COLUMBIA, S.C. — On Tuesday, Midlands Gives Day, hundreds of nonprofits in the area are benefitting from community donations that will allow them to continuing serving our community.
It’s the day nonprofits look forward to all year. Midlands Gives Day is back for its 11th year.
“It is a pleasure and an honor to represent not only the community but the Afro Latino community, because so many of us have reached out and said, we just don't have enough services and resources,” Tanya Rodriguez Hodges said.
Rodriguez Hodges is the executive director of the Latino Community Development, a nonprofit that support the Hispanic community in the area.
"When we receive our dollars this year it’s going towards our security program to kind of amp up the fresh fruits and vegetables that we have. We can also include some dairy products, some meats, especially now because we know that children are home, a lot of EBT services have been discontinued, we want to meet our families where they are," she said.
According to the Central Carolina Community Foundation, it is a record year for Midlands Gives, with over 600 organizations participating.
“It's a day that our nonprofits have really come to rely on because its a day that the community rallies around them. One, it shows the nonprofits that the community sees them and values them, but also financially it does help a lot of them. They've been able to really use this is one of their major fundraisers for the year,” Erin Johnson said.
Johnson is the vice president for community investment with the Central Carolina Community Foundation
“There was a real need to have our nonprofits sort of come together, because it's not supposed to be a competition, it's really a celebration and honestly we didn't know it was gonna be this popular. The midlands is really rallied around this and this is one of the few giving days that has kept going for so long and we hope to continue going for a long time,” she said.
Other organizations like Emma's Diaper Boutique, a charity who provides diapers for families in need, says this annual events helps spread the word about what they do.
“It really opens us up to South Carolina and just encourages people to donate and just be aware that this is here for our mamas, our struggling mamas and struggling babies,” Lillian Edwards, a volunteer with Emma's Diapers, said.
Donations can be made until 11:59pm, Tuesday night on the Midlands Gives website.