In His Name-Colleton introduces new Executive Director

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By: Jessica O’Connor

Amanda Herndon has been voted the Executive Director of In His Name-Colleton by their Board of Directors, effective September 1.

Herndon has volunteered with In His Name-Colleton for two years. She has been instrumental in making community contacts and assisting in raising funds from churches, businesses, community organizations, and individuals to support the ministry. Mrs. Herndon also helped create a network of local resources for the ministry’s clients and has organized numerous community outreach events. Alongside helping plan and facilitate these events, she organized the collection of food and hygiene items, Thanksgiving blessing pans, Easter baskets, and Christmas gifts.

The ministry’s new Executive Director is highly passionate about providing help to anyone that needs it in Colleton County. This includes tangible assistance in the form of offering free meals, maintaining an emergency food pantry, and creating hygiene bags for all ages and genders, as well resource driven assistance with finding housing, overcoming mental health/addiction/domestic violence/sexual abuse, and obtaining vital documentation.

The organization prides itself on offering “a hand up, not a hand out.”

“You have to find the root of the problem first,” the Executive Director said. “What we do in our office is really build a relationship, and try to understand why? Why are they homeless, why are they in need?” In His Name-Colleton takes that information and provides those in need with the appropriate resources to head in the right direction.

She also hopes to bring awareness to and assistance for the homeless in the community.

“There’s a need-and it’s growing,” Herndon stated. “Is it a problem right now? Not a big problem. But it will be, because over the past two years (or six months even) our numbers have doubled. So that’s more fire for me to do something before the issue becomes even greater.”

Herndon already has one major goal in mind for the ministry as she’s stepped into her new position.

“Our vision is to have a mission center,” she relayed enthusiastically. “We’re going to launch a capital campaign for around a 10,000 square foot building where we’ll have the ability to have all of our resources in one location.”

The mission center will allow In His Name-Colleton to house a wide variety of resources under one roof, as well as provide temporary housing for those that need it before being transported to a more permanent living situation. Herndon also noted, “We have no warming center here in Walterboro, so when it starts getting cold there’s nowhere (for displaced individuals) to go.”

In short, Herndon just hopes that her new position with the ministry she cares so strongly about will allow the organization to continue to blossom-and therefore serve the community in an even greater capacity.

“My role as the Executive Director is basically getting out in front of the community and explaining what we do, what our vision is, what we want to do, and that we need their help,” Mrs. Herndon said. “We are currently all community funded-as of now we’ve received no federal government type grants.”

In His Name-Colleton has on ongoing need for volunteers to man the main office, run errands, collect donated items, and assist with community outreach events. If you’d like to help in some way or learn more about the ministry, please visit their website at https://www.facebook.com/InHisName.Colleton or email ihncolleton@gmail.com.