COUNTY — The newly formed Manufacturers Caring for Pickens County (MCPC) Forum has announced the first in a series of social outreach grants to local charities and community service organizations.

This initial grant of $1,000 will be shared by the Samaritan Health Clinic and Dream Center Easley (located in the old Simpson Academy). Both organizations have demonstrated outstanding community efforts to benefit the residents of Pickens County, according to MCPC chairman Tom O’Hanlan.

“In this ever-changing medical care environment, the Samaritan Health Clinic provides a much-needed benefit to the community,” O’Hanlan said. “We are proud to support them.”

“The Dream Center of Pickens County is a local faith-based program that is focused on hunger relief, mentoring, credit counseling, education and job placement,” said MCPC board member John Cutchin, President of Palmetto Plating Company. “They provide a unique service to Pickens County, with an emphasis on helping those in need to achieve lives of self sufficiency.”

According to the MCPC website, the group’s goal is “to reach out to our Pickens County community, to enhance, develop and enrich our socioeconomic values and conditions to higher levels.”

MCPC recently worked with the School District of Pickens County to update guidance counselors on current job skills needed and is in the process of giving guidance counselors and students tours of members’ facilities.

In addition to O’Hanlan, of Sealevel Systems, and Cutchin, other local business leaders involved in MCPC are Linda Bacigalupo of Tri-Tech USA, Michael Fee of Reliable Automatic Sprinkler Co., Jim Kaplan of Cornell Dubilier, Edward Martin of MST Concrete and Tom Strange of St. Jude Medical.

For more information about the organization, email info@manufacturerscaringforpickens.com.