For the past 23 seasons, the staff at the Clarendon County Detention Center have made Christmas brighter for families in Clarendon County. Over those two decades plus, the CCDC has been hosting its Helping Hands Luncheon in December. The facility’s officers and staff will present gifts and food items to families that need a little help this year.
During a previous luncheon, Hughes told the attendees that his center does not host the luncheon for recognition.
“We started it years ago as a way to give back to the community,” said Col. Shelton L. Hughes Jr., director of the CCDC. “My department comes together to help those less fortunate by providing a “helping hand.””
Giving back to the community is a mission that Clarendon County Detention Center’s management and staff take very seriously. “It’s a blessing for us to be able to do it,” Col. Hughes said. “We wouldn’t be able to do it without everyone’s help and participation from labor to reaching into your pockets to soliciting donations. It’s all about giving back.”
The CCDC’s staff work diligently at the detention center year-round. They’re also out and about collecting donations of money, toys, gifts and food items for families who need a friendly hand this holiday season. Majors Thomasine McBride and Cheryl Pendergrass play major roles in prepping for the luncheon. From soliciting and collecting donations to serving the guests at the luncheon, McBride and Pendergrass and the CCDC’s entire staff believe in helping their community.
“It’s all about helping those who are less fortunate,” Hughes told local news outlets. “It’s rewarding to know that you have made Christmas brighter for these families and their children. Everyone wants to see a present under the tree and a hot meal on the table.”
If anyone would like to help the CCDC’s elves make Christmas brighter for a few families in Clarendon County, cash and gift card donations, including retail and grocery store gift cards, would be greatly appreciated. To have your gift picked up, call the CCDC at (803) 435-8831 or drop your gift off at the facility, 320 E. Boyce St.
