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In 2023, the St. Michaels Community Garden celebrates its 11th year of providing community members with space to grow vegetables, herbs, flowers, fruits, and more for personal consumption or for donation, as chosen by the gardeners themselves. The garden includes 40, 4-foot by 14-foot beds rented on a yearly basis. Participants are limited to reserving one bed, with 7 beds available for new gardeners in 2023. Community garden beds are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and can be reserved by emailing [email protected] or using our online reservation form here. Through regularly scheduled work parties, the garden community shares responsibility for maintaining paths, communal spaces, and equipment, while individual members are responsible for planting, harvesting and upkeep of their raised beds. Water, hoses, and some gardening tools are provided, and some funds are available to help with the purchase of seeds or garden equipment for those who need support to do so. The St. Michaels Community Garden, located between Fremont and Conner Streets, began in 2012 on land leased through the Town of St. Michaels and with support of an Eagle Scout project. The St. Michaels Community Center serves as fiscal agent for the community garden, with the $5 per year, per bed rental fee and other donations helping to maintain the property year-round. The St. Michaels Community Center promotes and provides quality activities and services contributing to the physical, emotional, and social well-being of the community. SMCC is dedicated to filling the unmet needs of the Bay Hundred and St. Michaels communities by providing supervised program opportunities for the enrichment of children and teens; activities and services for adults and senior citizens; and affordable recreational, social, and educational activities to community residents of all ages, regardless of ethnicity, gender or economic status. Donations to SMCC and proceeds from the Treasure Cove Thrift Shop in St. Michaels, Md. help the nonprofit provide year-round programs, services, and community events for people from throughout the Bay Hundred area. More information is at www.stmichaelscc.org.
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 Kerri Clear of Easton, Md. has been named Executive Chef at the St. Michaels Community Center, where she is responsible for creating healthful, nutritious menus for SMCC’s Community Café. Clear also will be working with local chefs and food distribution programs to coordinate food donations, including fresh produce and cooked dishes. The St. Michaels Community Center’s Community Café serves eat-in and take-out meals during select hours each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, provided at no cost for individuals and families in need. The Café is made possible through support from the Maryland Food Bank, St. Vincent de Paul of Easton, numerous local restaurants and businesses, and donors to SMCC. Clear grew up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland where garden and dairy coops fed her family. “I developed an appreciation for fresh ingredients and flavors,” says Clear. “While in college I found my love of hospitality and never looked back. Since then, I've worked in all aspects of the business and have taken every opportunity to build a career doing what I love.” Clear’s culinary experience spans more than 20 years of working in the hospitality industry, including most recently serving as chef at Latitude 38 in Oxford, Md. “Being around food and people talking about food has always been and remains my happy place,” says Clear. “I believe food brings people together, and I love being part of it.” The St. Michaels Community Center’s Community Café serves eat-in and take-out meals during select hours each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, provided at no cost for individuals and families in need. The Café is made possible through support from the Maryland Food Bank, St. Vincent de Paul of Easton, and donors to SMCC. SMCC’s programs are expanding into culinary and hospitality workforce training with the adaptive redesign of the nonprofit’s Railroad Ave. building currently underway. Clear will serve an important role in planning and executing the new program, with guidance from regional chefs and hospitality professionals serving on SMCC’s Culinary & Hospitality Advisory Team. The renovated Community Center will include a modern, well-equipped commercial kitchen, where SMCC will train people for jobs in restaurants and hotels, and from which the Center can continue to serve and deliver prepared meals and tens of thousands of bags of groceries to those in need. “Kerri joins our team at a critical juncture in the 30+-year history of the St. Michaels Community Center,” said SMCC Executive Director Patrick Rofe. “Her knowledge, relationships, and talents will help plan and lead our future culinary programming while bringing more fresh, nutritious meals to the people we serve.” Donations to the St. Michaels Community Center’s annual fund and proceeds from its Treasure Cove Thrift Shop, located on Railroad Ave. in St. Michaels, help provide essential human services, programs, and community events for people in St. Michaels and from throughout Maryland’s Bay Hundred area, with more at www.stmichaelscc.org. More about SMCC's building renovations and new programming is at www.stmichaelscc.org/future.
The St. Michaels Community Center in partnership with the Talbot County Health Department is offering two classes promoting healthier living that are free and open to the public, with limited participation and preregistration needed. Both six-week classes take place in small group settings at the St. Michaels Community Center at 207 N. Talbot St. and include a cooking demonstration that will show how to prepare healthy meals utilizing ingredients available from the pantry. Dinner will be provided to all participants. The first class focuses on chronic disease self-management and takes place on Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. beginning March 2 and continuing through April 6. The workshop will provide tips and techniques for pain and fatigue management, dealing with depression, healthy eating and exercise, medication management, working with healthcare providers, goal setting, problem solving, and more. Diabetes self-management is the focus of the second class and takes place on Wednesdays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. beginning March 22 and continuing through April 26. This workshop will help adults with Type 2 diabetes or who are pre diabetic with management tips including defining diabetes, dealing with stress, appropriate exercise, carb-counting, addressing high and low blood sugar, healthy eating, menu planning, and more. Registration for the workshops can be made here, or by calling SMCC at 410-745-6073 or emailing [email protected]. The Maryland Living Well Center of Excellence serves residents throughout the state of Maryland with a variety of evidence-based programs to improve self-management of chronic conditions along with wellness programs promoting health and preventing disease. Donations to the St. Michaels Community Center’s annual fund and proceeds from its Treasure Cove Thrift Shop, located on Railroad Ave. in St. Michaels, help provide essential human services, programs, and community events for people in St. Michaels and from throughout Maryland’s Bay Hundred area. The nonprofit is currently undergoing an adaptive redesign of its building, with architectural renderings, new programming information, and more at www.stmichaelscc.org/future.
