The Cooperative Ministry

08/12/2026

The Cooperative Ministry manages the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program for the Midlands of South Carolina.
A very successful 2026 tax season has concluded, and all of our tax sites are closed until the 2027 tax season. We will resume operations in the Columbia, SC area in January 2027.
Please visit www.coopmin.org/vita for start-up information in 2027. If you are interested in volunteering, we also have that information on our page. Thank you!

IRS-trained and certified volunteers serve at multiple locations across the greater Midlands to provide free income tax assistance to thousands of individuals.

08/11/2026

We've worked on our website today.
Donors can now visit the green DONATE button at the top of the Home Page and find a drop-down menu with quick links to pages for financial gifts and donations of food, clothing, furniture, and books. The orange button for car donations includes a very simple form to get the process started.
This restructuring also benefits our clients. Now, pages under the Services tab only focus on specific service qualifications and applications that people need for help. The Donation information has been moved to other pages.
Thank you!

08/10/2026

The Cooperative Ministry is celebrating a very successful Food Collection Drive from the Seniors Ministry at Presbyterian Church Columbia SC. This year's drive collected shelf-stable food items to create 100 emergency food bags for families and individuals in our community. The food will be distributed through The Cooperative Ministry's emergency food pantry.
Pictured with food, from left, are Josh Fleming, Director of Young Professionals Ministry; Rufus Terry, Pastoral Intern to Seniors; Scott Vaughan, Director, Community Awareness at The Cooperative Ministry; and Beck Otersen, Director of Local Missions. Special thanks to Janet Altman, who serves as First Presbyterian's Seniors Ministry Coordinator and organized this summer food drive. Thank you!

07/27/2026

This past weekend, The Cooperative Ministry welcomed this group of Gateway Baptist Church students, who helped with a landscaping project and then moved into our clothing bank to sort and rack clothing for clients needing free clothing for work and school. The students were participating in a local missions weekend on Friday and Saturday.

07/21/2026

In Fiscal Year 2025-2026, which ended June 30, 2026, The Cooperative Ministry served 15,438 people through all services. That's an increase of 3,340 over the previous fiscal year.
A special thanks to our church partners, corporate supporters, community leaders, and private donors. You make the difference in our mission to help others with economic stability.

The Cooperative Ministry serves the Midlands of South Carolina. Based in Columbia SC. Providing clothing, crisis assistance, food vouchers, free tax assistance, career preparation, and budget counseling.

07/16/2026

This week, The Cooperative Ministry and its clients were served by these summer interns from Scout Motors South Carolina, in Blythewood. The group came to us through our friends at United Way of the Midlands and was a big help to our clothing bank staff, organizing and storing our furniture donations. We are so thankful for the assistance.
Interested in group volunteerism? Contact Scott Vaughan at [email protected].

07/15/2026

Pictured are our friends from in Columbia, who came out last week to serve at our clothing bank. It's volunteers like these who help us prepare the shopping experience for thousands of clients every year - clients who come to us for the free clothing they need for work and school. Pictured, from left, are Ashley Bushman, Susan Rice, Tina Clark, and Ashley Busbee. Savannah Grace Nielson is pictured in front. Thank you!

07/06/2026

On Tuesday, June 30, The Cooperative Ministry celebrated the close of its 2025-2026 Fiscal Year with a celebration luncheon at First Baptist Church Columbia, SC, one of the organization's founding church partners. The luncheon brings together church partners, volunteers, corporate sponsors, and community supporters with clients, board members, and staff.
The program celebrated client successes, volunteerism, and highlights of the previous fiscal year. The event was facilitated by The Cooperative Ministry's CEO, Beth Irick.

06/26/2026

This great group of volunteers representing Elliott Davis's Columbia office served this morning in The Cooperative Ministry's clothing bank. Volunteers make up 31 percent of our annual workforce, and Elliott Davis is a leader in sending volunteers throughout the year. Pictured from left are senior Bradley Hull; summer interns Andrew Dameron, Ansh Patel, Joseph Kiser, Najee Simpson, Molly Farmer, and Andrew Schneider; principal Will Clarke; summer intern Jack Looby; principal Nick Annan; and senior manager Lizzie Tinker.

06/25/2026

This group of high school seniors, along with chaperone Rebekah Hastilow, visited Columbia this week to serve alongside local non-profits, including The Cooperative Ministry. Representing Lowcountry Community Church in Bluffton, the group helped reset our clothing and furniture bank. Thank you!