DALZELL, S.C. — A Sumter County couple is preparing for a Christmas dinner to feed people experiencing homelessness in the area. Their local ministry relies on community donations to help serve others.
"Seeing the smiles. I like that. Seeing people happy, it makes me feel good," said Sammie Roberts, co-founder of Gift of Love Ministry. "It makes you feel good because everybody is not as fortunate as you are; it could be you out there. So it feels good to see people smile."
Roberts says it's his favorite part of serving people experiencing homelessness through the nonprofit, which he started with his wife, Tee.
"I told myself once I get where I can help others, that's what I want to do, and I'm planning to do it," Tee said.
The couple is hosting a Christmas dinner to provide a hot meal, hygiene products and winter coats to anyone who needs them.
"A lot of people ain't got their families and they're out there in the streets, they don't have warm jackets, they don't have warm food to eat, so somebody need to do it so we figured we'll do it," Sammie shares.
The Roberts began their ministry in 2021 after Tee said she noticed how many people lived in Sumter County without housing.
"Looking around to see that there's so many people out there that don't have families or have people that love them, and when you drive around, and you see this stuff, it just so heartbreaking, you know, so I just want people to know that, you know, they're not alone. Because you never know, you know, that could be you or you never know who's in a situation because everybody have a past, everybody go through stuff," Tee said. "So you got to let people know that they're not alone because me myself one time I was alone, you know, so it's, yeah, it's very personal and meaningful to me to do this, because like I said, I went through some stuff myself."
Using that motivation, the Roberts have grown their ministry and turned to the community for support through clothing and food donations.
"Together, we can make a difference. It's not just my husband and I doing this. It's the love and the support from the community because, without them, we wouldn't come this far," Tee said. "So together, we shine together. We showing love for these people out here."
"It's crazy how much support we get," Sammie said. "We need that because we can't do it on our own."
That Christmas meal is happening on Sunday. If you're interested in learning more about the Gift of Love Ministry and how you can get involved, you can visit its Facebook page.