East Cooper Community Outreach

Founded as an emergency relief effort in 1989 after the devastation from Hurricane Hugo, East Cooper Community Outreach (ECCO) has since grown into a permanent resource for the community with three main service areas: Assistance, Guidance, and Resources. Thousands of individuals each year receive assistance for food, clothing, household furnishings, financial aid, dental care, medical care, prescription assistance, and counseling, along with access to community resources for financial literacy classes, computer skills training, job readiness workshops, and asset development. <br><br>Enhanced through personal interactions with staff who provide individualized support and coaching for each client, ECCO meets each client where they are and helps them navigate the challenges they are facing with care and compassion. ECCO is also a place where people who want to help their neighbors in need can find meaningful ways to share their time, talent, and treasure.<br>

A community where all people can discover a path to opportunity— regardless of background, economic

Goal One: Organizational capacity with a goal to consider facility expansion options.

Goal Two: Future positioning with a goal to assess the efficacy and value of our programs and services.

Goal Three: Evaluating ECCO through a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging lens.

Each member of our executive leadership team has completed: - NBI (Neethling Brain Instruments) Assessment with an executive coach to further our understanding of how each other functions as individuals and how we can work better as a team. - Pieces of training with Executive Coach - Opportunities to attend conferences to further develop ourselves as leaders and managers.

Over the past year, ECCO has begun to see a wave of new clients arrive at our doors. Inflation, now at a 40-year high, has shaken our community to its very core. Gas prices have skyrocketed, grocery costs are up nearly 12% since last year, rent is up nearly 30%, and utility bills have jumped nearly 15% over the past year. Rising prices are squeezing household budgets and putting additional strain on those already living paycheck-to-paycheck. That means more people are relying on ECCO to help fill in the gaps when it comes to food, clothing, financial assistance, and healthcare needs. According to the US Census, in Mount Pleasant, the average household income is just north of $90,000. But for the clients walking in our doors, the average household income is $15,094. The disparity in our community is real, and inflation is making it that much harder for those in need. Over the past year, we've seen an increase in food and financial assistance. ECCO has responded by adjusting our budgeted expenses to meet the increased need, changing the way we've traditionally held food drives to keep the shelves of our food pantry full, becoming more direct with donors and funders about the current needs and how their support is crucial to our ability to provide assistance, and much more.