Mission Lexington breaks ground on new building
It can happen to anyone. An emergency that drains a savings account. A medical crisis keeping a breadwinner from work. A job lost. A home lost. A relationship gone wrong.
And it can happen anywhere, even in a thriving place such as Lexington County.
That’s why Mission Lexington, a consortium of 63 churches in the county, needs to expand to offer immediate help to those in crisis.
In August, the nonprofit broke ground on a 35,000-square-foot campus on seven acres of land at North Lake Drive next to the Pilgrim Lutheran Church, where a larger food pantry and donation center are planned.
Officials are in the middle of a $9.5 million campaign, which they hope to reach by the end of the year, said Executive Director Amy Reeves, who stepped into the role in 2024.
Mission Lexington aims to be on the front line of a personal crisis, offering immediate food, emergency money for rent or mortgage, counseling, and referrals to county agencies for state and federal help.
In 1978, four churches combined resources and talents to create the Lexington Interfaith Community Services, or LICS, to create a central hub for community care. Forty years later, the name change to Mission Lexington reflects the breadth of services in a county that has grown by leaps and bounds.
One-on-one, staffers initially help clients by assessing their needs, sometimes helping them navigate the maze of paperwork required to get longer-term food and rental assistance through the state. Then, through a voucher, families or individuals can get immediate help.
“We’re very big on partnering in the community with other resources,” Reeves said. “We’re not just sending them out with paperwork, but we either have made the call or make sure they get connected to who can.”
Through its mission store, clients are able to find clothing needs if they lost them in a fire, flood, or other disaster. The donation center accepts clothing, furniture, large appliance, and seasonal items, which are sold to the public to raise money.
The mission food store is the largest in the county, providing $2.5 million in groceries in the last year. Qualified clients can get food once a month through the Mission’s Food for Living program. Clients in a one-time crisis can receive a package containing a weekend’s worth of food. Mission Lexington also works with senior centers in the county to distribute food. More than 2,000 are served a month. Donations come from the public, area grocery stores, restaurants, and people at the participating churches.
Reeves, who has been with the mission in various roles since 2018, graduated from Columbia International University and worked in construction and property management for about 24 years. “And through a lot of prayer, I said, ‘Sure, let’s just completely leave this career and start something different.’ But I could tell that God was calling me to step into full-time work with the mission specifically.”
And she stepped in just as the capital campaign was kicking off. Lexington County’s growth is good, but it means more people to serve in times of crisis.
Who needs the services? It can be a mom who had to stop working while her newborn twins were in the NICU for 18 months and needed help with a mortgage. Or the person who has an upcoming job interview and doesn’t have an outfit to wear. A child who needs school supplies. A woman fleeing an abusive situation.
Mission Lexington has a partnership with first responders, so a family unable to return home might get temporary housing or even immediate needs so life, however disrupted, can continue until they get back on their feet, Reeves said.
“It can happen to anybody,” she said. “Life happens, and if you don’t have a lot of savings, where do you go? What do you do to get through that crisis? That’s us.”
Volunteer Ken Lowden has worked on and off since it was LICS and more recently, twice a week at the food pantry, where he hears much about the circumstances that have brought clients there.
“It’s hard not to feel good when you’re serving others, and you see a real need,” Lowden, 79, said. “I leave with a story every day I work or volunteer with a story.”
There was the time he was able to give a Krispy Kreme doughnut to a toddler (with mom’s permission, of course) and watch the little girl’s eyes light up while her mother was getting support in terms of food. “And this little girl gave me the biggest smile you have ever seen,” he said.
Mission Lexington
216 Harmon Street
Lexington, SC
missionlexingtonsc.org
WANT TO DONATE?
Mission Lexington always has needs. A gift of money is welcome, and different amounts can make a difference in people’s lives.
“We never have enough food,” said Lowden, a longtime volunteer at the mission’s grocery store, who emphasized that other needs could be used, such as:
- Peanut butter and jelly
- Cereal and breakfast items
- Canned goods
- Frozen meat
- Breads and sweets
- Toothpaste
- Deodorant
- Soap and shampoo
- General cleaning products
- Diapers
- Adult pull-ups
- Dog food
- Cat food