ECCO's 10th Adopt a Family program breaks service record
Mount Pleasant, SC (Sunday, December 16): East Cooper Community Outreach (ECCO) will help hundreds of local families in financial distress this holiday season thanks to the support from local businesses and individual donors through it’s 10th annual Adopt a Family program.
ECCO provides annual Christmas assistance to clients with children under the age of 18. Known to the community as Adopt a Family, this program aims to ensure every child will have presents to unwrap on Christmas morning. This time of year is especially difficult for those who struggle just to keep the lights on month-to-month.
A record holiday assistance program for ECCO this year
ECCO is thrilled to announce all 161 families have been adopted by generous donors who are purchasing items off of each child’s wish list. Now in its tenth year, ECCO's Adopt a Family program will serve 376 children this holiday season, an increase exceeding 10% from last year.
More than 40 local businesses and organizations are participating in the Adopt a Family program including: 1962, Action Based Learning, Advanced Maintenance, Aerotek, Apollon Wealth Management, Atkinson Pools and Spas, Bank of America, Barnwell Whaley Patterson & Helms, Benefitfocus, Blackbaud, BoomTownROI, C&S Wholesale Grocers, Charleston Steel & Metal, Christ Our King Catholic Church, College of Charleston, Fathom K9/Palmetto Concrete Group, Fruit of the Loom, Gap Inc, Germain Dermatology, glowspa, Gold Crown Management, GT Irrigation LLC, Home Team BBQ Sullivan’s Island, Intuit, Junior League of Charleston, Justin O’Toole Lucey, LifeBridge Church, Maga Design, Moluf’s Supply, MSI Viking Gage, MUSC MHA Program, New Leaf Builders, Park West Veterinary Associates, Pinnacle Financial Partners, Sands Investment Group, SAW Enterprises, shrimp and grits kids, the Shoppes at Seaside Farms, Studio Barre James Island, The Fertility Center of Charleston, The Law Offices of Richard A. Hricik, Transfer Solutions Corporation, Turbo Medical Marketing, US AIR FORCE, and Veterinary Medical Care.
Benefitfocus adopted 28 families this year for a total of 75 children, covering almost 20% of the program's needs. Staff members personally participated in this collective effort to secure hundreds of presents for those who are struggling financially. On Friday, December 14, Benefitfocus announced the company's plans to make a financial donation to ECCO as well, matching the total dollar amount their employees spent purchasing gifts.
The Junior League of Charleston (JLC) awarded ECCO with a donation for the second consecutive year in support of ECCO’s Adopt a Family project thanks to the organization’s Done In A Day grant opportunity, Members of the JLC will be helping to distribute gifts to the ECCO client families receiving Christmas assistance this weekend.
A huge thanks also to Christ Our King for supporting this program through their Angel Tree.
There is still time to help and financial support remains ECCO’s greatest need. For more information visit www.ECCOcharleston.org.
About East Cooper Community Outreach
The mission of East Cooper Community Outreach (ECCO) is to provide safety net services to our low- income neighbors, while empowering them to create a better future for themselves, their families, and communities. Founded in the aftermath of Hurricane Hugo, ECCO was formed as an emergency relief effort and has since grown into a permanent resource for families in financial distress, the elderly and disabled, and the underemployed and unemployed. ECCO provides clients with holistic and individualized support, ongoing case management, and the education and resources needed for long-term change, with programs designed to fill unmet needs in the community while encouraging healthy living and financial stability.
Over the last 29 years, the organization has expanded its programs to adapt to the changing economic environment and ECCO now helps thousands of families annually through program delivery in three main areas: Basic Needs, Health, and Empowerment, offering the wrap-around services and education necessary for families to rise out of poverty.
Visit www.ECCOcharleston.org for more information.
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