11 Sep A Story of Community

Two weeks ago, 3,000 door hangers and blue grocery bags were distributed all over Owings Mills, inviting the entire community to be part of launching a brand new food pantry at Owings Mills High School.

Our team went out to collect these blue bags a few days later, and we were overwhelmed by the amount of food waiting for us in every neighborhood.

The generosity of this community is truly remarkable. The food filled an entire trailer, top to bottom.

When we went to unload the food, a few students were at the high school helping with freshmen orientation. Quickly realizing the number of bags, and how long they would take to sort, these students decided to stay and spend their last few hours of summer unloading, organizing, and stocking their school’s new food pantry.

Champions, for sure.

The Coolest Part

One of the reasons we are so excited to meet in and partner with OMHS is that over 50 languages are represented as the first language at the school. This is awesome–it creates an incredible opportunity for students and families to interact with, learn from, and build friendships from people of all different backgrounds.

Now, it also means that there is an incredible need for resources like tutoring, English lessons, and food, as families moving to this area search for jobs and get plugged into the community.

What I love about the story of the food drive is that the people of Owings Mills showed up and did something about this.

They rallied together and gave enough food to start the pantry off strong. The high school students jumped in and helped organize the pantry. The ESOL (English as a Second Language) program at the school is working hard to distribute this food regularly to families in need, and provide other services like tutoring and English lessons to families.

In launching this new initiative, the community showed the students and families of Owings Mills High that they are for them. That is a win for the school, and a win for this community!

I can’t wait for United to begin meeting at the high school, to continue our partnership with them, and to see what awesome things God is going to do through the new pantry, through the students, and through the community.