A Sweet Mission: How Ice Cream Feeds Thousands

Ice Cream Station's Commitment to Giving Back

Ice Cream Station is a locally-owned soft serve, ice cream and smoothie stand located in Simpsonville, South Carolina. In 2017, Serge and Kristy Guillot turned a small, one-room train depot into an ice cream shop.

A few years later, Ice Cream Station and Set Free collaborated to create a summer meal program, but their partnership isn't just a sweet treat for local residents: it brings hope to children and families in India, Sierra Leone and Liberia, too.

A Partnership Feeding Thousands

For the past three summers, Simpsonville's Ice Cream Station has donated one meal per order to rescued kids through Set Free, a Greenville based non-profit caring for thousands of children rescued from slavery. So far, 67,743 meals have been served to children who are now growing strong, healthy, and loved.

"We heard the stories of what Set Free was doing by rescuing kids out of rock quarries and bringing hope to whole families and villages through clean water," Serge Guillot said. "This is what we want to be part of."

Summer months are especially impactful for Ice Cream Station's partnership with Set Free. The more ice cream sold during the summer, the more are children fed!

"Our customers had the opportunity to feel like they were doing more than just getting a sweet treat," Guillot said. "They are helping kids that are in desperate need."

Why Set Free?

Values That Sparked the Partnership

Ice Cream Station and Set Free's shared values of rescue, restoration and purpose bring a strength and motivation to their partnership. Additionally, their faith-based missions align their purpose and bring communities together from Simpsonville to Southeast Asia.

"If you can use the resources that the Lord has entrusted to you to help people that don't even have clean water or a meal before them, why would you not help?" Guillot said.

What Makes Set Free Unique

Set Free's mission is interconnected and our approach is unique. Our organization recognized the root cause of child enslavement: a lack of access to clean water.

The mission begins with addressing key issues:

• Rescuing children from slavery
• Building wells
• Providing housing, education, and medical care
• Sharing the message of God’s love
• Creating long-term change

Child slavery is perpetuated by lack of access to clean water. By installing wells, Set Free provides local and safe access to drinkable water. This access prevents the spread of sickness and disease, thereby stopping the cycle of child enslavement.

When a family gets sick from contaminated water, they take out loans for medical care. In many cases, they are forced to give up their children to work for lenders when they cannot repay lofty interest rates. These lenders sell the children to mine owners, who enslave them to work in slate mines, denying them housing, food, water, and care.

How Can You Be Part of the Story?

Support That Tastes Good

We work with many organizations to bring about change across the world. Our current partners include Ice Cream Station, Tropical Grille, CityScape Winery, Fortis, and more. Learn more about corporate giving on our website.

The next time you're craving a sweet treat this summer, check out Ice Cream Station! One meal purchased is an automatic meal donation to Set Free's cause.

"Work with Set Free to think of how you can use your influence with your employees and customers to bring lasting change to people that desperately need it," Guillot said.

More Ways to Get Involved

To learn more about Set Free, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn to stay in the know about our partnerships and events.

Sign up for our email list to stay up-to-date on what's happening at Set Free.

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