United Way Of Kershaw County

Name

United Way Of Kershaw County

Legal name

United Way of Kershaw County

Website

https://uwkc.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Social Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (624210), Community Housing Services (62422), Temporary Shelters (624221), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

Keywords

• Community social services
• Food assistance programs
• Homeless services
• Literacy tutoring
• Charitable giving campaigns

Headquarters

HQ city

Camden

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Annual Charitable Giving Campaign: The organization's primary revenue stream is its Annual Charitable Giving Campaign, which raises funds from individuals, businesses, and nonprofits. The 2025 campaign theme is 'United is the Way' and the annual goal has been approximately $775,000. Workplace campaigns and corporate pledges are key channels. 99% of donations stay in Kershaw County.
2. Government and Foundation Grants: UWKC receives grant funding from government entities and foundations including Santee Wateree RTA ($1.1 million transportation grant), Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina ($5,000 immediate needs grant), USDA NRCS (over $357,000 food connection initiative), and Health Services District of Kershaw County.
3. Event-Based Fundraising: UWKC organizes fundraising events including Chili Cook-Off, Summer Bash, Springdale 5K Run and Walk, and Day of Caring. These events generate revenue while building community engagement.
4. Corporate Sponsorship and Partnership: Corporate sponsors provide financial support through sponsorships (e.g., Lugoff Automotive Group sponsoring the annual car giveaway). Corporate pledges and donor decals are additional corporate giving mechanisms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

United Way of Kershaw County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that raises funds through annual charitable giving campaigns and deploys them locally through programs addressing food insecurity, literacy, housing, transportation, and homelessness in Kershaw County, SC. The organization directly operates the Mobile Nutrition Center, Ready Readers, New Day Transitional Housing, Vehicle Access Network, Fresh Start Mobile Shower & Laundry, Community Gardens, Summer Food Program, and FoodShare, and supports 12 partner agencies throughout the county.

Product overview

United Way of Kershaw County is a nonprofit organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of community programs organized around four focus areas: Health and Hunger, Education, Financial Stability, and Transportation. The organization's core products include the Mobile Nutrition Center (mobile food pantry), Ready Readers literacy program, New Day Transitional Housing, Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program, Fresh Start Mobile Shower & Laundry, Community Gardens, Summer Food Program, FoodShare Fresh Food Boxes, Vehicle Access Network transportation services, Grocery Bus, and Leadership Kershaw County. The organization also runs annual fundraising campaigns and community events including the Day of Caring, Springdale 5K Run and Walk, and Chili Cook-Off. These programs work together to address food insecurity, housing instability, educational gaps, and transportation barriers in Kershaw County, SC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mobile Nutrition Center (MNC): A mobile food pantry delivering healthy foods to communities in Kershaw County's food deserts since 2017. Has distributed over 400,000 pounds of food and served more than 60,000 residents.
• Ready Readers
• New Day Transitional Housing
• Fresh Start Mobile Shower & Laundry
• Community Gardens
• Summer Food Program
• Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program

Products and services

• Mobile Nutrition Center (MNC) A mobile food pantry that delivers healthy, nutritious foods directly to families in Kershaw County's food deserts, eliminating transportation and income barriers. Partners with local farms, grocery stores, and community organizations to distribute food at 10 distribution sites and 4 fixed pantry sites.
• Ready Readers A literacy partnership between UWKC, Kershaw County School District, and AmeriCorps of South Carolina, focused on developing reading proficiency in elementary school students. The program places AmeriCorps members and volunteers in all 9 Kershaw County elementary schools to support students struggling with reading.
• New Day Transitional Housing

