J.L. Mann Cromer (Bubba) has not always been known as "The Candyman." A native of Columbia, South Carolina, Bubba attended Dreher High School, where he served as Student Body President. Afterwards, he attended Clemson University and the University of South Carolina School of Law.Launching a homeless outreach ministry was a “first rodeo” for Bubba Cromer in the truest sense.

This undertaking came with a lot of stress, trepidation, and prayer. Still unsure of his calling, and at the initial stage of trying to secure his footing and comfort level, Bubba met a teenage girl and her boyfriend on the second night of this new endeavor. The couple approached him at a public park and asked him if he was “the Candyman.” When he indicated he was, the young girl handed him a half–empty bottle of vitamins, labeled "women’s hair and nail supplements." She asked Bubba if these were “good vitamins for her to take.” At that moment, he received a clear answer to his prayer. This was a thinly veiled cry for help. He bought the young couple a three-month supply of prenatal vitamins.

Since these humble beginnings, Candyman homeless outreach has expanded exponentially to the point where we now furnish not only over-the-counter medicines, but underwear, socks, T-shirts, winter coats, sweatshirts, shoes, hygiene kits, ponchos, sleeping bags, tote bags, flashlights, lunch bags, freeze pops, and ice water, and even birthday presents and special requests as time and budget allow.

Candyman Homeless Outreach