United Way of Central Maryland Holds First “Stone Soup” Event in Harford County

From the United Way of Central Maryland:

Fifty-one United Way of Central Maryland volunteers gathered the morning of January 17 at Bel Air United Methodist Church to make casseroles and sandwiches as part of the Families Living United Stone Soup volunteer event, the first held in Harford County by United Way.

Inspired by the children’s story, “Stone Soup,” where individuals combine resources to benefit the greater good, each volunteer or group brought ingredients to prepare meals. In addition, Jones Junction and its employees contributed more than $900 toward the cost of ingredients.

Collectively, volunteers made more than 150 casseroles and 200 sandwiches for the Saturday Food Ministry at Bel Air United Methodist Church. The casseroles, sandwiches and any leftover food items were provided that afternoon to Harford County families in need.

The event came about as a result of the generosity of Jones Junction and its employees, when, during a “jeans day” in December, Jones Junction employees paid a fee to wear jeans to work. More than $900 was collected, and Jones Junction decided to partner with United Way to help the Saturday Food Ministry at Bel Air United Methodist Church.

“United Way’s Families Living United Stone Soup events are a terrific way to build awareness of the day-to-day challenge families in our community may face when it comes to providing nutritious meals,” said Joe Desmond, the Harford Community Partnership Board’s chair. “Jones Junction has been an amazing United Way of Central Maryland partner in addressing this need as well as other community activities to support the stability of families in Harford County.”

The volunteer event was part of United Way’s Families Living United volunteer program and its Access to Healthy Food initiative. The Access to Healthy Food initiative is a multi-year program that aims to increase access to healthy food by at least 1.5 million pounds each year. Since inception, 7.6 million pounds (equivalent to 6.3 million nutritious meals) have been distributed to low-income families across central Maryland. Families Living United is a program that brings together parents, children and other family members to participate in hands-on volunteer projects.

United Way of Central Maryland, the region’s human service leader for 90 years, works to change the odds for families and communities through programs focused on education, financial stability and health. For more information about the work or how to get involved in Harford County, call Cecilia Helmstetter at 410-879-6453 or visit www.uwcm.org.