The Manning Lions Club is putting the spotlight on its signature fall fundraiser this week as members fan out across town for Candy Days on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 10–11, at Piggly Wiggly and Walmart.
Candy Days is a longtime, statewide Lions effort in which volunteers hand out candy—often Tootsie Roll Pops—and accept donations to support programs for South Carolinians with vision and hearing impairments. Funds raised help pay for glasses and hearing aids for residents who can’t afford them, vision and hearing screenings for children and adults, and Camp Lions programming for people living with sight or hearing challenges. During the event, Lions in their vests are highly visible on store fronts and other public areas, offering candy and a thank-you in exchange for any amount donors choose to give.
“These projects are part of what we do as Lions—meeting needs in the community as they arise,” said Rick Kump, communications and marketing chair for the Manning Lions. “Candy Days lets neighbors help neighbors right here at home.”
The push comes as the club wraps a busy late summer and early fall. Earlier this month, Lions Jim Teal and Dave Harrington volunteered at the United Ministries food pantry and the Clarendon County mobile pantry, serving 163 families; in August alone, Lions helped provide food to more than 1,000 people across Clarendon County. Over Labor Day weekend, the ramp-building team—Dennis McGraw, Jim Boykin, Jim Pfister, John Burchell, and Hal Lowder from United Ministries—completed one of their largest wheelchair ramps to date, giving a local family safer access to their home.
The club also carried out its Flag Removal ceremony on Sept. 12, served families at the Pine Grove AME food pantry on Sept. 18, and hosted Clarendon County Fire & Rescue for a program meeting on Sept. 23.
What to know about Candy Days
When: Friday–Saturday, Oct. 10–11 (held annually in October, typically the second weekend).
Where: Piggly Wiggly and Walmart in Manning; Lions will be stationed outside store entrances and other high-visibility spots.
How it works: Volunteers distribute candy and accept monetary donations of any size.
Where the money goes: Local Lions sight and hearing programs—eyeglasses, hearing aids, community screenings, and Camp Lions.
Looking ahead beyond Candy Days, the Manning Lions will host multiple October food-pantry service days and a special meeting to assemble first-aid kits for people experiencing homelessness. In November, the club will mark National Animal Shelter Week (Nov. 2–8) with an aluminum can drive to benefit A Second Chance Animal Shelter—part of the Lions’ ongoing recycling program that supports the shelter and promotes environmental stewardship.
The Manning Lions Club meets the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at Porter Jacks Grill. Anyone interested in joining or learning more about Candy Days can stop by the tables this weekend or email manningsclions@gmail.com.
