Greer Relief Service Area is Greenville and Spartanburg residents of Greer, Taylors, Duncan, Lyman, and Wellford. The Greer Relief Application must be completed to be considered for any assistance.

What Services are Available?

J. Verne Smith Center: The J. Verne Smith Center serves residents of Greenville and Spartanburg Counties.  Each agency has specific guidelines as to service area covered from the Center.  Please contact them for specific information about their on-site programs. J. Verne Smith Center Partners

Case Management/Counseling: Develops plans for the evaluation, treatment and/or care of individuals who, because of age, illness, disability or other difficulties, need assistance in planning and arranging for services; which assess the individual's needs; coordinate the delivery of needed services; ensure that services are obtained in accordance with the case plan; and follow up and monitor progress to ensure that services are having a beneficial impact on the individual.

Clothing: Provides new or secondhand clothing for people who cannot afford to purchase these items at retail prices. Included are clothing exchange programs.  Clothing is available without application screening process.

Financial Assistance: Provides immediate resources for people in emergency situations, as funding is available, and evaluates the individual's or family's need for the money on a case-by-case basis for heat/utility and rent/mortgage bills. Program also provides financial assistance to purchase necessary prescription drugs for people who would be in an emergency situation without assistance. *All financial assistance is first come first serve and given only after meeting with the Case Manager to review the needs and resources of the household members.

Food Pantry Box & Voucher: Food products are aquired through donations, canned food drives, food bank programs or direct purchase and distributes the food to clients in emergency situations.  Food vouchers for perishable items are given as funding is available.

Referral: Uses information about human service resources in the community to link people who need assistance with appropriate service providers and/or to supply descriptive information about the agencies or organizations which offer services. The information and referral process involves establishing contact with the individual, assessing the individual's long and short-term needs, identifying resources to meet those needs, providing a referral to identified resources, and, where appropriate, following up to ensure that the individual's needs have been met.

Emergency Phone: Cellular phones with discontinued service are collected to be used for 911 emergency calls without having to pay monthly service fees. Collecting donated cell phones, and distributing them to Clients, provides ready access to emergency assistance.

Transportation: Provides gift card / voucher, as funding is available, to purchase gasoline for individuals who need their automobile for necessary local travel but cannot afford to run their vehicle without assistance. Also donated vehicles are received through Greer Relief and then distributed to a person or family in need at no cost. If you would like to make a vehicle donation need to contact Caroline Robertson, (864) 848‐5355.

Special Event Programs:

VITA: Volunteer Income Tax Assistance: Program offers free tax help to low- to moderate-income (generally, $50,000 and below) people who cannot prepare their own tax returns. Certified volunteers receive training to help prepare basic tax returns in communities across the country. VITA offers free electronic filing. Program runs annually February – April.

Easter Basket “Be A Bunny”: Special assistance, services or special events during Easter to make the celebration of the holiday more enjoyable.

School Supply Giveaway: Essential educational supplies at no cost for students who cannot afford to purchase them.

Thanksgiving Meal: Provides a Thanksgiving meal for low-income and homeless individuals and families who might otherwise have no opportunity to celebrate the holiday. Some Thanksgiving meals may be delivered to people's homes.

Christmas Programs: Adopt-A-Family Program matches people who want to provide personalized holiday assistance (usually gifts, an invitation to a holiday meal or party or a food basket) with an older adult, an individual with a disability, a low-income family or others in their community who would be unable to celebrate and enjoy the holiday without the sponsor's generosity. The "Spirit of Christmas Party" is hosted by a private funder for children ages 0 - 12 years old. Basic necessity items of a blanket, 2 bars of soap, crayons, a coloring book, 2 pencils, a spiral notebook, and a $15 gift card to Wal-Mart are given to participants.