WESTMINSTER, Md. — Love. Joy. Never give up.
They are the words that have guided the Shepherd’s Staff through a tornado, the pandemic and even the demolition of the nonprofit’s site on Carroll Street in Westminster as need for its services continues to grow.
“The last two years we’ve increased… new families have increased over 500 new families each year for the past two years,” said Executive Director Brenda Meadows, “Our numbers of individuals we’re serving will top seven thousand this year.”
To meet that need, the nondenominational Christian organization will soon break ground on a new center, which will allow it to expand its services well beyond providing food, clothing and financial assistance to those it serves.
WATCH: The house that love built
“We’ll have a full-service laundry mat so folks can come in and do their laundry on site. If you’ve checked in to how expensive it is to do your clothes at laundry mat recently, it’s ridiculous,” said Meadows, “We’ll have to full bathrooms with shower facilities where folks can come in (and) utilize that.”
The estimated cost of the project is three million dollars, and thus far, the Shepherd’s Staff has already raised of that goal.
Help has come from throughout the county, including businesses, religious institutions and individual donors, and in its latest campaign, it’s trying to capitalize on the power of one.
“One person can make a difference. Whether it’s a five-dollar donation. Whether it’s a five hundred-thousand-dollar donation. Whether it’s volunteering, whether it’s telling other people about what our needs are, it all comes together and each person has that opportunity to make a difference.”
If you would like to help, click here.
