A Guide to Giving
Every day, thousands of Montgomery County residents struggle with hunger, homelessness, inadequate health insurance and lack of employment, according to The Community Foundation for Montgomery County (CFMC).
More than 1,100 people were homeless on a given day this year—not counting those who found shelter with family and friends—according to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. The Gaithersburg-based Manna Food Center alone supplies 3,300 families in the county—a 51 percent increase since 2008—with a three- to five-day supply of food each month.
“There’s no better time than now to ‘give where you live,’ ” says Sally Rudney, executive director of CFMC, a regional affiliate of The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region. “So many generous county residents don’t yet give in Montgomery County because they don’t realize how dramatically our community has changed, and how much need there is now.”
In its 15 years, CFMC has encouraged area residents and businesses to give, helping them set up and administer their own charitable funds to support local, regional, national and international causes. This fiscal year, Community Foundation donors gave $5.9 million to nonprofit organizations in Montgomery County.
The foundation encourages residents to give locally through Sharing Montgomery, a pooled fund established a decade ago that supports grassroots organizations working with low-income children, families and seniors in the county. Sharing Montgomery donor committees evaluate each applicant organization’s program, management and leadership through site visits and research by the foundation’s staff.
The Guide to Giving provides essential information about more than 50 nonprofits serving low-income children, families and seniors in Montgomery County. All are beneficiaries of the Sharing Montgomery Fund.
To learn more about the Sharing Montgomery Fund, go to www.thecommunity foundationmc.org.
