Representative Pat Henegan of District 54 has spent her life serving the counties of Marlboro, Chesterfield, and Darlington. As someone who has been both a student and educator in Marlboro County, Henegan deeply understands the needs of her neighbors. From her service on the Marian Wright Edelman Public Library board to her work with the Man 2 Man Fatherhood Initiative, Henegan has years of experience helping her community grow and thrive to the best of her ability. Now, Representative Henegan serves her constituents well through the ongoing health crisis of COVID-19.
Since the onset of our current pandemic, food banks have seen an increase in demand from the neighborhoods they serve. Rates of food insecurity are increasing and many banks have been left struggling with an inability to properly collect and distribute donations. This past week, Representative Henegan did her part and organized a collaborative effort within Marlboro County to aid Harvest Hope in distributing resources to local families.
Henegan’s work provided much needed relief to those in the areas of Wallace and Bennettsville. Michael Coachman of the Kollocktonian Hawks Alumni Organization shared on Facebook that the project helped serve over 250 individuals in need. As Marlboro County had been ravaged by storms just two weeks earlier, Henegan’s recent work with Harvest Hope – as well as her assistance in securing funds for families who had lost their homes in the storm – has provided a bright spot amidst a difficult time.
Her service doesn’t stop there, though. Henegan has also organized a feminine hygiene product drive, collecting donations of sanitary napkins and tampons to be redistributed to those in need. These products are on their way to be distributed around the community to places like a local women’s shelter, the BTU Rest Home in Bennettsville, Marlboro and Chesterfield County School Districts, and the Naomi Project. Henegan is also in contact with Greenville’s Homeless Period Project which looks to contribute even more feminine products to her cause in District 54.
Henegan has additionally made sure her constituents are well-informed in this time of confusion. She regularly addresses her community through social media with the latest statistics and updates regarding COVID-19. It is clear through her interaction with her constituents both on- and offline that if she does not know the answer to someone’s question, she will take the initiative to find it. Henegan has also been a large proponent in calling for the governor and health officials to urgently address the growing racial health disparities that exist across the state.
It is clear through her past work and current actions during some of South Carolina’s hardest days in recent memory that Representative Pat Henegan works for and alongside her constituents, not above them. The residents of District 54 are lucky to have a legislator and neighbor with the immense amount of compassion and dedication that Henegan shows towards her community.
“Kindness matters to me,” says Henegan. “Using kindness instead of harshness, showing love instead of hate, and filling others with light whenever and wherever I can. That matters to me. It matters to me especially now.”