Katie

As Federal Shutdown Threatens SNAP Benefits, Hunger Crisis Looms for Maryland Families

“My mom did everything she was supposed to do, and we still struggled,” said Jessica Nichols, a Maryland educator and chairperson of the Board of Directors for Columbia Community Care, and hunger relief nonprofit in Howard County, Maryland. “Paydays were great because we had food, but somewhere around five or six days before the next […]

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The Holiday BonBon Bash is Back!

General / By Katie

Kick off the holidays, feed local families, and party with Grammy-winning hip hop icons Pete Rock and Treach of Naughty By Nature! Sponsored by the Jonathan Johnson Community Coalition, benefitting Columbia Community Care The BonBon Holiday Bash is Columbia’s biggest holiday party and one of Columbia Community Care’s most important fundraisers of the year. All

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Meet Erika Strauss Chavarria, Columbia’s Community Organizer

General / By Katie

For more than five years now, thousands of Howard County residents have been able to access healthy, fresh, and delicious culturally-diverse cuisine for free thanks to Columbia Community Care Inc. (CCC), a nonprofit organization founded by Erika Strauss Chavarria during the Covid-19 pandemic. At the time, Strauss Chavarria was a high school Spanish teacher at

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Why We Need the Food Insecurity Report Now More Than Ever

Community, Hunger Relief / By Katie

As someone who works on the front lines of hunger relief every day, I was deeply troubled by Saturday’s announcement that the USDA would cancel the decades-long Household Food Security Report. This critical annual survey tracks how many Americans struggle to put food on their tables, providing essential data that shapes our understanding of food insecurity nationwide.

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Volunteer Spotlight: Meg Feroli, Director of Operations

Hunger Relief, Volunteer / By Katie

As an educator, Meg Feroli often found hungry students in her classroom. That is why she was quick to volunteer with CCC when the pandemic hit. Now, she is CCC’s director of operations and grateful for the opportunity to make a difference for local families.

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The Daily Record Announces 2025 Most Admired CEOs

CCC in the News / By Katie

The Daily Record has named Erika Chavarria, executive director of Columbia Community Care one of Maryland’s 2025 Most Admired CEOs. Most Admired CEOs honors talented business CEOs, higher education leaders and nonprofit executive directors throughout Maryland whose leadership and vision are admired by those around them. A panel of judges selects these honorees based on

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Summer Youth Program Prevents Crime and Strengthens Self-Worth

General / By Katie

While many Howard County families have a local community association membership or they can afford to send their young people to camps, the county’s working-class families—some of whom are working multiple jobs and still struggling—continue to face financial barriers that make it more challenging for their children to have a place to go in the

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photo of Jessica Nicols, Matthew Vaughn Smith and Erika Chavarria

Meet Board Member Matthew Vaughn-Smith

General / By Katie

Meeting the basic needs of Howard County residents is one of the tenets that drew Vaughn-Smith to supporting CCC, which provides hunger relief through food pantries and grocery delivery; mentorship and youth engagement through its STAND, PUSH and volleyball programs, and community connections to improve the well-being of everyone. Read more about his involvement.

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“We Can’t Afford to Stop”

General / By Katie

Rising Food Costs and Soaring Demand Are Straining CCC’s Hunger Relief Efforts When April Lee first started volunteering at Columbia Community Care (CCC) during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, she thought she was signing up for a few months of purchasing food and supplies to donate while recovering from double knee replacement surgery.

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Jocelyn and Sophia restock the shelved at the CCC food pantry

Service Year Spotlight: How Jocelyn and Sophia Found Purpose at Columbia Community Care

General / By Katie

In the quiet moments before Columbia Community Care’s food pantry opens each morning, Jocelyn Ball and Sophia Smith are already hard at work. They might be arranging fresh produce deliveries, picking up items from Costco or Trader Joe’s, stocking and sorting items onto the shelves, or assisting volunteers who shop and deliver groceries to local

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