Home Inspection in North Charleston, SC

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) — More than 1,000 families attended a community baby shower Saturday, with some arriving hours in advance, as Molina Healthcare of South Carolina and community partners distributed supplies to new and expectant parents.

Over 5,000 diapers, baby wipes, baby clothing and food were distributed at the event. The Charleston Hispanic Association also gave out more than 10 tons of free food. Participants gathered information about maternal health resources and Molina member benefits.

Molina Healthcare of South Carolina organized the event in partnership with Healing Hurts Ministries, the Charleston Hispanic Association and Learn4Life.

David Irizarry, senior growth specialist for community engagement at Molina Healthcare, said two out of every five families skip a meal to pay for diapers.

“Today when you come out and you look around and you see moms smiling, and families coming together, it fills our heart, because we know these events are making a difference,” Irizarry said.

Dr. Tamela Brown, principal of Learn4Life High School Charleston, said the event brought the community together.

“It’s just a beautiful blend of community partners and education where our community can come in and get what they need,” Brown said.

Learn4Life is a tuition-free, nonprofit public school that provides students with learning opportunities, life skills and career training. To learn more about it, head to the Learn4Life website.

Nefateri Smalls, executive director of Healing Hurts Ministries, said the turnout reflected the scale of need in the community.

“I always have an expectation for the lives that we’re going to impact. But when I see them in numbers, it just lets you know that the need is not only great but that they recognize that there’s someone there that’s going to walk alongside them. So this, it really makes my heartbeat,” Smalls said.

The event comes as financial pressure on families continues to grow. According to data from the National Diaper Bank, the cost of diapers has increased by more than 20%. Rising gas and grocery prices have added to the strain on expectant families.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — Laughter echoed through the halls of the North Charleston Fire Museum this week, even as visitors grappled with the bittersweet reality that the beloved attraction will soon close its doors for good.

City officials announced Thursday that the North Charleston Fire Museum will shut down in less than 10 days, prompting families, firefighters, and longtime supporters to stop by for one final visit.

Despite the news, the atmosphere inside the museum was far from somber. Children had a chance to explore while parents watched them soak in hands-on lessons about fire safety and history.

“It would just be really good to keep it open,” said visitor Avry Dearie, who toured the museum with family members.“I feel good that we can come here before it closes and we didn’t come here too late and it’s already closed.”

For many families, the museum was more than just a collection of fire trucks—it was a place of tradition and connection. Visitor Kettley Kyre said bringing her grandchild to the museum had become a regular thing they did.

“I always pick him up from his mama and I would say, ‘Hey, let’s go see the fire trucks,’” Kyre said. “And he loves them.”

Beyond nostalgia, the museum served an important educational role, especially for children learning how to stay safe in emergencies. Interactive exhibits taught visitors about smoke detectors, fire escape plans, and what to do if a fire ever breaks out.

“We like to see the plans with smoke detectors, and we like to see fire escape plans so we can be ready if it ever happens,” Dearie said.

Local firefighters say the museum played a crucial role in connecting with the community in ways traditional classroom visits cannot.

“It’s a little more interactive than us coming to the schools,” said firefighter Kyle Goceliak. “The kids might grasp what we’re saying to them, but here they get to play with stuff and actually put their hands on it.”

As the countdown to closure continues, city officials announced anyone can visit the museum until its closing date, Feb. 14.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) — North Charleston is facing a housing crunch and city leaders say the need to act is urgent.

“Let’s get these people from under these bridges. Let’s get these people from under these dilapidated homes. Let’s get these people off the sidewalks. Get them in these buildings,” Mayor Reggie Burgess said.

In response, the city has created a new, hands-on position aimed at helping residents find housing faster. North Charleston’s first-ever housing coordinator works directly with people searching for homes, tracking down available units and making sure vacancies don’t sit empty while families remain on waiting lists.

Karen Thrower was recently hired to fill that role.

“The job entails helping people, that’s it in a nutshell,” Thrower said. “My whole responsibility is to connect people to housing, which means I also need to connect them to developers. Those are the two things. This is a job about connecting people to resources.”

Thrower works directly with seniors, people experiencing homelessness, and low-income families. Much of her work involves walking residents through applications and stepping in when paperwork or eligibility issues stall the process.

She says one of the biggest obstacles residents face is simply knowing where to start.

“The biggest barrier, number one, is where do they go?” Thrower said. “A lot of people call, just in the short time that I’ve been here, asking, ‘Who can I talk to? Where can I go?’ I don’t know. A gentleman called today looking for housing for his 75-year-old mother. He said, ‘Are there any senior facilities, senior apartments that I can find? Where do I go to find those?”

The demand for housing in North Charleston remains high. Nearly 4,500 people are currently on the waitlist for one- and two-bedroom units through the North Charleston Housing Authority, which operates about 600 units across the city.

Thrower says part of her role is making sure residents are connected to organizations and services they may not even realize are available.

“They’ll begin to see a greater level of connectivity to nonprofits that serve individuals who are unhoused, who are medium to low income,” she said. “The job is to, again, begin to connect people to the resources that they normally don’t know where they are.”

City leaders acknowledge the new role won’t solve the housing shortage overnight. But they believe having a dedicated person focused on housing navigation can help move people into homes faster and reduce the number of units sitting empty across the city.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) — Residents in North Charleston now have a new way to turn food scraps into compost, as a new residential drop-off site opens at Northwoods Park, expanding a regionwide effort to keep food waste out of landfills.

The site officially launched with a community workshop at the Northwoods Gym, marking the second compost drop-off location in North Charleston. The first site, at Mosstree Park near Park Circle, opened about a year ago and has already collected more than 10 tons of food scraps, according to city officials.

Across the Lowcountry, the Charleston Composts program now includes 25 drop-off sites, diverting nearly 210 tons of food waste last year alone, which is equivalent to about 13 garbage trucks away from landfills.

City leaders say the success of the Mosstree Park site helped drive the expansion. Data from Charleston Composts showed a high number of participants from the Northwood Estates area, even though a drop-off location wasn’t nearby. Because Northwoods Park sits inside a residential neighborhood and hosts frequent community activities, officials identified it as an ideal location.

The project was funded through a $15,750 state grant from South Carolina’s Solid Waste Grant Program, which covered supplies, signage and outreach efforts. The grant is the sole funding source for the site.

Two compost bins are located near the baseball field at Northwoods Park, 8348 Greenridge Road. Residents must register online through the City of Charleston’s composting program to receive an access code. That code works at all participating drop-off sites throughout Charleston County, including locations in Charleston, Mount Pleasant, West Ashley, James Island, Johns Island, Daniel Island, Folly Beach, Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island.

Participants can collect food scraps using a provided caddy or any household container and are encouraged to drop them off weekly. Scraps can also be stored in a freezer if residents can’t make regular drop-offs.

Collected food waste is transported to the Bees Ferry Compost Facility, where it undergoes a 45-day composting process. The material is heated, turned and screened before becoming finished compost, which can then be used in gardens or purchased through retail partners.

Unlike at-home composting, the large-scale facility can process items such as dairy products, eggs and bones, though officials say oyster shells are not accepted and are instead recycled through a separate state program.

County sustainability leaders say composting plays a growing role in reducing methane emissions, preserving landfill space and lowering long-term waste disposal costs, especially as the Charleston region continues to grow.

Officials add that with food scraps making up a significant portion of household trash, expanding access to composting gives residents a simple way to make a measurable environmental impact.