ThanksgivingCares Press Release 2002

The LeadershipCares Foundation
10181 Nightingale Street
Gaithersburg, MD 20882

Ron Yudd (301) 540-5791
www.leadershipcares.org

THE LEADERSHIPCARES FOUNDATION PROVIDED THANKSGIVING BASKETS TO FAMILIES IN NEED THROUGHOUT MONTGOMERY COUNTY.  BASKETS WERE DELIVERED IN THE DAMASCUS, GERMANTOWN, GAITHERSBURG, ROCKVILLE, WHEATON, SILVER SPRING AND TAKOMA PARK AREAS ON TUESDAY NOVEMBER 26, 2002.

December 2, 2002.  The LeadershipCares Foundation, an organization that teaches leadership skills to teenagers and young adults, assembled and delivered baskets of ingredients to prepare a complete Thanksgiving meal for families in need in the Damascus, Germantown, Gaithersburg, Rockville, Wheaton, Silver Spring and Takoma Park areas as part of their annual ThanksgivingCares initiative. The baskets were assembled by groups of enthusiastic volunteers on Monday November 25th and Tuesday November 26th 2002 and then delivered the afternoon of the 26th. Teenagers and young adults living in the community volunteered their time organizing, assembling and delivering baskets to families in need.

The following groups participated and supported this year’s hunger relief efforts:

• Montgomery Youth Works
• National Association of Blind Merchants
• Basic Necessities
• Shapiro & Duncan Inc.
• Good Counsel High School
• Bretton Woods Recreation Center
• Weis Markets
• U.S. Foodservice
• Maryland Hotel Supply Inc.
• Millian Memorial United Methodist Church
• Optimist Club of Rockville

Over 325 families received baskets. Deliveries were coordinated with agencies throughout Montgomery County. The organizations that received baskets included Catholic Charities, Linkages to Learning and the Mt. Horab 7th Day Adventist Church. Deliveries were made to schools including the Silver Spring International Middle School, Broad Acres, Greencastle, Sally Ride and Veirs Mill Elementary Schools. Deliveries were also made directly to families living in the Rockville and Gaithersburg area.  

Support for this event included food and refreshments for the volunteers provided by Bretton Woods Recreation Center, space for assembly and distribution by the Millian United Methodist Church and financial donation from the National Association of Blind Merchants. Don Morris a successful blind businessman commented “it was not so long ago that blind families would have been the recipients of such food baskets and our organization is happy to share our good fortune with others less fortunate”.

Teenagers received credit for the volunteer hours that they participated. Brian Willcoxon, a participant from Good Counsel High School volunteered for ten hours over the two days helping to assemble and then load baskets on trucks for delivery.

Tyler Yudd age 3 and Jennifer Yudd 6 helped fill the baskets with a variety of sample size toiletries donated by their mom Barbara.

Basic Necessities, a non-profit run by twin eleven year-old sisters Madeline and Hannah Carretero provided shampoos, soaps and lotions for the baskets.

An enthusiastic group of volunteers from Montgomery Youth Works helped to load trucks and then helped in distributing the baskets at locations throughout the county.

 Volunteer adults helped to make deliveries to individual family residences.  Many of the adults participated with their children in making the deliveries.

“The number of families in need continues to grow in our region and through this initiative we are trying to provide a short respite for those that need help all year long. Our efforts have doubled each of the last several years to now include over 325 families”—says Lula J. Davis, Vice President of the LeadershipCares Foundation.  

The LeadershipCares Foundation provides an opportunity for those living in the area to volunteer as “hands-on” participants to help make a difference for those in need. Teenagers and young adults learn and practice leadership skills through their participation. For more information about the ThanksgivingCares initiative, the LeadershipCares Foundation and how to get directly involved call (301) 540-5791 or visit our web site at www.leadershipcares.org