Sustaining Way, a Greenville-based interfaith nonprofit, defines sustainability as caring for people and the environment in an affordable and accessible way.
This definition has guided the organization’s efforts toward helping historically marginalized communities become “sustainable, equitable and caring.” Sustaining Way was founded in 2012 to help educate residents on sustainable practices, facilitate diverse community partnerships and advocate for neighborhoods.
“The basic concept around what we do is … answering the question of how do we provide for people’s basic needs and allow them to thrive as they go forward,” said Rick Joye, founder and operations director for Sustaining Way.
For the past 12 years, the nonprofit has provided services and support to the Nicholtown community. The organization operates out of a demonstration site called Annie’s House in the special-emphasis neighborhood. The site is named after Joye’s sister, Annie-Marie, who passed away from cancer in 2022.
Annie’s House helps the organization better connect with the Nicholtown neighborhood and build trusting relationships with residents. The site also serves as a model for affordable, sustainable practices such as backyard gardening, renewable energy, food preservation and more.
“People can kind of take what (sustainable practices) works for them,” Joye said. “We’re not there to push or promote things on the community. We’re there to really provide a vision of what’s possible.”
Community impact
Community Engagement Coordinator Oscar Bennett said Sustaining Way is unique because it aims to fill the cracks in a specific community.
“We’re here for this community, we want to help uplift it and we’re going to be here for the long haul,” he said.
Over the years, the nonprofit has conducted multiple surveys to help listen to the needs of Nicholtown residents. In a survey conducted two years ago, the community asked for continued support for food security, energy burden, and mental and physical health. Sustaining Way offers a variety of programs to help residents in these four areas.
To improve food security, the nonprofit distributes fresh produce donated by local farmers to residents every Thursday. Bennett said Nicholtown is considered a food desert and a lot of individuals in the neighborhood don’t have access to healthy food.
Sustaining Way also operates a free program to install backyard gardens for Nicholtown residents where they can grow fresh, seasonal produce. The nonprofit installed 19 backyard gardens in 2023. The backyard gardens aim to help with food security while also providing an activity to improve physical and mental health.
Improving the energy efficiency of Nicholtown residents’ homes is another priority for Sustaining Way. The nonprofit’s free energy home visits program allows staff to evaluate and complete home upgrades for residents.
“If there’s a digital thermostat that can be put into an older home or there’s a way to insulate, that can lead to cost savings that could reduce someone’s energy burden, meaning their power bill, by 30%, 40%, 50% and sometimes 60%,” Executive Director Michael Brown said.
Future expansion
Looking toward the future, Sustaining Way plans to expand some of its programs including the energy home visits program. Joye said the program is in a pilot phase and the organization hopes to add resources that will help more houses.
Sustaining Way also has a goal to expand into four more marginalized communities by the end of 2025, according to its strategic plan. The organization has started providing services in the New Washington Heights and Brutontown communities. It is also working to expand outside of Greenville County into Spartanburg.
“We’ve come a long way over the years,” Joye said. “As the founder, the thing for me is … making sure we set the organization up in a way that it can be sustainable.”
Sustainability focus areas
Sustaining Way’s work focuses on six areas of sustainability:
- Food and landscape
- Energy and energy efficiency
- Consumption and waste
- Healthy lifestyles
- Environmental sustainability
- Social sustainability
Sustaining Way’s 2023 year in review
19 backyard gardens were installed
57 educational opportunities offered
Over 80 partnerships with community, business, academic, government and philanthropic organizations
224 community engagement events
2,151 program participants
10,177 food security bags distributed
Food distribution
Sustaining Way distributes fresh produce, hot meals and resources to Nicholtown residents. The organization partners with local farmers and Project Host Food Truck to put on the event. The food distribution is free and occurs each Thursday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in the Hope Church parking lot.
Additional programs
Additional programs Sustaining Way offers include:
- Steward Youth Program: Opportunities to provide sustainability and leadership training to children and teens.
- Community Coordinator Program: A full-time development position where the coordinator serves as a community advocate and builds relationships with the community.
- Nicholtown Community Health Initiative: A group working to address the needs of the community including energy burden, food security, mental health and personal health.
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