Quantifiable outcome

• Mobile Nutrition Center: Over 400,000 pounds of food distributed; more than 60,000 Kershaw County residents served; 10 distribution sites and 4 fixed pantry sites
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Santee Wateree RTA (SWRTA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSWRTA provided a $1.1 million grant to UWKC to expand transportation services across Kershaw County. This enables UWKC's Vehicle Access Network (VAN) to provide no-cost rides for health, hunger, and social service access throughout the county. Beginning January 17, 2023, UWKC became the lead transportation provider for all of Kershaw County in partnership with SWRTA, One Carolina Transit, and the Health Services District of KC.
• One Carolina TransitcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOne Carolina Transit, led by CEO Corey Sweetenburg, operates the Vehicle Access Network (VAN) vehicles and drivers under UWKC's transportation program. The partnership provides door-to-door demand response transportation services with 10 cars and 10 drivers across Kershaw County, completing approximately 121 trips per day.
• Health Services District of Kershaw CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Health Services District of Kershaw County invested in UWKC to provide targeted transportation services over 2 years. A 2018 needs assessment identified access to care and services as a major barrier. The Health Services District's initial investment laid the foundation for the larger SWRTA grant, making UWKC the lead transportation provider for the county.
• Kershaw County School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKCSD is a key partner in the Ready Readers literacy program, providing access to all 9 elementary schools. The district has partnered with UWKC for over 20 years on the Summer Food Program and collaborates on other educational initiatives.
• AmeriCorps of South CarolinacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmeriCorps members serve in the Ready Readers program at all 9 elementary schools. High school seniors from KCSD serve as AmeriCorps members, providing literacy support to younger students. In one year, AmeriCorps members served 11,675 hours with a 67% contribution from KCSD high school students. 21 members successfully completed terms of service to receive education grants.
• Habitat for Humanity of Kershaw CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHabitat for Humanity of Kershaw County partnered with UWKC and Cantey Foundation Specialists to build a duplex for families in transition through the New Day Transitional Housing program. The ribbon-cutting ceremony took place March 20, 2024.
• Cantey Foundation SpecialistscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCantey Foundation Specialists co-sponsored the duplex construction for New Day Transitional Housing, contributing to affordable housing solutions for families in Kershaw County alongside Habitat for Humanity.
• Kershaw County Chamber of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Kershaw County Chamber of Commerce co-sponsors the Leadership Kershaw County program alongside UWKC. The Chamber manages the application process and recruitment for the leadership development program that equips participants with community knowledge, professional development, and networking opportunities.
• FoodShare South CarolinaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUWKC partners with FoodShare South Carolina to offer FoodShare fresh food boxes, providing 15-18 lbs of fresh produce for $5 for SNAP beneficiaries or $20 cash. Orders are placed and prepaid by noon Thursday for Tuesday pickup at UWKC.
• Lugoff Automotive GroupcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLugoff Automotive Group has partnered with UWKC for 8 consecutive years for the 'Putting Dreams In Driveways' car giveaway. Donors who give $200 or more qualify for entry to win a $20,000 vehicle voucher. The partnership drives workplace campaign participation and donor engagement.
• Bethlehem Missionary Baptist ChurchminorOthersBethlehem Missionary Baptist Church in Lugoff serves as a community garden site (USDA People's Garden designation) and partner organization in UWKC's network of 12 partner agencies.
• Belmont Baptist ChurchminorOthersBelmont Baptist Church in Westville serves as a community garden site (USDA People's Garden designation) and partner organization.
• Good Hope AME Zion Methodist ChurchminorOthersGood Hope AME Zion Methodist Church in Camden serves as a community garden site (USDA People's Garden designation) and partner organization.
• Saint John Missionary Baptist ChurchminorOthersSaint John Missionary Baptist Church in Camden serves as a community garden site (USDA People's Garden designation) and partner organization.
• Blanketing FamiliesminorOthersBlanketing Families in Elgin serves as a community garden site (USDA People's Garden designation) and partner organization.
• Kershaw County Recreation DepartmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKC Rec Department Tennis Courts in Camden serves as a community garden site (USDA People's Garden designation). The department is also a key partner in the Summer Food Program serving children at recreation sites throughout the county.
• Old McCaskill's FarmminorOthersOld McCaskill's Farm in Rembert serves as a community garden site (USDA People's Garden designation) and partner organization.
• Food for the SoulminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood for the Soul is a partner organization that works with UWKC on hunger and homelessness awareness events. They co-organized the Soup and Substance event for Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week November 13-21, 2023.
• Camden Elementary SchoolminorOthersCamden Elementary School serves as the pilot site for the Ready Readers 5K program addressing alphabet, phonics, and letter recognition skills, in addition to regular literacy support.
• Jackson Elementary SchoolminorOthersJackson Elementary School is a key site for the Ready Readers program where AmeriCorps members and volunteers provide literacy support to students struggling with reading.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• United Way Worldwide: National umbrella organization for 1,200+ United Way affiliates including UWKC. Provides brand standards, collective-impact framework, and national grant infrastructure; comparable as the macro-level parent in the same operational model.
• Feeding America (national network): National hunger-relief network whose local affiliates (e.g., Harvest Hope) source food for UWKC's Mobile Nutrition Center. Comparable at the operational level on food distribution scale, logistics, and donor-campaign mechanics.
• American Red Cross (South Carolina Region): Regional arm of national disaster-relief and emergency-services organization. Comparable on emergency food/shelter response and overlaps with UWKC's Emergency Christmas Assistance and homeless outreach programs.
• Harvest Hope Food Bank: Regional food bank serving South Carolina including Kershaw County. Overlaps directly with UWKC's Mobile Nutrition Center and Summer Food Program in addressing food insecurity through complementary distribution channels.
• Salvation Army of the Midlands: Multi-state faith-based social services organization with overlapping programs in food assistance, emergency shelter, and transitional housing. Competes with UWKC for holiday and disaster-relief donations across the same geography.

Direct peers

• United Way of the Midlands: Regional United Way affiliate serving the Columbia, SC Midlands area adjacent to Kershaw County. Operates a similar portfolio of community-funded social services (food, housing, education, financial stability) and is the natural direct peer for benchmarking, donor-sharing, and program replication.
• Community Foundation of the Midlands: Regional community foundation serving the Midlands SC area. Competes for the same local philanthropic dollars through donor-advised funds and competitive grants, and is a comparable operational model for a geographically-bounded fundraising nonprofit.
• United Way of Greenville County: Larger SC-based United Way affiliate with similar workplace-campaign fundraising model, partner-agency network structure, and focus areas (education, financial stability, health). Comparable structure for fundraising and partner-program operations benchmarking.
• Habitat for Humanity of Kershaw County: Direct local partner (co-built New Day Transitional Housing duplex in 2024) operating in Kershaw County on housing/financial stability — overlapping mission and competing for the same local donor dollars and volunteer base.

Regional players

• Midlands Housing Alliance: Regional housing/homelessness coalition serving the Midlands SC region including Kershaw County. Comparable on transitional housing and homelessness programming; operates as a regional intermediary connecting local providers to federal HUD resources.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/united-way-of-kershaw-county

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about United Way Of Kershaw County