EAST COOPER ECUMENICAL NETWORK AND EAST COOPER COMMUNITY OUTREACH PARTNER TO ADDRESS COMMUNITY NEEDS
MOUNT PLEASANT, SC (October 1, 2013) – East Cooper Ecumenical Network and East Cooper Community Outreach have established an innovative partnership to directly and effectively address community needs in East Cooper. Since the founding of East Cooper Ecumenical Network (ECEN) in December 2012, East Cooper Community Outreach (ECCO) has joined together with other community agencies such as East Cooper Habitat for Humanity, East Cooper Meals on Wheels and Operation Home to partner with ECEN to encourage collaboration and positive change east of the Cooper.
In an effort to support back to school efforts this fall, Chick-fil-A of Mount Pleasant conducted a school supply drive. Both locations collected school supplies and offered free food in return for supply donations. ECCO helped to connect and facilitate the school supply donation between Chick-fil-A and ECEN. The hundreds of school supplies donated were distributed to all four I-Beam elementary schools – Belle Hall Elementary, James B. Edwards Elementary, Jennie Moore Elementary, and Mamie P. Whitesides Elementary. ECEN and their community partners give resources and sweat equity throughout the year, but this was a tangible way to show community support to I-Beam schools.
ECEN Leadership Team Chair, David McNair, is proud of the growing community partnerships and looks forward to doing even more. He says, “East Cooper Ecumenical Network is a long name with a very simple focus. It is the pulling together of faith-based organizations whose collaborative work can be a stronger statement of action in our community. It’s such a positive force to be around people who never say ‘who’s job is that?’, or worse yet…’that’s not our job’. With our partnerships, it’s all about getting it done.”
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About East Cooper Ecumenical Network
East Cooper Ecumenical Network (ECEN) is a coalition of churches and community agencies committed to join together to break the cycle of generational poverty in the east Cooper communities. ECEN serves as the umbrella organization for I-Beam elementary mentoring program, Youth Development Task Force and the Fix It Forum. The mission of ECEN is to create a community where all of its members are safe, healthy and have the opportunity to achieve their full potential. For more information on the initiatives of ECEN, please visit www.ecensc.org.
About East Cooper Community Outreach
Helping neighbors help themselves. East Cooper Community Outreach (ECCO) provides emergency assistance for food, clothing, household furnishings, and financial needs as well as ongoing services including medical, dental, prescription drug assistance, education and counseling. The Out of Poverty initiative brings together people from all walks of life to assess barriers to resources and factors that perpetuate the cycle of poverty. The mission of ECCO is to provide safety net services to low-income neighbors while empowering them to create a better future for themselves, their families, and their communities. For information on ECCO, please visit www.eccocharleston.org.