VOLUME 1 / ISSUE 1 WINTER 2024
COMMUNITY
7 LOCAL NONPROFITS MAKING A DIFFERENCE
BY LYNNE STREETER CHILDRESS
So many Annapolitans make an effort to serve and volunteer for charitable causes. At Annapolis Moms, we want to make sure to lift up these groups and individuals who work so hard year-round.
1. Helping Hands Pantry Helping Hands Pantry is a mobile pantry, started by Kim Donadio, that helps families in Anne Arundel County with baby necessities like diapers, wipes, and formula. They depend on volunteer helpers to fill needs of people who might fall through the cracks of the system. To learn how to volunteer, donate, or how to access resources, check out the Helping Hands Facebook page or find further contact information on their website. 2. Life of Joy Founded by Joy Cortina after her own mental health struggles, Life of Joy offers a holistic mind, body, and spirit approach to mental health and suicide prevention. Their initiatives include teen support groups, family trainings, and community outreach. Visit their website to find out how to support or volunteer. 3. Seeds4Success Seeds4Success is an award-winning program that seeks to enrich the lives of children growing up in low-income communities. This includes both Girls and Boys Clubs that offer afterschool mentoring and homework help, programs to help guide older kids in their post high school plans, and programs that seek to encourage parental involvement. You can learn how to volunteer, donate, or support the program on their website. 4. Stitches of Kindness Through Stitches of Kindness, Wendy Preslan and her kid helpers support 8 local charities with sewn items like mastectomy pillowcases for breast cancer patients, and feminine hygiene bags and backpacks for the unhoused. Follow their Facebook page to see cool updates on their work and find out how you can help. 5. Boundless Edventures Pediatric Occupational Therapist Holly Baca started Boundless Edventures after seeing a need for teenagers with social/emotional, physical, and intellectual challenges to have more physical activity and social interactions. Since May 2022, they have organized outdoor adventures like kayaking and paddleboarding expeditions. To volunteer, donate, or to apply to have your teen take part, visit their website. 6. The Blue Ribbon Project The Blue Ribbon Project supports victims of child abuse and children in foster care. Their programs include life skills training for those who have aged out of the foster care system, and Backpacks of Love, which provides items for kids entering the foster care system that serve both their physical and emotional needs. 7. Whole Lotta Love Whole Lotta Love is an Annapolis-based organization founded by Gemma Love, a student at Annapolis High School. Projects have included collections of coats, pajamas, underwear and socks, period products, diapers, and food drives, as well as the Annapolis Angel Tree, a holiday sponsorship program for 500+ local children in extreme need. Whole Lotta Love accepts donations via check or PayPal through Annapolis Community Foundation.
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