This Is Carolina: Longs nonprofit lives up to its name

LONGS, SC (WMBF) - To know Laverna Knox is to love her. She’s the driving force behind the ministry Neighbors Helping Neighbors.

“We would go out to different communities. We were always feeding the homeless, taking clothes and other things,” said Knox. “I don’t have a lot of money, but what I do have, I have love for one another.”

She also works around the clock finding people shelter and decided to buy property to give them a more permanent one.

“The same homeless people that we feed every month, we brought them here,” said Knox.

They helped clear the land for mobile homes and campers that now sit behind Knox’s home on Freemont Road. Knox said she relies on word of mouth to sustain her ministry. Several churches and other organizations donate food, clothing and other necessities.

She also relies on the word of God.

“Some people will never know the love of God until they see it in us. Now, is this a work in progress here? Yes, it’s a work in progress. This roof right here has been leaking,” said Knox.

Her prayers were answered. Brazen Roofing got word of her mission and showed up to donate their services.

“I thought they were just going to do this home, but as you can see, they are doing all four of the homes. That is nothing but God,” she said.

Knox knows what it’s like to hit rock bottom after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014.

“The job fired me because I was out so much for chemo and radiation. I lost a car, I lost a home and I found myself living in this teeny mobile home with no lights or water,” she said.

But her life soon changed when she underwent surgery in 2016 and had a near-death experience.

“News had passed through that I had passed away, and here I was alive. I got out of the hospital and began to pray more, and I began to ask God, ‘What is the plan and the purpose of my life,’ and he was just, ‘Go show my love everywhere you go,’” said Knox.

“She was our angel. She came to us and helped us out a lot,” said Angie Ledford.

Ledford and her family became homeless after a landlord sold their trailer without notice. The family of three spent the next two years living in boxes behind a Dollar General.

“We thought we were going to be there for good,” said Ledford.

That is until Knox found them. The family now lives in one of the mobile homes on her property, and they volunteer with the ministry in exchange for rent.

“It makes you feel good to help somebody else,” said Ledford.

Knox said her non-profit not only provides the basics but also helps people get jobs and become fully independent. A true definition of neighbors helping neighbors.

“Love your neighbors as yourself. Sometimes, your neighbor is the person who lives next door to you. They can live 20 miles away, they can a thousand miles or 3,000 miles away,” said Knox.

Click here if you’d like to donate or volunteer with Neighbors Helping Neighbors. If you have good news to share, email goodnews@wmbfnews.com or message Loren on Facebook.

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