Small Things Matter and Difference Makers are collecting non-perishable food, feminine hygeine products, and toiletries to support the new Difference Makers Kokua Foods pantry at Blair HS.

Small Things Matter has been collecting items all summer and is hosting a canned food drive on Thursday, August 15 from noon-4pm at the Giant on Rockville Pike. Please come by to support us if you can.

Donations can also be dropped off at the DM/STM lemonade stands each Sunday from 10-2pm at the Takoma Park Farmers Market on the corner of Carroll and Laurel during August. Thanks!

STM spent a lovely evening at the Community CHEER Lunch and Learn Awards Ceremony on August 2, 2019. The evening was filled with inspirational speeches, music, performances, and a slide show of the summer camp activities. Our thanks to Jacquette Frazier and Doris Duarte for their deep commitment to our youth! We can’t wait to see your campers next summer!

Lana had a great time meeting the PreK Vision students on July 30, 2019. STM was honored to make their graduation buttons again this year. This time we made special buttons for the students with cortical visual impairment (CVI) by having their names bubble highlighted in either red or yellow. Lana learned about the challenges these students face by trying on goggles that simulate varying degrees of blindness (field of vision issues, cataracts, nearsightedness, etc.). Our thanks to their wonderful and dedicated teacher Diana Garcia-Mejia for allowing us spend some time in her classroom.

STM spent the afternoon filling up Little Free Libraries in Takoma Park on July 29, 2019. If you know of a LFL that needs some love drop us a line! #reading#kindness

STM had a wonderful day vending Hawaiian shave ice and lemonade at the corner of the Takoma Park Farmers Market to support our literacy program on July 28, 2019. The market was full of delightful treats today include amazing fruits, flowers, and vegetables. Thanks to everyone who came out to say hi and to Shreya, Kaveesh, and Lana for doing a wonderful job sharing our mission and taking care of our customers!

STM received a wonderful donation of children books from Julie Taddeofor our literacy program on July 24, 2019. Thank you Julie for your kind and continued support!

Our thanks to Margie Billian for her generous donation of fleece gloves, toiletries, and canned food for our families in need on July 18, 2019. We will be using the gloves and toiletries to make care bags for the homeless. The canned food will be put into the food pantry in Takoma Park. Thank you so much for your kindness!

STM had a great time hosting a few summer art classes for Community CHEER‘s Lunch and Learn Program. We made fun mosaics with the 2nd and 5th graders on June 27 2019 and decorated colorful tiles with the K and 1st graders on July 11, 2019. There were lots of smiles as these little artists worked on their masterpieces. Our thanks to Jackie Frazier and Doris Duarte for their kind invite, to Arts on the Block for their lovely donation of glass tiles and grout, to the Lunch and Learn K and 1st graders who decorated bookmarks for our literacy program, and to our wonderful members Brigitte, Eric, Declan, and Carter who did an amazing job helping the students!. We hope to share more craft projects at Lunch and Learn next summer. #kindness

STM gave out school supplies and books at the Kokua Foods Summer Popup on July 14, 2019. Our thanks to Leandra Nichola/TPSS Co-op for hosting the space and for providing delicious and nutritious snacks for the kids. Thanks also to our Hawaiian Shave Ice and Lemonade Stand volunteers whose fundraising efforts allowed us to purchase school supplies for 30 students!

STM had a blast at today’s Takoma Park Independence Day Parade and Fireworks. Our thanks to the 257 children who took our Superhero pledge to be a superhero by doing something nice for someone else. Thanks also to all the great groups that marched in today’s parade! Happy 4th all! #kindness