Virtual Birdland Community Heroes: The Helpers

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” -- Fred Rogers

During times of uncertainty, it is easy to become consumed with our own issues and challenges. It takes a special person to make the choice to put the needs of others before their own.

Bring in the helpers, a diverse group of talented individuals who all have one thing in common: their love of community. Though this list only features a handful of individuals who have taken it upon themselves to better the lives of others, the Orioles want to recognize all the selfless individuals who are shopping for their neighbors, making time in their busy schedules to volunteer, sewing masks for hours at a time and helping the community in any way they can.

Today, the Orioles honor those helpers as part of the club’s Virtual Birdland Community Heroes program, which recognizes community members who are on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. The helpers include community volunteers, small business owners stepping in to lend a hand and charitable organizations responding to the most urgent needs of the community, selflessly giving their time, talent and treasure to help support their neighbors during this challenging time.

Monica Alvarado
To say that COVID-19 has impacted restaurants in the community is an understatement. Many restaurants have had to close completely or work with limited staff, resulting in layoffs. In addition to this, grocery store shelves have become bare, which leaves the community without access to nutritious food to feed families. Monica Alvarado, the owner of Bread and Butter Kitchen in Annapolis, recognized this significant need and developed Feed Anne Arundel, a program designed to combat these issues by paying restaurants to prepare nutritious food for donation.

Alvarado created a GoFundMe, and according to The Baltimore Sun, every $1,000 raised pays for 100 meals and puts 10 people back to work. So far, the GoFundMe has raised over $73,000. Feed Anne Arundel has also partnered with the AA County Partnership for Children, Youth and Families. They have joined their mobile food pantries and helped to provide meals to feed over 600 people.

Jarrod Bolte
Accustomed to giving back, Jarrod Bolte is the CEO of a local nonprofit, Bedtime in a Box. His organization provides essential items to support educators and get materials into the homes of children and families who need them most. The boxes include books, educational materials and health supplies. Recognizing how needs have shifted during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bolte looked to refocus his organization’s mission to expand access to home-learning opportunities for children in Head Start and pre-kindergarten through second grade across Baltimore. What makes Bolte's contribution so significant is that the learning-in-a-box services don’t require an internet connection, something to which many city residents have limited access.

Each kit contains a wide range of hands-on, age-appropriate, curriculum-aligned resources that can be used to engage in fun, meaningful learning activities at home. As of April 10, they’ve delivered 900 kits for pre-kindergarten through second grade students at Baltimore City Schools, in addition to the 7,200 boxes that the organization had previously distributed.

Will Fagg

Will Fagg is the owner and head chef at TinyBrickOven in Federal Hill. A newer establishment in South Baltimore, business for Fagg has been very slow during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is difficult for someone whose long-term goals are to “create the kind of pizzeria where you like to hang out.” Though the pandemic has prevented people from “hanging out”, Fagg seized the Easter holiday as an opportunity to do something special for his neighbors and created a free pop-up soup kitchen using his empty restaurant as the point of distribution.

“It’s a holiday that I always associate with food and family,” said Fagg, “and I knew there would be some people who would not be able to experience this holiday. I hoped that by giving out some free, healthy and delicious food, we could help nourish the community, bring some smiles to hungry folks and create a little bit of joy for people.”

Fagg recruited members from the Federal Hill Neighborhood Association to donate crockpots and other cookware, as well as to volunteer for his holiday meal distribution. They served about 50 people and delivered a handful of meals to seniors in the area. Because of the success of this event and the community response, Fagg has already started making plans for a 2021 event.

Nancy Longo
Many Baltimoreans know Nancy Longo not personally, but from the delicious creations she serves up at Pierpoint restaurant. As the owner and chef there, she knows a thing or two about providing tasty, nutritious meals to community members in Baltimore City. COVID-19 has disrupted her ability to provide dinner service, catered events and cooking classes, but that didn’t stop her from trying to give back to the community.

Longo partnered with Andrew Sachs, who owns the Harbor Park Garage in downtown Baltimore, to provide meals for the community. Together they developed “Heart of the Park”, a “no questions asked” drive-thru meal service for Baltimoreans in need. As of April 30, Heart of the Park has provided 10,000 meals to first responders, elderly residents and people experiencing homelessness and unemployment.

Meals on Wheels Volunteers
While Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland provides nutritious meals to aging and homebound Marylanders year-round, there is an increasing need for their services during the pandemic. From March 17-April 24, Meals on Wheels delivered 261,655 meals to those in need, a number that is double what they typically provide in one month's time. Volunteers and staff at Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland prepare, plate and pack meals seven days a week, and volunteers have spent over 1,900 hours packing meals since March 17. In addition, due to social-distancing procedures, Meals on Wheels now provides a new service: weekly wellness calls. More than 100 volunteers are making thousands of wellness phone calls to check in and help reduce loneliness for a most vulnerable population.

These helpers, among many others, have answered the call to serve, and they deserve recognition for their exceptional work in the community. They make all residents proud to call Baltimore home and inspire everyone to ask, “How can I help?”