Mount Pleasant Magazine Nov/Dec 2016

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Biggest Hearts
W ith a major assist
from Gary Santos, an
array of useful items that
might be rotting in a land-
fill today are instead being
put to good use.
One day five or six
years ago, Santos, port manager for Inchcape Shipping Ser-
vices and a Mount Pleasant coun-
cilman, noticed workers unloading
a refrigerator and a coffee pot from a cruise ship docked in
the port of Charleston. He
asked where the appliances
were headed, and, when he
discovered that they were
going to be thrown away, he
came up with an idea that
has made a big difference
for charitable organizations
across the Lowcountry.
“We have a homeless
shelter that can use this
stuff,” Santos remembered
telling the workers.
The equipment was
loaded onto a truck and de-
livered to Crisis Ministries –
now known as One80 Place
– which serves the homeless
in Charleston. In the past
five years, other groups
have benefited from San-
tos’ idea, including My Sister’s House, Windwood Farm
and the Connie Maxwell Children’s Home in Greenwood,
South Carolina. Santos has expanded his reach as far as
Black Mountain Home in North Carolina, which received
much-needed bed frames and mattresses that, under differ-
ent circumstances, might have ended up in a landfill.
Santos also has directed used but still usable mattresses
to Windwood Farm Home for Children, the Maxwell
Home and Habitat for Humanity. Usually around three
years old, almost all of them come from Carnival cruise
line ships, Santos said.
“For some of those kids at the Maxwell Home, it was
the first time they ever owned a mattress,” he commented.
Santos also has salvaged deck furniture; cups, saucers,
plates, bowls and dishes; two freezers; coffee machines;
paint; Bibles and even teddy bears, which were given to the
MUSC hospital.
“Instead of going to the dump, they make kids smile,”
Santos said.
Clothes are another big item. Santos pointed out that
ships stop in Charleston
from all over the world.
When crew members fly
home, they don’t like to
check their bags be-
cause of the expense, so
they leave their clothes
behind. Carnival pays
to clean and fold them,
then they end up where
they’ll do some good.
Recently, Santos drove
out to Lowcountry
Orphan Relief on the
old Navy base property
in North Charleston to
deliver a few boxes of
clothing.
Most of the mer-
chandise comes from
Carnival ships, Santos
said, though he added that other companies have helped as
well. Many donated items are stored in the Port Authority
warehouse until Santos can find a place that needs them.
Santos, a youth sports coach for 37 years, said he in-
herited the desire to volunteer his time and efforts to give
back to the community from his parents.
“You can’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both
hands,” he said. “You’ve got to throw something back. It
helps me sleep well at night.”
And A BonAnzA for ChAritABle orgAnizAtions
Trash toTreasure
By BrIan SherMan
Photo by Brian Sherman.
Gary Santos, left, recently delivered a few boxes of clothing to Lowcountry
Orphan relief in north Charleston. With him was one of the organization’s
employees, Danielle Jones.