Holiday Giving

Montgomery County is known for its affluence, so it is easy to forget that we have many residents who do not have enough money to pay for even their basic needs, let alone the extra expenses associated with the holidays. To learn more about poverty in Montgomery County, take a look at the award-winning program, The Unseen Montgomery, produced by our very own County Cable Montgomery.

In addition to highlighting the hidden poverty in the county, the show identifies nonprofits that provide help to those in need, including Manna, which serves as our local food bank; A Wider Circle, which collects used furniture and household items for those in need; and Interfaith Works, which offers a whole host of programs for our most vulnerable residents.

If you can afford to pick up extra canned or other non-perishable foods, or if you have clothing or furniture you can donate, your gift certainly can go to good use right here in our community. And of course, our nonprofits are also happy to accept money. If you aren’t sure which nonprofit to support, check out Neighbors in Need Montgomery, an umbrella charity campaign that supports many local organizations and enjoys a dollar for dollar match from a generous family.

Helping Neighbors in Need Celebrate the Holidays

There is no better way to share in the holiday spirit than to help make the holidays better for our neighbors in need. For more than 30 years, the Holiday Giving Project of Montgomery County has helped low-income residents celebrate Thanksgiving and the December holidays. A coalition of non-profit agencies, local governments and faith groups collect and distribute donations those in need. To find out how you can help, visit A Wider Circle, the Holiday Giving Project’s coordinating agency.

Bring Donations for Wounded Soldiers to Council Building

Employees here at the Council are going to celebrate the County’s 25th Annual Community Service Day with a weeklong event that also recognizes the County’s newest residents: the U.S. military’s injured personnel who are now receiving treatment at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center that has been relocated to its new campus in Bethesda.

Although the Military Medical Center is well-recognized for the superior treatment it offers military personnel suffering severe injuries in conflict worldwide, there are items that the wounded soldiers need, but the items are not provided to them. From Monday, Oct. 17, through Friday, Oct. 21, County Council employees will collect items that the American Red Cross—which has a unit that works with the Military Medical Center—has recommended are in need by injured soldiers and veterans at the facility.

Council employees invite you join in the drive.

The items sought for the drive include:

New and unused plain cotton t-shirts and athletic shorts (sizes small through extra large in colors black, gray, charcoal gray and navy)
Calling Cards and Gift cards (including those specifically for Subway and Dunkin Donuts, which have commercial outlets on the Walter Reed campus)
Men's running/trail/walking shoes (sizes 9-12 including half sizes)
DVD's, XBOX 360 and Wii games
Non-perishable snacks or bottled water
Toiletries (including razors, toothbrushes, deodorant, etc.)
Monetary donations for use by the Walter Reed program (must be in the form of checks made out to "American Red Cross" with the specific notation "Walter Reed/Bethesda Hospital")

If you want to contribute to the drive, bring items to the 6th Floor reception desk of the County Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Ave., Rockville, Md. 20850.

For more information about the drive for items for injured warriors, call 240-777-7923.

The items will be donated to a representative of the American Red Cross chapter that works with the Walter Reed program on Friday afternoon, Oct. 21.

Staff Donates Record Amount

I’m really proud of the staff at the Montgomery County Council for donating over $3,300 and more than 600 pounds of food to Montgomery County residents who need a little extra help. Every year, the staff organizes a series of events to raise money for charity, and this year set an all-time record. The money went to Neighbors in Need, an umbrella organization that provides for basic needs through a variety of non-profit organizations. The food collected went straight to Manna. Good job.