ThanksgivingCares Press Release 2003

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 AS PART OF THEIR FIFTH ANNUAL THANKSGIVINGCARES INITIATIVE.  OVER 600 FAMILIES WERE SERVED IN THE ROCKVILLE, ASPEN HILL, WHEATON, SILVER SPRING AND TAKOMA PARK AREAS ON TUESDAY NOVEMBER 25, 2003.

December 2, 2003.  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 as part of their annual ThanksgivingCares initiative. The baskets were assembled by groups of enthusiastic volunteers on Monday November 24th and Tuesday November 25th 2003 and then delivered the afternoon of the 25th. Teenagers and young adults living in the Metropolitan area volunteered their time organizing, assembling and delivering baskets to families in need.

The gymnasium in the Boys and Girls Club of Silver Spring was converted into the assembly and distribution center for this year’s program. A large contingent of very enthusiastic students from the Mentor Cares Program at Northwestern High School in Prince Georges County worked on Monday the 24th assembling the boxes, filling them with the dry foods and staging them for delivery. Ms. Milly Terry from the Boys and Girls Club at Northwestern coordinated this Mentor Cares activity and organized transportation over to Montgomery County.     

On Tuesday the 25th a very hard working group of young leaders from the ROTC program at Kennedy High School completed the process by filling the baskets with the turkeys, pies and fresh rolls. They then began the process of loading the baskets onto large trucks for delivery throughout the County.

Volunteers from the staff at the Bretton Woods Recreation Center worked on basket assembly and provided fantastic sandwiches and desserts to keep the volunteers going during the two-day program.

For the fourth year in a row Basic Necessities, a non-profit run by twin sisters Madeline and Hannah Carretero provided shampoos, soaps and lotions for the baskets. These young local leaders have had a major impact on families in need throughout the Metropolitan area by collecting and distributing sample size soaps, shampoos and lotions. 

Six hundred and eighteen families received baskets. Deliveries were coordinated with agencies throughout Montgomery County. The organizations that received baskets included Catholic Charities, Linkages to Learning, the Muslim Inter-Community Network and the Mt. Horab 7th Day Adventist Church. Deliveries were made to schools including the Silver Spring International Middle School, Broad Acres, Rolling Terrace, Sally Ride and Harmony Hills Elementary Schools. Deliveries were also made to families living in the Rockville area.

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

• Ms. Dawn Kirstaetter-Boys and Girls Club of Silver Spring
• Mr. and Mrs. Walls from Northwestern High School
• Mr. Don Morris-National Association of Blind Merchants
• Hannah and Madeline Carretero-Basic Necessities
• Northwestern High School-Prince Georges County
• Good Counsel High School
• Kennedy High School ROTC
• Bretton Woods Recreation Center
• Barbara, Jennifer and Tyler Yudd- Donated toothbrushes for the baskets
• Weis Markets
• U.S. Foodservice
• Maryland Hotel Supply Inc.
• Mr. Brian Handleman-Maryland Turf Caterers
• Penske Trucks

 “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 600 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