Oliver Gospel’s new “Hope Center” on Taylor St. accepting clothing for men, women, and children

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — Oliver Gospel’s Thrift Store at 10012 Two Notch Road remains open six days a week — and now the new “Hope Center” located at 1114 Taylor Street will allow folks who live in downtown Columbia to make donations a little closer to home.

The new facility is Oliver Gospel‘s third installment on Taylor Street, now open between the organization’s Men’s Center for men who are experiencing homelessness, poverty, or addiction, and its Roastery coffee shop — filled with photos of people who’ve received help.

Toby’s Place with Oliver Gospel also “provides safe, hotel-style housing for single women or mothers experiencing poverty or who are unhoused.”

Sendarius Latson, Director of Social Enterprises, says clothing donations taken at the “Hope Center” will be used to fill the immediate needs of their shelter guests — men, women, and children — with remaining items making their way to the thrift store.

“There’s so many people that we haven’t reached that we want to be able to reach. This site opens up that conversation. This site gives us another touch point to impact the community, and when you’re dropping off clothing here, you’re not just stepping into 1114 Taylor Street, right? You’re truly stepping into someone’s life transformation,” says Latson.

Now open for 138 years — he says Oliver Gospel’s mission is simple — to transform lives through the power of Jesus Christ’s love throughout the Midlands.

“We want to take the homeless community from a life that’s about surviving and day to day, to a life of abundance, restoring their purpose of  who God has them to be, not who the world has them mapped to be,” says Latson.

If you’d like to donate gently used clothing items to Oliver Gospel, you can drop off your donations at the “Hope Center” Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“What you’re giving them goes directly back to the people that we’re serving to try to impact homelessness, and our biggest goal is to take them more from a life that’s about surviving to more that’s about thriving so you’re apart of that story of Oliver Gospel just by stepping in and bringing your donation,” says Latson.