STM’s annual backpack drive kicks off on August 1-28. Middle School and High School students can earn 2SSL hours for each backpack filled with supplies. Details on the supplies and instructions are here: https://montgomerycountymd.galaxydigital.com/need/detail/…

Filled backpacks will be collected at our office at 14516 Bauer Drive, Rockville, MD 20853, TPSS Co-op, Tabletop DC, Main Street Pearl, Old Takoma Ace Hardwards, and Silver Spring Cares. Our thanks to them and our other partners Metropolitan Community Club (MCC), a chapter of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs and Sts Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church of Washington DC. Backpacks filled with school supplies are one of the items most needed and appreciated by our families so please help if you can!

Our thanks to CE Marc Elrich and the Food Security Task Force team for continuing their support of food insecure families in Montgomery County. For the FY22-23 they are partnering with Manna and Capital Area Food bank so that food providers such as Small Things Matter and the county hubs can continue our work. We are grateful for their support and for all the many wonderful groups that we met through this amazing community effort!

Summer 2022 Virtual/Remote MCPS Approved SSL Opportunities
Note: Please check our updated opportunities and drop off locations from June – August on the Montgomery County Volunteer Center website. 

• Donate grocery store gift cards for food insecure families
• Write notes of encouragement to package with purchased milk and frozen foods to help families in need during COVID-19
• Assembling Cleaning Care Kits to Help Families in Need
• Assembling Personal Hygiene Kits for those in need
• Bagging rice or beans to feed families in need during COVID-19
• Make baked goods for families in need

Summer 2022 In Person SSL Opportunities
Come out and help pack produce at our food distributions on Friday mornings from 7:30am-9:30am at the TPSS Coop (201 Ethan Allen Ave, Takoma Park, MD 20912). Or join us on the 1st and 3rd Fridays from 9am to 11:30am at the TP Seventh Day Adventist Church (6810 Eastern Ave NW, Washington, DC 20012).  We will post additional in person opportunities through the Montgomery County Volunteer Center site  as well as on our website (under Current Events). 

Congratulations to our Class of 2022 Seniors: Lana Anderson, Ethan Shoham, Jacob Hutter, Sam Chen, Sam Bush, and many others who served with us virtually this year making food and donating gift cards, holiday toys, and more. Our deepest thanks for your hard work and service to those in need!

We wish you continued success and happiness!

This week we welcomed Seth Baker from St. Andrew’s Episcopal School to our team. He will be interning with STM for his Senior Service Project for the next 2 weeks! Seth is busy creating a database of our partner contacts and is helping distribute food to those in need.

Wonderful celebration of #GlobalYouthServiceDay #GYSD2022 with Youth Service America projects on 1) hunger awareness (fundraising-surpassing our goal with $417 in bake sales with a match from YSA and packing nonperishable foods for Hampshire Tower Apts sponsored by the Sodexo Foundation, Amerigroup, Bella Ballet Kentlands, Saydam Properties Group at Keller Williams Capital Properties, 2) pronoun usage (buttons and coloring pride flags sponsored by Hillshire Farm #AllowanceGrant and Girl Scout Troop 34039) and 3) spreading kindness (friendship bracelets sponsored by Hershey Foods, Hershey Foundation #HeartwarmingProject)! Our thanks to all the AMAZING youth volunteers, youth leaders Ocean, Sahana, Marion, Shreya, and Lana, elected officials Mayor Kate Stewart, Delegate Lorig Charkoudian, and Delegate David Moon, and our community for coming out to support us!

Our thanks to the many teens and their families who came out to serve at our teen distribution (pantry foods/bras/clothing/meat) on Tuesday and our community distribution (fresh produce, cleaning/hygiene supplies/cereal/milk) on Friday during Spring Break. The teens packed both pantry foods and fresh produce and gave them away . We greatly enjoyed the energy that the teens brought with them and look forward to having them join us regularly at our community distributions during the summer.

Small Things Matter empowers youth to giving back to their community. Here are a few ways that your elementary school child(ren) can volunteer with STM to support our neighbors in need!

Virtual opportunities:
You can make these at home and then drop off anytime from 8am-10pm at the service desk at the TPSS Coop (201 Ethan Allen Ave, Takoma Park 20912)
–Handmade bookmarks: We give out handmade bookmarks at our book distributions and the children love receiving a bookmark that another child has made
–Diapers (yes even opened packs): Diapers are expensive and many of the families we serve have young children; sizes 5 and 6 are especially appreciated

–Baked goods: Cookies, brownies, banana breads- We love distributing these at our Teen pantry at the TPSS Coop. The next dates are Tuesday March 8 and 22. Please drop off by 4:30pm or drop off the day before.
–Brand new books: We love receiving books for our literacy program. Please consider using your birthday to collect books for us. We serve children from prek to 5th grades/ages 2-11.

In person opportunities:
–Packing produce for TPES/PBES monthly distribution at the TPSS Coop from 7:30am-10:30am. We are packing 200 bags of produce for each school so a few helping hands are welcome. Come out and pack for an hour before school! Friday March 25, April 22, and May 27
–Packing produce for the TP/SS Community at the TPSS Coop from 7:30am-9:30am. This opportunity is good for little ones (K-3rd graders) Friday April 15 (MCPS Spring Break)
–Packing produce and distribution for the TP/SS Community at the TP SDA Church from 9am-11am. This opportunity is good for older kids (4th grade+) Friday April 15 (MCPS Spring Break)
–Packing nonperishables at the Charity Corner at the TP Farmers Market from 10am-12noon. Bring a few nonperishable food items if you can or host a canned food drive in your neighborhood. Bags will be packed and then delivered to a low-income housing apartment in Takoma Park. Sunday May 1

Please note: For our in person events everyone must be vaxxed and boosted if 5 years old or older; please bring your vaccination card and wear a mask

Learn how our new van got his name plus more exciting happenings in our March Newsletter!

STM donates rescued produce to three Takoma Park Community Pantries.  Recently one of them was cited for a health code violation. MoCo County Executive Marc Elrich stepped in so that this valuable resource for those in need could continue. These type of pantries not only provide people with access to free food, but also protects their dignity by allowing them their anonymity. Read about it here!
Big shout out to our Trader Joe’s food rescue team (Matt, Thomas; Darren; Diane-Marie, Ian, Ian Arthur, Karen, Cammie, Christie, Em) who brings food to these community pantries on a regular basis.  Food from Imperfect Foods and Wegmans are also shared there on occassion.