Items displaced Allen Benedict Court Apartment residents desperately need

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)–  It has been a week since two bodies were found in Allen Benedict Apartments and more than 400 residents displaced from their homes.

The incident has made the Midlands community come together to help the families impacted by the chaos.

“I definitely cook everything with love. I’ve been up since 5 o’clock this morning, I’ve been cooking. So between the restaurant and making sure my folks get fed for lunch and dinner,” Kenesha Coleman said, owner of The Corner Cafe in Irmo.  

Kenesha and her husband Damonta Coleman are feeding their folks– the more than 400 families that were forced to leave after a gas leak was discovered at the Allen Benedict Court Apartments.

“That type of sudden uprooting is as catastrophic as a hurricane coming through or a tornado coming. You just have a few minutes to grab your things and you’re gone and you don’t know what’s next,” Kenesha said. 

Kenesha said it was a no-brainer she wanted to help too when she saw some of her Facebook friends banning together to get donation drives going. She wanted to put hot food on their tables once she heard many of the displaced had hotel rooms without refrigerators or microwaves.

“So, they’re just living off of honey buns and chips and juice and stuff. And many of them don’t have transportation to get to the grocery store or transportation to get anywhere,” Kenesha said. 

The Colemans have been cooking up pulled pork sandwiches, fried chicken, yellow rice, green beans, candied yams, and sweet corn for more than 130 of the residents so far and they have volunteers ready to deliver food to whichever hotel the former apartment residents are in.

“They’re really really really really grateful. Knowing that someone is treating them like a person and not just a low-class statistic. They like knowing they’re thought about, or that they’re loved, they’re cared about,” Kenesha said. 

The Colemans tell us those displaced need a ton of basic necessities, including underwear. So if you’d like to donate diapers, baby formula, clothing, personal hygiene items find drop off locations below:

Donate socks and undergarments: 2624 Alpine Rd., Columbia, SC 29223

Donate clothing, toiletries, any other items to The Corner Cafe of Irmo at 100 N Royal Tower Dr., Irmo, SC 29063.

Donate non-perishable food items, personal items, toiletries at Trinity Baptist Church from 9 am-5 pm at 2521 Richland Street, Columbia, SC 29204 Or donate those items at the Cecil Tillis Building at 2111 Simkins Lane, Columbia, SC, 29204