Columbia, SC (WLTX) - The expansive property that holds the Epworth Children's Home has stood the test of time in Columbia for over 120 years.
"Back when Epworth was founded in 1896, we had over 100 acres right here, in what is now the heart of Shandon. Shortly thereafter, pulled that down to 32 acres, which is still the 32 acres that Epworth is headquartered out of today," says Andrew Boozer, the vice president of development at Epworth Children's Home.
The mission at Epworth has always been the same: to help out those who need it the most, children in need.
Boozer says, "We serve any child that we can, and any family that's in crisis to make sure they have all the support that they need."
As with anything that's been around for a long time, there are stories abound. But one story about Epworth would turn out to shape its future.
During the Great Depression of the 1930s, Epworth received peanut butter from the government to help keep the children fed. At the time it was also a working dairy farm, so they got creative.
"They began to make homemade peanut butter ice cream for Sunday dinners and special holidays and occasions and stuff like that, and have made homemade peanut butter ice cream up until present time," says Dave Mackey with Epworth Ice Cream.
If you were to ask any non-profits, they'll tell you that funding is always a concern. And while that homemade ice cream was made year after year, no one thought to use it to help fund the home. That is, until now.
Mackey says, "Since July of this year, we started making it commercially to sell, and create a social enterprise where all of the profits will go back to the children's home."
They wanted to start with their staple: that old peanut butter recipe they've been using from the beginning. Or some close variation of the original, since the recipe might have changed here and there over the years.
Mackey says, "Depending on who made it, the recipes might shift a little bit, and the quantity might shift. We didn't just go out and buy a generic recipe. We matched what we've been making here for all these years."
And it seems that people were more than ready for the Epworth Ice Cream brand to be realized.
"We're finding that the brand name is even more well known that we were expecting," says Mackey.
He hopes is that the ripple effect of the ice cream brand might do more than just satisfy the sweet tooth.
Mackey says, "The other thing I think it does ir raise a tremendous amount of awareness for the home itself. It certainly can't hurt if statewide or even region wide, more and more people are hearing about Epworth Children's Home because of the ice cream. That's part of the goal."
In just a few short months since the launch of the ice cream, it can already be found in many local stores and restaurants: Crave Market on Millwoo and the Piggly Wiggly on Divine Street — and that list is growing fast.
Epworth Ice Cream just won a $50,000 grant from the Google Impact Challenge, helping them drive their business as well. They are one of only four local nonprofits to receive the grant.