The Poston Foundation

The Poston Foundation is a South Carolina-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to practical, community-centered charitable work that helps individuals and families navigate hardship with dignity. Our work is rooted in a simple principle: when people are facing housing instability, financial strain, displacement, short-term crisis, or other resource gaps, access to basic essentials can make an immediate and meaningful difference.

Our current flagship program is the Carolina Cares Initiative, a direct-aid effort designed to provide practical Essentials Kits to South Carolinians experiencing need. Carolina Cares is built around a straightforward model: assemble useful, high-need items; mobilize volunteers and community partners; distribute assistance directly and respectfully; and maintain clear, responsible stewardship of donated funds and goods.

Carolina Cares Essentials Kits are designed to meet everyday needs that are often overlooked during periods of instability. Depending on season, availability, funding, and the needs of the individuals being served, kits may include hygiene products, socks, first-aid basics, shelf-stable snacks, bottled water, seasonal items, resource information, and other practical essentials. The goal is not to create a one-size-fits-all package, but to provide useful support that can help someone get through the next day, week, appointment, transition, or immediate challenge with greater stability and dignity.

The people we seek to serve may include individuals and families experiencing homelessness or housing instability; people under acute financial pressure; neighbors recovering from an unexpected disruption; individuals transitioning between temporary living situations; people facing transportation, employment, or documentation barriers; and others who simply lack reliable access to basic necessities. We use broad, inclusive eligibility language because hardship does not always fit neatly into a single category. Carolina Cares is intended to remain practical, flexible, and responsive to real community need.

The Poston Foundation’s approach emphasizes direct community assistance rather than unnecessary complexity. Whenever feasible, Essentials Kits are distributed in person or through trusted local partners so that support reaches people in a practical, timely way. We also seek opportunities to coordinate with nonprofit organizations, faith communities, civic groups, businesses, schools, community resource providers, and other local institutions that are already connected to people who may benefit from assistance.

Volunteer engagement is an important part of the Carolina Cares model. Kit-packing events and distribution activities can give individuals, employee teams, student groups, civic organizations, and community partners a concrete way to participate in local service. This hands-on approach helps transform charitable giving into visible, organized community action while keeping the primary focus where it belongs: on the people receiving support.

The Foundation is currently strengthening and expanding the infrastructure needed for renewed fundraising, sponsorships, workplace giving, grant development, in-kind support, volunteer engagement, and community partnerships. We are intentionally building this work with an emphasis on administrative discipline, clear program design, responsible financial management, transparent use of funds, measurable outputs, and realistic growth. We believe credibility is built by making specific commitments, tracking what is actually accomplished, communicating honestly about capacity, and avoiding exaggerated claims.

For Carolina Cares, our current planning model estimates the cost of a completed Essentials Kit at approximately $25, although actual costs may vary depending on donated goods, purchasing conditions, kit contents, season, and distribution needs. Our current annual planning target is 1,000 Essentials Kits, supported by an estimated program budget of approximately $30,000. These figures are planning benchmarks rather than guarantees; they help the Foundation budget responsibly, communicate needs clearly, and measure progress as the initiative develops.

Donations to The Poston Foundation may help support the purchase of kit contents, packaging and distribution materials, transportation and direct program logistics, volunteer activities, outreach, essential program administration, and other expenses necessary to operate the Carolina Cares Initiative responsibly. In-kind donations of appropriate new goods may also reduce program costs and allow charitable dollars to go further. When donor restrictions or designated gifts apply, the Foundation seeks to honor those restrictions and use funds consistently with the stated charitable purpose.

Workplace giving and employee matching programs are especially valuable to a growing community initiative like Carolina Cares. A single employee gift can help provide practical essentials; a recurring contribution can support continuity throughout the year; and a company match can significantly extend the reach of an employee’s generosity. Corporate and employee engagement can also go beyond financial support through volunteer service, in-kind product donations, supply drives, sponsorships, professional expertise, and introductions to community partners.

Businesses interested in deeper engagement may support the Carolina Cares Essentials Kit Sponsorship program. Current sponsorship levels are $250 Community Sponsor, $500 Supporting Sponsor, $1,000 Impact Sponsor, $2,500 Lead Sponsor, and $5,000 Presenting Sponsor. Sponsorships are designed to help underwrite program activity while giving companies a credible, community-focused way to demonstrate local involvement. Recognition and engagement opportunities may vary by sponsorship level and campaign, and the Foundation works to avoid overstating benefits or impact.

The Poston Foundation also welcomes collaboration with grantmakers, foundations, employee resource groups, corporate social responsibility teams, professional associations, service clubs, and civic leaders interested in addressing practical needs in South Carolina communities. We are particularly interested in partnerships that strengthen direct distribution, reduce the cost of essential items, improve access to trusted community resources, expand volunteer capacity, or help build sustainable systems for serving people facing short-term hardship.

Our organization is based in South Carolina, and Carolina Cares is intentionally local in its identity and focus. We believe community-based philanthropy can be especially effective when it is close enough to understand local conditions, flexible enough to respond to changing needs, and accountable enough for donors and partners to see how support is being used. The name “Carolina Cares” reflects that commitment: South Carolinians helping South Carolinians through practical, organized acts of care.

Dignity is central to the way we think about charitable assistance. People experiencing hardship should not have to perform their need, surrender their privacy unnecessarily, or be reduced to a statistic in order to receive basic support. We aim to approach distribution respectfully, communicate clearly, protect personal information, and use conservative, accurate language when reporting outcomes. The purpose of impact measurement is to improve accountability and program quality—not to turn vulnerable people into marketing material.

As The Poston Foundation rebuilds and strengthens its infrastructure, we are focused on becoming increasingly grant-ready, sponsor-ready, donation-ready, and partnership-ready. That work includes policies and internal controls, program budgeting, documentation, donor communications, online giving systems, and reporting. We are a small organization committed to responsible, transparent nonprofit management.

Support through Benevity can help us turn that infrastructure into direct community impact. Employee donations, employer matching gifts, payroll giving, volunteer grants, corporate sponsorships, and other forms of workplace philanthropy can help fund the practical items and program systems needed to assemble and distribute Carolina Cares Essentials Kits across South Carolina.

Every contribution matters because the need we address is concrete. A person who lacks basic hygiene supplies still needs them today. Someone moving between temporary living arrangements still needs clean socks, water, food, and a way to protect personal documents. A family dealing with a sudden financial setback may need simple essentials that are difficult to prioritize when rent, utilities, transportation, and medical expenses are competing for limited resources. Carolina Cares exists to help close those immediate gaps in a practical and respectful way.

Our objective is not to promise that one kit will change a life. It is to ensure that, when someone is facing a difficult moment, our community has a reliable way to offer useful help. We believe that practical support, delivered with dignity and backed by responsible nonprofit management, is a worthy and scalable form of local philanthropy.

By supporting The Poston Foundation through Benevity, donors and employers help strengthen the Carolina Cares Initiative and the systems required to sustain it. Contributions support a South Carolina nonprofit working to convert charitable generosity into organized, direct assistance for neighbors facing hardship.

Carolina Cares is local care made practical: essential items, direct support, responsible stewardship, and a growing network of people and organizations committed to helping South Carolinians through moments of need.

To learn more about The Poston Foundation or the Carolina Cares Initiative, visit www.thepostonfoundation.org.