Sixteen years ago, Deloris Pinson looked at what others saw as an eyesore — a neglected former elementary school at the heart of the Belle Meade neighborhood — and saw a way to improve lives. Pinson, a budget analyst for Greenville County Schools, had no one to care for her child with special needs during the summer, and she realized she wasn’t the only parent facing that dilemma. She worked out an agreement with the district to use the building, and in May 2006 she resigned her position and established Upstate Circle of Friends.
At a chance meeting soon after, Pinson shared her vision with George Singleton, then director of student development at Greenville Technical College. The school building was in such disrepair, it was hard to know where to begin, but Singleton, also a Furman graduate and former NBA basketball player, agreed to talk with his connections to see what could be done.
“She was looking for partners and was so excited about the things she wanted to do that I was hooked,” says Singleton, now UCF’s vice president and COO. “There was no endowment, no trust fund or seed money, but we kept building the program and gained the attention of a couple of major donors who gave us the money to purchase the building from the school district.”
Since those early days, UCF has expanded its programming by making the most of opportunities and creating collaborative partnerships to serve more local residents.
Staff members arrive at the campus’s USDA-licensed kitchen at 5 a.m. daily to begin preparing nutritious meals for children and senior citizens in need. Pinson, the organization’s founder and CEO, oversees the food program, which provides dinners for up to 350 children every school day, distributed through city and county recreation center afterschool programs. The summer program serves hot lunches to more than 1,000 children at a dozen locations.
Youth services remain important at UCF, coordinated by Toya Moore, who guides a “Leaders, Learners and Earners” group for young people that tends a Farm to School Edible Garden at Southside High School.
“These ninth- through 12th-graders are pesticide-trained and can get their food handler certification. Hands-on activities prepare them not only for careers in agriculture, but teach about science and caring for living creatures,” Moore says.
The VetForward program provides services for veterans and rents a home that is affordable, with subsidies, to a veteran who experienced homelessness and her family.
“We have just received matching funds to break ground on a second home in Nicholtown to be ready in 2023,” Singleton says. “We hope to raise another $40,000 before then.”
UCF’s newest project, a USDA Urban Teaching Garden, became possible after a promising grant application had been denied.
“They were so impressed they decided that if additional funding became available they would fund it, and they did, from 2022–2025.” Singleton says. “It provides healthy food in a ‘food desert,’ and teaches the importance of proper eating both in and out of school.”
Upstate Circle of Friends is also home to a collaboration between nonprofit medical provider Unity Health on Main (https://unityhealthonmain.org/), community mental health provider Universal Therapeutic Services (https://universaltherapeuticservices.com/), Just Say Something parenting coaching, UCF’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention groups, and the American Heart Association. All services will be provided on the UCF campus thanks to a 2022–2025 Healthy Greenville grant.
“It’s a unique concept,” Singleton says of the center, which also has event space that is used for community meetings, campaign visits and celebrations.
In November 2022, the Community Foundation of Greenville made a $12,500 unrestricted grant to UCF honoring its commitment to support minority-led nonprofits.
“Over time, Upstate Circle of Friends has been an affirming presence in Belle Meade,” says Bob Morris, CFG president. “Delores and George are innovators who have been able to bring many things to enrich the lives of the surrounding neighbors.”
