PalmettoPride, South Carolina’s anti–litter and beautification organization honored grant recipients January 10 at a luncheon held at Seawell’s in Columbia. Senator David L. Thomas, founder of PalmettoPride, addressed the audience and acknowledged strides made in litter reduction around the state.

The statewide non– profit organization presented checks to 132 organizations and acknowledged 64 tree grant recipients during the celebration. Grants were given out in five categories: Education (36 recipients); Enforcement (23 recipients); Community Pride (53 recipients); Keep South Carolina Beautiful (20 recipients); and Tree (64 recipients).

“The number of grant applicants continues to rise annually,” said Linda Shadel, director of Operations for Palmetto- Pride. “South Carolinians are thinking green and want to improve our communities.”

The five grants correlate to the four program areas: education, enforcement, awareness, and pickup. Funds are granted out to initiate litter– reduction programs, to educate students, create green spaces, and to assist enforcement efforts. The Tree Grant provides free trees for beautification projects on public spaces honoring Palmetto- Pride’s commitment to beautification.

For a complete list of grant recipients, please log onto www.palmettopride. org and click on Grants Center. For more information, please contact Sarah Robinson at 803- 758-6034.

PalmettoPride is a 501c3 non–profit organization. Its mission is to eradicate litter and promote beautification in South Carolina.