Despite the summer heat, five Union County houses are being repaired this week through the annual Salkehatchie Summer Service project.
The project is a service ministry to upgrade housing and motivate cooperative community efforts. The houses repaired are pre-selected from a long list of applicants. For a house to be eligible, it must need a week’s worth of work and be owned by the applicant. The repairs must be able to be completed safely by youth supervised by adults.
In Union, there are 70 youth and adult volunteers participating in this year’s project, and they promise to better the homes at which they work. Repairs will include roofing work, kitchen and bathroom repairs, porches, painting, doors, windows and interior work.
The ministry is worldwide, however, as there are 53 camps with over 3,400 youth participating in the southeastern United States as well as overseas. The youth who volunteer to participate in the Salkehatchie Summer Service project each pay to come to camp — directed by the Rev. Don Brown and housed in Union at Union County High School — and the money goes toward the purchase of materials for the various repairs. Those involved point out that building supplies are expensive, and more contributions are still needed.
Anyone who wants to donate toward this project may do so by bringing a check — marked for Salkehatchie-Union — to Grace United Methodist Church.
The Salkehatchie Summer Service project was created 35 years ago by a Union native, the Rev. John Culp.
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