6
Carol C. Sharpe, $25; Margaret R. Buchanan, $100, in memory of John C. Buchanan, III; The Fellowship Sunday School Class at Seven Oaks Presbyterian Church, $200; Sherry L. Younginer, $50, in memory of Emily D. White; Rosa Davis Evans, $200; Jeffrey R. Abrams, $100, in memory of Katherine Abrams; Ladies Adult Sunday School Class at First Calvary Baptist Church, $135; Wallace and Carolyn Bentley, $100; Anonymous, $25; Paul S. Gantt, $50; Anonymous, $500; Jacqueline S. Cominotti, $50; Ruth R. Mobley, $25; Gerald Floyd, $100; Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, $30
Weekly total: $1,690
Week of Feb. 13
Agape Ministries of Lower Richland Inc., $100; Wescott Acres Luxury Pet Resort Inc., $100; Rodney E. Harmon, $25; Trinity Baptist Church/Annie Armstrong WMU Group, $135; Rose Mary S. Smith and John W. Smith, $25; St. John Neumann School, $2,112.19; Joseph L. Shea, $20; Emily Martin, $10; Darrell L. Mantei Jr, $20; Emily Martin, $25; Jeffrey G. Thomas, $25; Daniel R. Klemm Jr., $25; Raymond L. Chiellini, Jr. and Cindy L. Chiellini, $100; Harold and Betty Park, $100; S. Valder, $100, in memory of Sue; Anonymous, $40
Weekly total: $2,962.19
Total to date: $82,993.06