It has been a whirlwind few weeks at The Open Link!
First, I want to thank each of you for your incredible generosity this year. We served more than 478 children during Operation Holiday Cheer, brightening their Christmas mornings. We hosted hundreds of households with Thanksgiving feasts and Christmas meals and provided our seniors with some bright spots including Cookies with the Choir and Poinsettias delivered to the Meals on Wheels customers, thanks to Tri-County Federal Credit Union. As we move into 2025, I wanted to share a bit of what’s been happening and what’s ahead.
1) The Code Blue Shelter is OPEN! I am thrilled to say that The Upper Perk Homelessness Coalition and The Open Link together have been hosting guests since December 1 each time a Code Blue has been declared for Montgomery County. While we have yet to be “full,” with 10 males, we have had several folks stay overnight and feel the warmth of heat, a bed and a hot meal.
Code Blue season runs through April 30, 2025 and we are still in need of volunteers to help out overnight so if you are interested in participating, please check out the Homelessness Coalition page for more information.
We also want to thank the community for its incredible generosity with supplies. Right now, we are well stocked for the remainder of the season, but if there are particular needs, you can check out the Amazon Wish List to see what current items are needed most.
2) The Pantry is somewhat stocked…for now. Thanks to the generosity of the community, including the Scouting for Food campaign with the Boy Scouts, we have a decent amount of food at the pantry, for a little while.
At the same time, we are seeing record numbers in the pantry with more seniors and families in need of assistance, so while we have a decent amount of non-perishable food right now, we anticipate that this will last until February at best.
We are still in need of particular supplies including personal care items and pet food. If you aren’t sure what would be helpful, please check out the Amazon Wish List or the Target Wish List or the Winter Wish List for more information.
3) The Open Link has a Food Drive Tool Kit! If you are interested in helping gather personal care items, pet food or non-perishables, we have a branded box that makes it easy to advertise your drive. Our Food Drive Tool Kit page has a registration and instructions as to how to host a successful drive to support The Open Link.
4) The Center has an incredible calendar of events planned. Thanks to the tireless work of Wendy, Danielle, Kelly, Aubrie and Brian, the Center was very busy during the month of December, kicking off the month with Cookies with the Choir and Fireside Chats and finishing out the year with the annual “Reindeer Games” and a New Year’s Eve Toast. In January, the fun continues with Fiji the Therapy Dog and Lego Building. For a complete list of events, check out the Center Activity Page or the Open Link's Calendar.
5) We bought a van! Thanks to the generosity of The Genuardi Family Foundation and the McLean Contributionship, The Open Link was able to purchase a refrigerated van. It will be delivered sometime in late January and provide us with more capacity to haul food items longer distances, allowing the pantry to acquire more food and thus, serve more households in need.
6) The Pantry will extend its hours. Starting this month, the pantry will be open Tuesday evenings until 7PM for distribution. The process remains the same in that households need to have an intake with our staff to qualify (see Get Help for more info), but the extended hours should prove helpful for those who work or care for loved ones during the day. For more information, contact Brooke at nutrition@theopenlink.org.
7) The Open Link turns 50! This is probably the biggest piece of news this year! The Garden Party, scheduled for March 30, will be all about 50 years of serving the valley. Stay tuned for opportunities to provide silent auction items and celebrate with us!
As you can see, we have a bit of a holiday hangover because of the incredible generosity we received during the months of November and December, but now that we are a bit rested and caught up, The Open Link is ready to roll up our sleeves and get back to work so that we may serve the Upper Perk Valley in the best possible way in 2025. Happy New Year to you all!
(Links are bold and underlined).
