Greenville QT stores, Pendleton Place offer safe place for youth

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Greenville County Quik Trip stores are partnering with Pendleton Place to offer quick retreat sites for youth in crisis.

At-risk or endangered youth in Greenville County can turn to any of the 22 Quik Trip stores in the county and wait for a volunteer from Pendleton Place to arrive to connect them with professional help, according to a news release. The arrangement is part of the national Safe Place program, which makes help available to youth in need of immediate help and safety.

“Since 1991, QuikTrip has been a designated Safe Place partner in all of our markets throughout the country, and we are so proud to now offer this life-changing service to youth in Greenville County,” QuikTrip Greenville Division Personnel Manager Nick Kooyman said in the news release. “Pendleton Place has been a great agency to partner with here in Greenville, and their caring staff shares our passion to support youth in need through the national Safe Place programming.”

Pendleton Place offers programs that “protect, equip, and heal vulnerable children, young adults and families,” the release said.

“Since 1975, Pendleton Place has refused to accept the status quo for our community’s most vulnerable youth,” Jed Dews, executive director of Pendleton Place, said in the release. “The Safe Place model is a perfect fit with our commitment to young people and it allows us to use our strengths and resources to make Greenville an even stronger community for all.”

Quik Trip also provided a grant to Pendleton Place, which included funding for furniture in its emergency youth shelter and the addition of a new position, outreach coordinator, who will manage the Safe Place program. The grant also enabled Pendleton Place to repair bathrooms, replace appliances and improve electric devices in the emergency youth shelter.