Set Free Alliance teams up with Upstate restaurants to help families around the world
It was an idea born of limitation. When the board of Greenville-based Set Free was brainstorming ways to continue their work of building clean water wells and of rescuing children from slavery in some of the most impoverished areas of the world, they thought, ‘Why not look to local businesses for help?’
That initial idea has since grown into a robust partnership program that allows South Carolina businesses to drive change worldwide. Thus far, the collaboration with Tropical Grille, Ice Cream Station, City Scape Winery and Methodical Coffee has helped provide medical care, water, and food to thousands of people.
The business partnerships provide a steady stream of funding but also a chance to share the mission.
“I think sometimes as complicated as our mission can be, it can be as easy as, Buy this bowl and give a child a meal,” says Sarah Kelley, CEO of Set Free. “And maybe that is where you stop, or maybe it encourages you to learn more.”
Set Free began simply in 2002. Founder Roland Bergeron saw a need for clean water in poverty-stricken regions worldwide. Inspired by a deep faith, he set out to build wells. The organization first worked in Honduras, but it became clear the need was elsewhere. That led to working in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Then, Bergeron received a message from a pastor in India seeking aid. On the first visit in 2012, the depth of need crystalized in a different way. “As the pastors were going out, they discovered children who were held in mines,” Kelley says. “They were enslaved.”
The experience revealed a pernicious cycle rooted in extreme poverty. Parents would take out a loan, often to pay for medical care, and would get behind on payments. This led them to send children to work. What was meant to be temporary often became permanent.
Since 2012, Set Free has expanded its work to include not just clean water, but providing free medical care and eradicating childhood slavery. The organization leans on local partners to help locate areas of need, to provide shelter, food and education for rescued children, and to help reunite them with their families.
Set Free’s fight against child slavery in India
Since 2012, Set Free has rescued more than 100,000 children in India and successfully reunited more than 60,000 with their families. This past year, the organization also built its 1000th well in India.
When Serge Guillot heard about Set Free at his church, he couldn’t shake the idea of children suffering such a devastating fate. The father, who has owned Ice Cream Station with his wife Kristy since 2010, wanted to do something. While he pondered, his children took action.
“They started selling their toys and doing lemonade stands and raised a few hundred dollars,” Guillot recalls. “So, we thought, ‘Well what can we do and how can we utilize our business to raise awareness about the work Set Free is doing?” They decided to donate 39 cents of every transaction in June and July. “I didn’t want it to be a burden for customers but wanted them to be able to feel part of something.”
Josh Jones, co-owner of City Scape Winery in Pelzer, was so moved by the Set Free work that he and his wife decided to create a special bottle of wine to create a more sustainable fundraising effort.
“Wasn’t that Jesus’ first miracle, turning water into wine?” Jones asks. “I go back to Jesus’ first miracle. What if I can do the opposite but still have a benefit on the world.” Since launching in November 2024, City Scape’s Mirabilis wine has raised $8,680.
The progress is heartwarming, Kelley says, but there is more to do. “Sometimes people look at giving as, ‘Oh, I don’t have a huge amount of money,’ but it’s 39 cents to give someone a meal,” Kelley says. “It probably takes less than you think to make a real impact.”
Local businesses making a difference
- Ice Cream Station: During June and July, the business donates 39 cents of every transaction to provide meals to rescued children. Since starting the effort in 2022, the business has donated $47,765.25, equal to 122,475 meals.
- City Scape Winery: Produced a special wine called Mirabilis. Five dollars of each bottle is donated to Set Free’s Water for Life program, helping build water wells. As of August 2026, they have sold 1,736 bottles of Mirabilis and donated $8,680.
- Methodical Coffee: The coffee company created a special blend, and a portion of each bag sold is donated to Set Free’s Water for Life program. The company is also in talks about helping provide entrepreneurial and coffee training to rescued children.
- Tropical Grille: Donates 39 cents from each sale to provide meals to rescued children. From July 2025 through August 2026 the company donated $18,577,97, equal to 47,635 meals.
