Located in Columbia, Md. the Howard County Food Bank provides food, diapers, and personal care items for low-income individuals and families. Shoppers are allowed two visits a month, and can experience family-choice shopping like at a grocery store. The food bank also provides access to apply for food assistance programs, and access to energy, housing, and early childhood education through Head Start and pre-kindergarten programming.
Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland is one of the largest and oldest continuously operating, non-profit, home-delivered meal programs in the United States. Our approach, to provide nutritious meals, personal contact, and support services distinguishes them from other programs.
Located in Washington, D.C. the Capital Area Food Bank’s mission is to provide access to good, healthy food. The Food Bank partners with more than 400 nonprofit organizations in DC and the surrounding region to provide over 50 million meals to almost half a million area residents every year. The Food Bank also addresses the root causes of hunger through multiple education programs and innovative service delivery partnerships.
The Caring Cupboard runs multiple pantries out of its headquarters located in Pasadena, Md. The first is the food and personal hygiene pantry. Food is distributed during Fill-A-Bag evenings and through home delivery for those without transportation. The charity is also located in several schools within Anne Arundel County for families to reach out to their counselors for assistance. Caring Cupboard also has a Baby Pantry, providing formula, diapers, and other items for infants. The Baby Pantry is part of the Southern Maryland American Red Cross, and responds to disasters in partnership with the Red Cross.
Celestial Manna is a faith-based food recovery nonprofit started in 1986 by founder Charlie Mann as a means to feed his own family. Today, the charity supports over 20,000 people monthly in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia. Celestial Manna recovers food from grocery stores, restaurants and local farms that would otherwise be discarded. Volunteers pick up and distribute the donations in communities where people are affected by poverty, twice a day, seven days a week.
The mission of Hope Ignites, formerly Boys Hope Girls Hope of Baltimore, is to nurture and guide motivated young people in need to become well educated, career-ready men and women. The TowerCares grant will support Hope Ignites Academy, a non-residential academy designed to prepare academically capable and motivated at-risk middle and high school students in Baltimore, Maryland to rise above disadvantaged backgrounds, achieve success in school, and gain acceptance to college. Funds will be used for educational supplies, field trips, and summer activities.
The mission of the Anne Arundel County Food Bank is to alleviate food insecurity in Anne Arundel County by partnering across our community to obtain and distribute nourishing food to our neighbors in need. The Food Bank was founded in 1986 to distribute food to community partners throughout Anne Arundel County. AACFB continues its commitment to providing free food and other critical services to under-resourced residents, working alongside county and state governments to address food insecurity throughout the County. The AACFB network of member agencies includes over 70 community-based member food pantries.
The Arc Montgomery County connects people of all ages and abilities with their communities to build inclusive and fulfilling lives. We are a private nonprofit which provides daily direct support services to about 450 children, youth, adults, and seniors with and without Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD). The Arc also provides information, respite coordination, and referrals to another 600 people annually. We strive to provide a continuum of support services which help every person grow and thrive, delivered by well-trained and well-compensated employees. Our goal is to provide services which meet the individual needs of each person.
The mission of Blue Star Families is to strengthen America’s military families through communities. Many military families with PCS orders move into local neighborhoods rather than on to military bases, creating isolation for families and a difficult transition to a new location. The TowerCares grant will support Blue Star Welcome Week, an event held every fall locally and nationally, which provides resources for military families moving to a new duty station each summer. Families are given access to community services to help them learn about things like school options, local places to shop, and how to find the services they need. The goal is to ease the transition to a civilian community where things are less accessible than on base.
Quality of Life+ challenges university STEM students to create innovative technology solutions that improve the quality of life for injured Veterans, first responders, and others who have served our country. The TowerCares grant will support their Linking Maryland’s Bravest with Maryland’s Brightest program, which serves wounded Veterans through teams of college engineering students who develop assistive technology and/or adaptations that are unique to each individual and not currently available in the marketplace. Student teams work with the Veterans to create devices that help those with life-altering disabilities to achieve greater independence, mobility, and access to everyday activities.