Greer Relief
Trey Austin is the new Community Engagement Coordinator for Greer Relief.
Austin is Blue Ridge. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion at North Greenville University in 2002, and went on to earn a Master of Divinity from Erskine Theological Seminary. As the son of a minister and (now retired) Army chaplain,
Austin is responsible for the Empowerment program (RENEW) services. RENEW, which stands for Reaching Every Neighbor Every Way, was launched in 2015 and is an education, enrichment, and life skills program open to the public. Volunteers offer to teach classes in areas such as health and wellness, job skills, crafts, financial health, and more. Participants receive rewards that can be redeemed in the monthly RENEW Shoppe, a pop-up thrift store, or towards their Christmas Morning Shoppe application.
Austin also serves as the coordinator for FoodShare at Greer Relief. FoodShare Greenville is a program that partners with local farms to provide fresh, healthy produce to the community, regardless of income. FoodShare boxes can be purchased and picked up from Greer Relief.
Austin also coordinates, VITA, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance at Greer Relief. VITA provides free tax preparations to those who meet the income requirement. In 2021,
He will also be the J. Verne Smith Center liaison – strengthening relationships between Greer Relief and other in-house agencies such as DSS and WIC.