Ribbon cutting ceremony for The Light House’s new Client Choice Pantry: (L-R) Light House Culinary Assistant/ Pantry Coordinator, Liz Fleury, Light House Director of Culinary Services, Linda Vogler, Delegate Shaneka Henson, Alderwoman Rhonda Pindell Charles, Light House Supporter, Phil Gibbs, Light House Executive Director, Jo Ann Mattson

On Monday, November 25th, the Annapolis community came together at The Light House to ring in the season of giving with a special Day of Thanks event. We began the event with a ribbon cutting ceremony for the recent opening of our new Client Choice Pantry, followed by hot meals for community members in need and Thanksgiving baskets for those struggling with food insecurity. Local elected officials and other volunteer supporters came out to help prepare and serve meals and pass out Thanksgiving baskets to over 250 individuals and families. Special guests included Delegate Shaneka Henson, Alderwoman Rhonda Pindell Charles, Councilwoman Amanda Fiedler, Councilwoman Jessica Haire, and Legislative Assistant to Councilwoman Lisa Rodiven, Yanick Parker.

Recent Anne Arundel County data reports that one-third of our neighbors can’t afford adequate food, rent, or healthcare, and that over 75,000 of our county residents struggle to access fresh, healthy, and affordable food. Through hot meals, bagged lunches, and our newly revitalized Client Choice Pantry, we provide healthy food to individuals and families struggling with food insecurity. Since opening our new Client Choice Pantry system, we have been reaching a record number of food insecure neighbors. We are now distributing an average of 3,000 pounds of food each week and are on track to provide two and a half times more food than we have distributed annually in past years!

The newly renovated Light House Client Choice Pantry, which distributed an average of 3,000 pounds of food each week to food insecure community members

Our Board Member, Sam Davies, has been volunteering his time with The Light House for decades. Davies, who has been volunteering in the pantry every Tuesday since the new building at 10 Hudson Street opened in 2010, states that he has “always told community members he meets that The Light House is the best deal in town for food assistance. With Client Choice, what The Light House offers is even better. We now have a pantry volunteer greet each client, introduce themselves to the client and lead them through the pantry. It is really gratifying to see each client look over what is available in each aisle and make their selection. It adds the dignity of choice, which people struggling with food insecurity rarely get to experience. The new system has also made pantry volunteering an even more satisfying process for all who volunteer. It’s definitely a win – win solution!”

Councilwoman Jessica Haire and Councilwoman Amanda Fiedler help prepare and serve hot lunches to the community during The Light House Day of Thanks Event

During the Thanksgiving season, we also hold a basket donation drive and provide over 250 individuals and families with baskets filled with everything needed for a full Thanksgiving meal. These Thanksgiving baskets are provided to us with the help of Anne Arundel Medical Center and other local community supporters.

Interested in celebrating the season of giving by being a light for the homeless right here in our community? Visit our Holiday Needs page to learn more about the different ways you can get involved!

(L-R) Jo Ann Mattson, Light House Executive Director, Jennifer Good, Vice President, Phillips Charitable Foundation, Inc., Nicole Thompson, Light House Job Placement and Retention Specialist, Eileen Gross, President, Phillips Charitable Foundation, Inc., Jenny Crawford, Light House Director of Development

The Light House Workforce Development Programs have been awarded a $75,000 grant from Phillips Charitable Foundation, Inc. This much needed support will provide job training and opportunities for individuals struggling with employment barriers, empowering them with the skills they need to support themselves and their families. Grant funds will help pay for the expansion of the Building Employment Success Training (B.E.S.T.) Building Trades program, the Light House Bistro social enterprise training program, and the Career Start soft-skills employment program for Light House residents.

To celebrate this grant award, representatives from Phillips Charitable Foundation visited The Light House to present Light House Executive Director, Jo Ann Mattson, with the grant check. “Employment is a critical link to stable housing, self-sufficiency, and to ending the cycle of homelessness,” stated Mattson. “Our workforce development programs promote self-sufficiency and independence for those struggling with barriers to employment. These programs rely on the generosity of our community, and we are very grateful to have this support from Phillips Charitable Foundation.”

The Light House offers a continuum of employment programs for both residents and community members. Their B.E.S.T. program provides hands-on job skills training in either Culinary Arts or Building Trades and has gradated over 350 students since it began in 2012. Career Start, which is a soft-skills program that utilizes the national, evidence based Worknet Solutions curriculum, is a key component of the B.E.S.T. program, and is also offered as an independent program for Light House residents who are unable to participate in the B.E.S.T. program. The Light House also offers real work experience for graduates of their programs through training and job opportunities at their Light House Bistro social enterprise restaurant.

About Phillips Charitable Foundation
The Phillips Charitable Foundation’s mission is to support charitable organizations that provide a genuine impact in the lives of others by solving problems, removing obstacles, and leading to lasting solutions. The organization targets problems where government interventions are not sufficient and economic and educational markets have failed to bring solutions. Through their grant giving they aim to bring measurable improvements in the prosperity, health, and vitality of people and communities. More information about Phillips Charitable Foundation can be found at https://phillipsgrants.org/.

(L-R) Vice Chair of The Chaney Foundation, Rebekah “R.G.” Lare, Light House Director of Development, Jenny Crawford, and Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County Manager, Grants & Scholarships, Kristen Krall

The Light House is excited to announce that it has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the Chaney Impact Fund a Donor Advised Fund at the Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County (CFAAC). This grant will support the cost of an on-site clinical staff member who will manage behavioral health and substance abuse diagnosis, treatment, and referral for Light House clients. This new clinical staff position will enable Light House programs to reduce the harms associated with substance abuse and mental health issues for people impacted by homelessness or poverty.

To celebrate this grant award, representatives from the Chaney Impact Fund and CFAAC visited The Light House to take a tour of the facility and present Light House Director of Development, Jenny Crawford, with the grant check. “The need for this clinical staff position is great,” stated Crawford. “Approximately 60% of our Light House clients have a diagnosed substance use disorder and an estimated 80% have an undiagnosed mental health disorder. CFAAC’s most recent community needs assessment Poverty Amidst Plenty VI: On the Road to Progress For All, recently documented a 70% rise in behavioral health issues in our county since 2012. In-house clinical support will help our clients tackle the mental health and substance abuse issues that prevent them from moving out of crisis to stabilization and eventually to self-sufficiency. We are truly grateful to the Chaney Impact Fund for enabling us to meet this growing need.”

About Chaney Impact Fund grants: Chaney Impact Fund grants support the work of nonprofit organizations serving Anne Arundel and Calvert counties in Maryland whose focus is on cancer services, or behavioral health and substance abuse treatment. The vision for the Chaney Impact Fund is to “make the greatest sustainable impact we can in the communities in which we raise our families.” The mission of the Fund is to “nourish our community by supporting our youth as the foundation for building healthier neighborhoods, today and in the future.”

Thank you to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Services for inviting our Light House Executive Director, Jo Ann Mattson to speak at their 50th Anniversary Celebration! Watch Jo Ann’s speech to learn about the important work we are accomplishing together!