Vote for Your 2025 Share the Plate Choice Oct. 31-Nov. 21!

Ballots must be submitted by November 21, 2024

Sorry. This form is no longer available.

Information on Share the Plate Nominees

Congaree Riverkeeper is affiliated with the Waterkeeper Alliance, a global movement of on-the-water advocates who patrol and protect rivers and coasts all over the world. They work to protect and improve water quality, wildlife habitat, and recreation on the Congaree, Lower Saluda, and Lower Broad Rivers through advocacy, education, and enforcement of environmental laws. congareeriverkeeper.org

Cotton Branch Farm Animal Sanctuary provides a safe haven for abandoned, abused, neglected, and elderly farm animals. While there are many shelters and rescue organizations for animal companions such as cats and dogs, and wildlife, there is a lack of sanctuary for farm animals, which make up 98% of the animals killed in the U.S. each year. cottonbranch.org

Final Victory serves as a space to get the dogs out of the shelters due to space issues and the threat of euthanasia. They are a nonprofit dog and cat rescue. They give animals a positive experience after a traumatic time in the shelter, neglected homes, or living on streets. Large 5×10 runs, long walks by volunteers in quiet neighborhoods, outdoor play yards for socialization, and other positive play serve as a positive first step towards their forever homes. Their expansive foster network and successful adoption process has led to over 3,000 rescued animals placed in forever homes, achieving their final victory! Finalvictoryrescue.com

The Free Medical Clinic provides quality healthcare, at no cost, to residents of the community who cannot pay for such services and who have no health insurance. This clinic is their only option to have access to health care. The staff and volunteers operate six examination rooms, a pharmacy, a small laboratory, a classroom for patient education and meetings, a waiting room, and offices. Community partnerships are key to the Clinic’s success in providing comprehensive medical services and the continuous evolution of their programs. These partnerships also allow them to connect their patients with services currently beyond the Clinic’s scope.freemedclinic.org

Good Samaritan Clinic is a faith-based organization offering free health and dental care primarily to the Hispanic community in four South Carolina locations. With the dedication of volunteer physicians, nurses, interpreters, and administrative assistants, as well as the generous support of our funding partners, the clinic is able to serve our communities in the tradition of the Good Samaritan. goodsamaritansc.org

Harriet Hancock LGBT Center, located in the heart of Columbia, is the hub of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender activity in the Midlands of South Carolina. Our facility offers a variety of resources including a free lending library, meeting spaces for LGBT-supportive groups, and a directory of LGBT-friendly businesses, organizations, and counselors while also serving as the headquarters for the South Carolina Pride Movement. lgbtcentersc.org

Harvest Hope Food Bank has a mission to provide for the needs of hungry people by gathering and sharing quality food with dignity, compassion, and education. Harvest Hope has continued to increase the scope of its operations and now provides food, comfort, and hope to hungry individuals and families in the Midlands, Pee Dee, and Greater Greenville regions of South Carolina. harvesthope.org

Homeless No More (The Family Shelter), is a nonprofit organization that believes family homelessness is entirely solvable. Their continuum of care – from emergency services to transitional and affordable housing – keeps each family together and meets their needs at the right time with the right services. By providing the support to move each family toward a permanent, self-sufficient solution, they can eradicate family homelessness and help parents and their children achieve lasting independence. homelessnomore.org

Justice 360 promotes fairness, reliability and transparency in the criminal justice system for individuals facing the death penalty and juveniles facing lengthy sentences in South Carolina. They accomplish this by using resources and support for lawyers tasked with representing capital and juvenile defendants and representing individual clients. They advocate for policy change to address systemic flaws in the criminal justice system and educate the public to raise awareness about the administration of capital and juvenile sentencing in South Carolina. https://justice360sc.org

Meals on Wheels is a program that delivers hot nutritious meals to elderly, frail, and home-bound individuals. Meals are delivered with a smile by a caring volunteer five days a week. Individuals receiving Meals on Wheels are primarily the elderly in our community who cannot maintain an adequate, healthy diet, either because of transportation or financial constraints. South Carolina ranked #8 in the nation for seniors with food insecurity. mealsonwheelsamerica.org

Midlands Orphan Relief provides support services and aid to meet the needs of South Carolina children identified as at-risk or suffering from abandonment, abuse and/or neglect. In 2020, South Carolina had more than 18,000 cases of abuse, abandonment or neglect. More than 40,000 children have been helped since 2006. midlandsorphanrelief.org

MIRCI (Mental Illness Recovery Center, Inc.) assists individuals with mental illness to recover in the areas of their lives impacted by their illness through housing, behavioral healthcare, and assistance with obtaining and managing their disability income. mirci.org

MORE Justice Columbia is a growing network of faith-based congregations which are culturally, economically, racially, geographically and religiously diverse – coming together to fulfill our scriptural mandate to “do justice” and make the Central Midlands area a more just place to live for all people. Member congregations work together to empower marginalized people and act powerfully to address serious community wide problems through direct action. They seek to transform the systems that cause suffering by holding local officials accountable for resolving these inequities and injustices. https://www.morejusticecolumbia.org/  morejusticecolumbia@gmail.com

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) is the nation’s largest grass roots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. nami.org

Palmetto Association for Children and Families (PAFCAF) unites private sector organizations that offer a wide continuum of services, including emergency shelter care, residential treatment, group care (intensive, intermediate and low management), therapeutic foster care, supervised independent living, wrap-around services, and community-based prevention services. Their mission is to provide education, support and leadership that strengthens the capacity of member agencies to produce positive outcomes for children and their families. pafcaf.org

Planned Parenthood has promoted for nearly 100 years a commonsense approach to women’s health and well-being, based on respect for each individual’s right to make informed, independent decisions about health, sex, and family planning. Contributions to Planned Parenthood Federation of America are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable under the law. plannedparenthood.org

Safe Space Dinners (housed in Reformation Lutheran Church) is a ministry for homeless LGBTQIA+ youth, including people of color. On the second and fourth Thursdays of each month, these youth (14-23 years old) are offered a safe space and time to gather for a time to rest and recharge, a home-cooked meal, and a backpack of items they will find helpful in their day-to-day life. There is no preaching, no conversion therapy attempts; only support and comfort. This is a ministry of giving – nothing more. safespacecolumbia@gmail.com reformationcae.org

SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center fights for low income South Carolinians to overcome social, economic, and legal injustice. Their goal is to influence policymakers to ensure the law is fair, to educate the public and their advocates about the law, and to assist attorneys in bringing systemic litigation where the law is unfair.  scjustice.org

SCWREN (Women’s Rights Empowerment Network) is a South Carolina-based network whose mission is to build a movement to advance the health, economic well-being, and rights of South Carolina’s women, girls, and their families. We advocate, educate, engage community, and build coalitions. WREN strives to create a diverse and inclusive movement that amplifies voices and advances justice for all. scwren.org

Sustainable Midlands’ mission is to encourage responsible growth, ensure access to local food, and establish a healthy environment for all Midlands communities. They encourage land use and transportation solutions, reinvest in our neighborhoods, and encourage lifestyle choices that protect our air and water and preserve our farms, forests, and open spaces. sustainablemidlands.org

Transitions Homeless Recovery Center engages clients with various services and provides them a place to stay as they transition from the streets to permanent housing. They also partner with many community agencies that use their expertise to help clients reach their goals. As a result, clients receive services that enable them to stabilize their lives, increase their income, and secure permanent housing. transitionssc.org

All the above are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations.