Ever the Renaissance woman, Meg Feroli has worked in various industries throughout her career. Whether it was event planning, journalism, marketing, or human resources, she truly enjoyed every job. After marrying and starting a family, Feroli began her decades-long turn as a substitute teacher in Howard County Public Schools. For more than 30 years, she has been filling in for teachers in elementary, middle and high schools.
“I think the kids get a kick out of having a substitute for a day,” says Feroli, who now mostly works in high schools. “We all get along fine; I have a good rapport with the kids because I think they can tell that I enjoy what I’m doing. And, as they get older, I think they appreciate an adult willing to come in and be there for them.”
Seeing the Need Up Close
On the front line in Howard County classrooms, Feroli frequently saw the needs of students up close.
“There were kids who regularly asked me for food,” says Feroli, who gave whatever she could. “If I was not just a substitute, if I was long-term, I would definitely keep food in my room because you can see that students weren’t functioning well because they were hungry, whether they came to school without food or couldn’t grab any and came to school late due to whatever was happening at home.”
That was before COVID-19. “I honestly couldn’t tell if anyone else was aware or maybe they refused to see what was happening in affluent Howard County, but as an educator, I knew, as did other pupil personnel workers like school social workers,” she says. “A lot of people could probably see what was happening in their neighborhood or schools, but I don’t think they realized how widespread hunger was for our young people. The pandemic really brought it to everyone’s attention.”
So did Erika Strauss Chavarria, founder and executive director of Columbia Community Care Inc. (CCC).
Jumping in to Help
“It was literally the day after they announced schools were closing, and my friend Amy Brooks, who was starting an online resource program for Oakland Mills High School, shared Erika’s Facebook request with her teacher friends, including me,” recalls Feroli of the post that asked who was going to help supply groceries to people in need. “I didn’t know Erika at all, but I responded immediately saying I’m in and filled out a form indicating that I could print flyers if she wanted help making announcements.”
Throughout her experience in education, Feroli admits there’s often a lot of waiting for someone to step up to be PTA president, take on extra tasks or do the hard jobs that take a lot of time because not a lot of people can do that or are willing to. A past PTA president of Dasher Green Nursery School, Jeffers Hill Elementary School, and Oakland Mills Middle School, Feroli explains that through no fault of their own, community dynamics have shifted over the years, with fewer people with lots of time to contribute due to increasing work demands and taking care of multigenerational families. When the empty-nester with newfound free time saw the opportunity to help Columbia families, “I thought If I’m not going to do it, who will? And this was something that had to be done, so I was happy to take it on,” she says.
Not the type of person to wait around for someone else to do something, Feroli found a kindred spirit in Strauss Chavarria who had an idea to solve a problem and was actually going to do something about it. Within a minute of submitting her form, Erika responded and the rest is history, with Feroli’s Director of Operations position informally beginning immediately.
Getting Started
Within a few days, Howard County Public Schools opened sites for students to pick up free lunches and Feroli went to each site and set up a table next to the free lunches where she handed out flyers promoting free groceries. Strauss Chavarria plotted out the schools that needed immediate attention, including Swansfield Elementary School, Oakland Mills Middle and High Schools, and Wilde Lake Middle and High Schools, and Feroli along with a fast-growing group of volunteers armed with grocery donations delivered relief to long lines of families in need. To meet the demand, Feroli established online volunteer registration for grocery shopping and on-site assistance, asked her son to build an online pantry program that organizes grocery donations for distribution, and developed site coordinators who understand the needs of those in need to oversee each location. The systems she created are still in place more than five-and-a-half years later, allowing CCC’s hunger relief program to continue even though the intensity level has decreased from seven days a week to three and the donation sites have shifted.
“In the beginning, there was a lot of anger at the situation and also fear from those in need, especially families with young children wondering whether our services would be there the next day,” remembers Feroli. Today, Feroli sees many of the same families now with older children plus new faces because they know CCC will not only do whatever it can to get them what they need, but also responds to their needs with dignity and never turns anyone away.
Committed for the Long Term
Feroli is happy to continue keeping “the ship on course” as Director of Operations of CCC’s hunger relief program while Strauss Chavarria can focus on other ways to help the community.
“Columbia Community Care has been needed for a long time as a community resource for people of all levels in Howard County, and I think it’s fantastic that Erika had this vision for a community center and has the heart, strength and fire to make it happen,” says Feroli. “The Source will be such a benefit to the entire community—not just those in need, but also those who need a place to share their gifts.”
Of her time with CCC, Feroli feels incredibly grateful she found this experience. “The people at CCC are my family, and Erika is the heart and soul,” she says. “I’m not grateful for Covid or that there’s a tremendous need in Howard County, but I’m grateful to be able to be part of a solution that I hope makes a difference in our community overall.”
