About Us

Our Statement Of Belief
& Underlying Scripture

We believe integrity in thought and action is how we best serve Christ and humanity. Living authentically is how we put Christian faith into action. We believe everyone has value and deserves to be treated fairly. Our program participants are the focus of everything we do. They are not interruptions. We believe volunteers are our strength. Who gets credit for a job well done is not as important as realizing that volunteers and staff are all a part of the same team, working for the same goals. We encourage creativity, innovation, and commitment.

Our History

TOTAL Ministries got its start in 1982 as Project Eat. The founder of Project Eat, Dannie Horne, saw an unemployment rate of 9.7% and saw that many people in Spartanburg County were hungry. During the first 17 months of Project Eat’s existence, $190,000 of groceries were distributed in an effort to alleviate that problem. In 1983, TOTAL Ministries of Spartanburg County, Inc. was incorporated by 12 Spartanburg churches to carry on the work of Project Eat. Since then, additional emergency services have been added to the TOTAL mission in an effort to help those in need. TOTAL is an extension of Spartanburg’s local churches who believe in a faith-based approach to helping those in need.

Annual Budget

Our annual budget is about $300,000 a year and we interview over 4,500 households every year. We are able to do this through the committed volunteers who help TOTAL and hold down our costs of staffing. Contributions of food, hygiene items, office supplies also contribute to holding down our costs of operations.

Funding

TOTAL Ministries receives tax-deductible contributions from people just like you.

  • 30% of our funding comes from local church support, primarily as local missions
  • 23% of our funding comes from individual donors​
  • 17% of our funding comes from Special Events including the Hub City Empty Bowls Soup Day and Support Spartanburg Online Giving Day
  • 13% of our funding comes from the United Way of the Piedmont
  • 13% of our funding comes from foundation grants.
  • 3% of our funding comes from local business
  • 1% of our funding comes from local civic clubs, business associations, and schools​​
  • 85 cents of each dollar goes to helping people
  • 10 cents of each dollar goes to management costs (insurance, audits, filing fees)
  • 5 cents of each dollar goes to fundraising costs (quarterly newsletter, postage for receipts)

2023 Board Listing

  • Jeff Tillerson, President
  • Brenda Brooks, Vice President
  • Dede King, Secretary
  • Sholanda Stradford, Treasurer
  • Reed Chewning
  • Tim Dunlavey
  • Ron Fields
  • Elisabeth Hayes
  • Cindy Hughes
  • Steve Kibbe
  • Laura Price
  • Shannon Rogers
  • Gina Staley

Get involved in something TOTALLY GREAT.

HOW CAN I HELP?