Helping Charitable Organizations For the Holiday Season

The holiday season is a time of giving thanks, spending time with family and friends, and helping out those in need. There are many ways to help out Baltimore community organizations from volunteering time at food banks or community meals to making donations. These charitable organizations are important to Baltimore throughout the year, but even more so during the winter months. ezStorage is proud to have 39 facilities participating in the 2014 Toys for Tots Holiday Toy Campaign. This is only one way to help out in the community, there are many more. Below are listed just a few of the charitable community organizations that help out those in need in the Baltimore area, including Thanksgiving meals.

Free Thanksgiving Community Dinners

Goodwill Industries Thanksgiving Dinners

There are many Thanksgiving community meals happening in the Baltimore area. Goodwill Industries will be hosting two free Thanksgiving dinners, one in Baltimore, and one in Annapolis. The 59^th Annual Baltimore Thanksgiving Dinner and Resource Fair will be at the Baltimore Convention Center on Wednesday, November 26^th from 11:45am to 2:45pm. The 26^th Annual Annapolis Thanksgiving Dinner and Resource Fair will be held at the Asbury United Methodist Church in Annapolis also on Wednesday, November 26^th from 11:45am to 2:45pm. Last year, over 3,000 people with special needs or disabilities were served a turkey dinner with all of the fixings from over 300 Goodwill volunteers. This year, the organization expects to serve the same amount of people. Goodwill, which has been helping the local community for over 94 years, provides services to nearly 40,000 people in the Baltimore area who are in need of assistance because of physical, mental or other social issues.

 Project Feast

Students from the University of Maryland School of Medicine will be hosting the 25^th Annual “Project Feast” for over 400 disadvantaged West Baltimore residents on Thursday, November 27^th at the Booker T. Washington Middle School in Baltimore from 10am to 2pm. More than 100 volunteers including students, faculty and staff all take part in the event, which includes a Thanksgiving meal, free clothing, non-perishable food items and fresh products to those in the community, who are in need.

Maryland Food Bank

The Maryland Food Bank , a non-profit organization, has been helping lead the movement to end hunger in Maryland for 35 years. The Maryland Food Bank distributes 79,000 meals per day, 29 million meals annually. The Maryland Food Bank has 3 facilities: Baltimore, Salisbury and Hagerstown. Food is distributed to soup kitchen, food pantries and schools in 22 counties in Maryland, including Baltimore City, Somerset, Wicomico, and Washington County.  The Maryland Food Bank has many programs to address hunger in the community from school breakfast and lunch programs, to culinary training, farm to food programs and SNAP programs. Donations can be made to the Maryland Food Bank this holiday season with a virtual holiday food drive.

The Door

The Door is part of the Baltimore Urban Leadership Foundation with a mission to “facilitate the transformation and holistic growth of youth, families and communities through collaborative partnerships, direct service and resource development.” The Door operates a food pantry, which serves the community throughout the year. The program provides more than 5,000 food baskets including non-perishable items, bread and fresh meat, to families in need. The program is always in need of volunteers and food donations.

The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army of Central Maryland has been serving those in need in the Baltimore area for more than 130 years. The organization helps Baltimore City and Baltimore, Howard, Carroll and North Anne Arundel counties with a variety of services including emergency food, utilities, and rental assistance, homeless services, and transitional housing. The Salvation Army also sponsors great events throughout the year. For the holiday season, there are special community events and meals. NFL linebacker, Jameel McClain works with the Salvation Army to provide a hot Thanksgiving meal and extra food for 53 families in Central Maryland. The meal takes place on November 18^th. You can help donate for the Thanksgiving Holiday Food Drive via their website.