Who we are &  How to Contact

How we got Started

The 1st PostMarch 11, 2020

Three days later Columbia Community Care Facebook Group was created.

 

A group that started with about 40 members now has nearly 10,000 members. With an abundance of volunteers, donors, and community partners, Columbia Community Care (CCC) has been providing food and services to tens of thousands of Howard County residents since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The overwhelming growth of our CCC food distribution centers (Wilde Lake Interfaith Center, Long Reach Village Center, and The Barn in Oakland Mills Village Center) has been a reflection of the demand and need for supplemental support for Howard County.

From CCC’s inception, we have fundraised well over $1 million in donations and grants and received hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of product donations. Columbia Community Care has shown the true heart of Columbia and Howard County.

Our Values

Restorative Justice

Freedom & Liberation

Peace & Healing

Joy

Community Care & Mutual Aid

Human Dignity

Collective Power

Land Acknowledgement

 Every community from around the world owes its existence to the generations who came before them. It is in honor of them and for our future generations that we have the responsibility of fighting for true justice and liberation. Some were stolen from their homelands and brought here against their will, some were forced to leave their distant homes in hopes of a better life, and some have been stewards of this land for more generations than can be counted. Please take a moment to consider the many struggles, past and present, through violence, genocide, displacement, and forced migration that have brought us together here today.  We must acknowledge that the immediate land on which we reside is the seized and stolen ancestral territory of The Susquehanna Confederation who lived, governed, farmed, and hunted on the land now called Howard County. Their nations conceded into land treaties in 1652 and 1661 after English colonizers ended the Susquehanna’s governance of the land our county was built upon.  When Europeans invaded Maryland in the 1600’s, most of the land, particularly along the Eastern Shore was inhabited by Algonquin tribes including Assateague, Choptank, Delaware, Matapeake, Patuxent, Pocomoke, Piscataway, and Shawnee. In addition to the Algonquin tribes of Maryland, we reside on the stolen land of the following Indigenous tribes, including but not limited to the Lenape, Nanticoke, Conoy, Accohannock, Susquehannock, Lumbee, Tutelo and Sapoli People. It is essential to recognize the indigenous stewards of this land throughout the generations and their reciprocal relationship with the earth. This acknowledgement is particularly important as we continue our fight against the effects of environmental racism on Indigenous, black, and brown communities, and the intentional destruction of this sacred ancestral land by the forces of greed. To pay respect to the elders both past and present, we are committed to continuing the fight against modern day colonization. In the honor of the elders and ancestors, we will not be silenced and we will not surrender to the evils of white supremacy, Imperialism, nor any form of oppression. Truth and acknowledgment are critical to building mutual respect and connections across all barriers of heritage. We begin this effort to acknowledge what has been buried, by honoring the truth and committing ourselves to it.

Our Mission

The Mission of Columbia Community Care is to provide resources, services, and programs to students and families in Howard County, under 4 Pillars: Liberation Education, Health & Healing, Purpose Pathways, and Essential Resources. Our intention is to build relationships, cultivate & develop social and collective power, promote knowledge of self & history, and build economic independence & generational wealth.

In the News

Columbia Community Care to transition nonprofit into community center

Teacher Helps Feed Howard County Families During Pandemic

Our Better Angels: What We Lose When We Assume People Are Bad

Howard Co. teens run 24 miles in 24 hours to raise money to help families in need

The Baltimore Sun’s 25 Women to Watch 2020: Best in advocacy, business and health

Our Team

Erika Strauss Chavarria

Erika Strauss Chavarria

Executive Director

Meg Feroli

Meg Feroli

Director of Operations

Claude Moutome

Claude Moutome

General Site Coordinator

Jason Park

Jason Park

Delivery Pantry Manager

Oakland Mills Site Coordinator

JPark@columbiacommunitycare.org

April Lee

April Lee

Delivery Pantry Manager

James Cecil

James Cecil

General Site Coordinator

Gabriel Zaldivar

Gabriel Zaldivar

Oakland Mills Site Coordinator

Meg Davis

Meg Davis

Long Reach Site Coordinator

Katie Kirk

Katie Kirk

Wilde Lake Site Coordinator

Andy Levine

Andy Levine

Wilde Lake Site Coordinator

Board of Directors

Jessica Nichols

Jessica Nichols

Board Chairperson

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Matthew Vaughn-Smith

Matthew Vaughn-Smith

Secretary Treasurer

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Janssen E. Evelyn

Janssen E. Evelyn

Board of Directors Member

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Dave Simmons

Dave Simmons

Board of Directors Member

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Stephanie Lightfoot

Stephanie Lightfoot

Board of Directors Member

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Robert Ratcliffe

Robert Ratcliffe

Board of Directors Member

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Valerie McNeal

Valerie McNeal

Board of Directors Member

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Bryan W. Ringgold

Bryan W. Ringgold

Board of Directors Member

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Cris Oviedo

Cris Oviedo

Board of Directors Member

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Shelly Brown

Shelly Brown

Board of Directors Member

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