Businesses, Community Give Back to the St. Michaels Community Center

(ST. MICHAELS, MD – August 9, 2021) St. Michaels and Bay Hundred businesses and residents are embracing the St. Michaels Community Center’s mission of serving, empowering, and connecting the community with a spike in recent support to help provide food to those in need.

SMCC’s Food Distribution Director and Youth Programs Coordinator Amy DeWitt says the Community Center recently distributed new ​backpacks filled with school supplies to 50 local children in need. Tracey and Mark Miller of Reclaimed and Iron Will & Woodworks of St. Michaels led the charge in raising the funds for the school supplies, with their efforts matched by another generous, anonymous donor​. ​

“It’s a wonderful experience to work for a nonprofit that has so much support,” says DeWitt. “This support makes our entire community stronger by helping provide lifelines like this to people in need.”

DeWitt says she was also recently surprised to learn another ​anonymous donor contributed $3,500 to the St. Michaels Community Center’s credit with Graul’s Market in St. Michaels while picking up ice for a recent fundraiser. The generous donation will be used to help provide the tens of thousands of bags of groceries and take-out meals SMCC continues to provide during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are extremely grateful for the help of this anonymous donor,” says DeWitt. “Graul’s Market is also a big supporter of our work and mission,” says DeWitt. “Graul’s supports our annual neighborhood block parties and holiday meals. This donation will really go a long way in addressing food insecurities in St. Michaels and the Bay Hundred areas.”

DeWitt says Mike Lynch of Christ Church St. Michaels and members of the Claiborne Community Group and the Rotary Club of St Michaels have been making brownies and other treats for grocery and meal recipients. Lisa Foss and Bengt Goransson of Royal Oak, Md. have provided homemade, decorated cookies since the pandemic’s beginnings. The baked goods are provided as extra treats to go with each meal and a reminder to the recipients that their lives matter.

The St. Michaels Community Center is part of a community of food support organizations operating under the Talbot County Emergency Services Task Force during the COVID-19 pandemic.
​
SMCC’s 2021 Summer Concert Series is continuing through Sept. 9 at Muskrat Park each Thursday beginning at 6:00 p.m., with treats for sale and the music line-up at bitly.com/stmichaelsconcerts. The concert series is made possible through the generous sponsor support of Ava's Pizzeria & Wine Bar, Carpenter Street Saloon, Chesapeake Trading Co., The Crab Claw Restaurant, Foxy's Harbor Grille, Graul's Market, Guilford and Company, Hammy's Hideout, Higgins and Spencer, Inc., The Lumberyard Inc., Lyon Rum, The Preppy Redneck, Shore United Bank, St Michaels Inn, and Theo's Steaks, Sides & Spirits.
​
SMCC’s Advisory Board recently announced Patrick Rofe will began as the nonprofit’s fourth Executive Director in mid-August. Rofe and his wife Simone are returning to the Eastern Shore from Olympia, Wash. SMCC’s Executive Director Emerita Trish Payne announced her retirement in late 2020, with Amy DeWitt appointed Interim Executive Director this summer.

“Rofe’s leadership comes at a critical time in the history of SMCC,” said SMCC Advisory Board President Langley Shook. “We’re planning a major renovation of our building on Railroad Avenue, with our dream to transform our old lumber warehouse into a modern, efficient facility to better serve our community and to become a landmark that better harmonizes with the neighborhood and the historic Union United Methodist Church across the street.”

The St. Michaels Community Center’s mission is to serve, empower, and connect the community, with program and building improvement plans dependent on grants and private donations. 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 residents of St. Michaels and the Bay Hundred area. More information is at stmichaelscc.org. ​