 2/17/23 Update: This program is now starting on March 7, and not February 28. The St. Michaels Community Center is helping dads and men learn or brush up on their fathering skills with a program beginning on Tuesday, March 7 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The course consists of 12 weekly sessions ending on May 23 and taking place at SMCC’s location during renovations at 207 N. Talbot Street in St. Michaels, Md. The free program includes dinner for participants, with limited participation and pre-registration recommended. The program is facilitated by the Responsible Fathers Initiative and follows the National Fatherhood Initiative’s evidence-based 24/7 Dad® curriculum to help build stronger family connections for dads. “We’re grateful to be able to provide meaningful programs like this to help strengthen local families while empowering dads to be the best fathers they can be,” said St. Michaels Community Center Executive Director Patrick Rofe. “The program will help dads with the parenting, relationship, and communication skills needed to be more involved, responsible, and committed fathers.” Developed by fathering and parenting experts, the community-based program helps men develop the attitudes, knowledge, and skills they need to get—and stay—involved with their children. The program focuses on key fathering characteristics—like fathering styles, discipline, and work/family balance—and helps men evaluate their own parenting skills, as well as their fathering role models. “The commitments of a nurturing and responsible father strengthen the entire family,” said Responsible Fathers Initiative Lead Facilitator Corey W. Pack. “I am excited to work with the St. Michaels Community Center to reach fathers in St. Michaels and throughout the Bay Hundred area.”  From left: SMCC Executive Director with Responsible Father Initiative Founder & Facilitator Corey Pack Pack founded the Responsible Fathers Initiative in 2021 after a career working with the State of Maryland and while serving as Talbot County Councilman. The Initiative provides communication and engagement skills and provides fathers with an understanding of the importance of their roles in the family while providing the skills and tools needed to empower fathers to be the best they can be. More is at www.responsiblefathersintiative.org. For more information or to enroll in the program, contact SMCC Executive Director Patrick Rofe at 410-745-6073 or at [email protected]. Donations to the St. Michaels Community Center’s annual fund and proceeds from its Treasure Cove Thrift Shop, located on Railroad Ave. in St. Michaels, help provide essential human services, programs, and community events for people in St. Michaels and from throughout Maryland’s Bay Hundred area. The nonprofit is currently undergoing an adaptive redesign of its building, with architectural renderings, new programming information, and more at www.stmichaelscc.org/future. The St. Michaels Community Center's current renovations are about more than just a building because the new Community Center will be home to new programs, including culinary arts and hospitality workforce training. A new Culinary Arts & Hospitality Advisory Team is helping the St. Michaels Community Center plan and execute these new workforce training programs, with advisory members including Chesapeake College Workforce Programs Dean Jason Mullen, Maryland 2022 Chef of the Year and The Inn at Perry Cabin Executive Chef Gregory James, Ava's Pizzeria & Theo's Steakhouse Executive Chef Derek Dilley, Gina's Café Owner and Executive Chef Gina Werner, Perdue Farms Culinary Team Corporate Executive Chef Chris Moyer, CEC, CRC, and Hambleton House Events & Catering Owners Executive Chef Jordan Lloyd and Alice Lloyd.  From left: The Inn at Perry Cabin Chef Skylar Pasaante, Executive Chef Gregory James, and Food and Beverage Director Katt Bradley bring and serve salad for a recent holiday meal at the St. Michaels Community Center, serving more than 150 people. James is a member of SMCC’s Culinary Arts Advisory Team and is helping the St. Michaels Community Center plan and execute new culinary and hospitality workforce training programs “The St. Michaels Community Center has a three-point mission that includes connecting people to resources,” says SMCC Executive Director Patrick Rofe. “And now we have connected an incredibly talented group of culinary professionals to help build our future programs. We are extremely grateful for the insights and guidance from these advisory team members."  SMCC Culinary & Hospitality Advisory Team Member Chef Jordan Lloyd of Hambleton House Events & Catering, left, with SMCC Executive Director Patrick Rofe, right, in SMCC's temporary kitchen space during renovations. The Community Center’s renovated building will be an adaptive redesign of its current structure, meaning some parts of the World War II-era building will remain. The project team includes general contractor Harper & Sons, Inc. and engineering by Lane Engineers, both of Easton, Md. The project’s architect is McInturff Architects of Bethesda and Neavitt, Md.
The new building will include a modern, well-equipped commercial kitchen, where SMCC will train people for jobs in restaurants and hotels, and from which the Center can continue to serve and deliver prepared meals and tens of thousands of bags of groceries to those in need. The new Community Center also will include a Technology Center where students can do their homework and space for after-school programs and community gatherings. SMCC is working with Chesapeake College and other partners to provide high-level instruction right in the middle of town. Architectural renderings of the new building and more about SMCC’s planned capital improvements, including updates and information about how to support the campaign are at www.stmichaelscc.org/future. The St. Michaels Community Center’s mission is to serve, empower, and connect the community, with year-round essential human services programs and activities for children, families, and adults. Tax-deductible donations to SMCC and proceeds from its Treasure Cove Thrift Shop on Railroad Ave. in St. Michaels help the nonprofit provide year-round programs, services, and community events for people in St. Michaels and the Bay Hundred’s communities, with more at www.stmichaelscc.org. |
