His family didn’t need the money raised for his Beaufort funeral. Here’s what they did.

Nathaniel Bennett’s family didn’t need all of the money, so they gave it those who did.

In the days after Bennett died, the Beaufort community responded by raising more than $3,500 to help with funeral expenses. Bennett had been a fixture downtown, a familiar face to many before his death on Dec. 11.

An online fundraising campaign started by Tim Newman was shared more than 900 times on social media. Almost 100 people contributed.

“The outpouring we have seen at his death and the loss we feel shows the Beauty and Grace of Beaufort, thank you all for that, for him,” Newman wrote on the GoFundMe page.

Funeral arrangements had already largely been covered.

So after some of the family’s expenses were covered, there was plenty left over. The money went to local nonprofit organizations and to Bennett’s church for scholarships.

“This is our way of paying it back,” said LaToy Bennett Fields, Bennett’s daughter. “As I spoke at my father’s burial, I addressed the people there and told them we were deeply appreciative for their love and support. He wouldn’t have wanted for things to go any different than we did for his homegoing. We just encouraged anyone who was there to keep paying it forward.”

The gifts went out Wednesday.

HELP of Beaufort received $1,000. That’s enough to provide hundreds of meals for the sick, elderly, disabled, homeless and displaced, the organization wrote on its Facebook page.

“Generous hearts and great people are what make us able to do the work we do,” the post said. “WE THANK YOU ALL for what you do and have done to help so many during your grieving. We can not find the words.”

The family gave another $1,000 to Child Abuse Prevention Association in Port Royal.

Bennett’s church, Bethesda Christian Fellowship, also received part of the money. Two Beaufort High School graduating seniors in the church will each receive $125.

None of the donations were earmarked for a specific use, Fields said.

Bennett’s funeral service was held in the church Tuesday, followed by a burial service at Beaufort National Cemetery. The 64-year-old enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1972 and was a specialist when he got out, his daughter said.

He received a National Defense Service Medal and Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for his service in Korea, she said. More than 300 people came to his visitation, and there was a similar turnout for his funeral, Fields said.

“It was an epic celebration,” she said.

This story was originally published December 21, 2017 at 11:27 AM with the headline "His family didn’t need the money raised for his Beaufort funeral. Here’s what they did.."