Woodyard Fund helps widow, young daughter in flood-damaged home
Mary Wright was away from her Columbia home Oct. 4 when catastrophic rains and floods pounded the Midlands.
She came home to an absolute mess.
A tree limb fell onto the backside of her home, which caused water damage to the bedroom, ruining items in there.
“There was enough damage to where there was rain coming through different parts of the roof,” Wright said. “The back room floor was already soaked (when we came home).”
Wright, a widow and mother of a 4-year-old daughter, was able to cover the holes in the roof with tarps where it was leaking, but the damage in the house caused her utility bill to spike to $587. The tarps are still the only thing that protects her home from further rain damage.
“We still kind of have an open spot where air can come in and out,” she said. “... We’ve kind of just scrounged to get different stuff just to make do. Really, as long as there’s somewhere to come lay your head, a roof over your head, (I’m) grateful.”
Wright said she is disabled and has had to stretch Social Security money as a means of income. She said she applied for FEMA aid, but her claim was denied because her home was still livable.
A friend told her about the Salvation Army’s Woodyard Fund, which could help pay her utility bills.
When she heard back with a “yes,” Wright said she breathed a sign of relief.
“I was really, really blessed,” she said. “... It helped a great deal where I don’t have to worry, until at least next month.”
Wright said donations to the Woodyard Fund are appreciated by its beneficiaries.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s one or 100 (dollars), it makes a big difference,” she said. “It’s a blessing to donate and to receive.”
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.
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
Through Dec. 24
The Old Guard at Oak Hills, $1,325; George D. and Charlotte A. Williams, $100; Frances E. and William L. Jowers, $20; Douglas C. Steimle, $25; Anonymous, $100; Craig W. Davis, $200, in memory of Carl E., Ruth E., and Nathan C. Davis; Craig McDaniel, $50; Iota Master Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi, $25; Wesley Fellowship Sunday School Class at Platt Springs United Methodist Church, $100; Barbara D. Summerford, $100; Anonymous, $500; Lucille P. Mould, $75, in memory of Genevieve A. Mould; Marvin C. Osborne Jr., $50; James D. and Violet Bernice Stevens, $100, in honor of Glenda and Jerry Kerby; Betty Mathias, $100, in memory of Buddy Mathias; Richard C. White, $240; Anonymous, $35, in memory of George M. Cook; Kenneth M. and Frances O. May, $500; Nancy J. Piester, $100; Wallace C. and Carolyn B. Bentley, $100; Samuel E. and Anselma A. Douglas, CMSGT USAF RET, $100; Kerry H. Collier, $50; Ernest M. Platt Jr., $1,000; Peter H. and Sarah K. Stewart, $100; J.C. Moorefield, $50; Anonymous, $400; William G. and Sadie G. Loging, $50; Bernadette Scott, $100; Mary Ruth D. Chapman, $100; Mary L. Christie, $50; Vance J. and Linda L. Bettis, $100; Carla Davis and Michael A. Bell, $50; Patsy Wertz, $100; Robert G. Tunell, $50; Clayton W. and Vickie P. Ettenger, $200, in honor of D. Murray Price and in memory of Frances A. Price by the Ettenger family; Tommie H. Wingate, $100, in memory of Levan Wingate; Elizabeth K. Timmerman, $100; Galen McWilliams, $100, in honor of my neighbors; John R. and Sue F. Ureda, $150; Anne G. Reyner, $125; Ada H. James, $100; Nancy T. and John H. Howell, $100; Frank and Caroline Ellerbe, $250; Harold and Betty Park, $100; Joan Kruger, $25; Bonnie L. Williams, $100; John C. Lee Jr., $100; D. Murray Price, $100; Gatekeepers Sunday School Class at Kilbourne Park Baptist Church, $100; Brian Blatt, $100; Hampton M. and Judy H. Cobb, $50, in honor of our grandchildren: Ford, Jacob, Kip, Tripp and Hensley; Louis A. and Patricia H. Parent, $200; JOY Sunday School Class at Trinity United Methodist Church, $100; Members of Seekers Class at Salem United Methodist Church, $100; Luci M. Gwynn, $25, in loving memory of Heather Alayne Nunn; Keith M. Babcock and Jacquelyn S. Dickman, $50; George D. and Rebecca W. Fulmer, $100
Weekly total: $8,600
Total to date: $40,610