End Hunger, Hospice team up to help job seekers

Friday, Feb. 5, 2010

Yet again, the End Hunger in Calvert County initiative has found a way to help those in need using resources right here in the county.

Recently, the End Hunger in Calvert County initiative, a collaboration of the county's churches, schools and businesses, combined forces with Calvert Hospice's Shoppe for Hospice to help those aiming to get back on their feet look good while doing it.

The Shoppe for Hospice opened last July with one goal in mind — provide reasonably priced new designer clothing for purchase and raise funds for Calvert Hospice.

The Shoppe's founder, Ann Kaine, "caught the vision of what we are trying to do with End Hunger and she approached us" with an idea, said Robin Brungard, program director for End Hunger in Calvert County.

Kaine offered to have the Shoppe volunteer its employees and normal "donation only" times to allow women to come by and get help putting together professional outfits for a fraction of the cost of buying brand new name-brand clothing. In addition to putting the outfits together, the customer could get an outfit for free with the purchase of one. Also, participants will learn how to take several items of clothing and turn them into multiple outfits. These outfits will help better prepare someone for a job interview and the workplace, Brungard said.

"This is part of what we have been striving for all along with End Hunger," Brungard said. "We want to make permanent solutions. We have a long-standing partnership with Hospice. This is just a very natural match."

Brungard said End Hunger is helping struggling families and individuals work toward self-sufficiency by helping them prepare resumes, participate in mock-interviews with partnering businesses wherein they receive feedback and tips for interview skills or pursue an education through the College of Southern Maryland.

"If you don't have a great job, you're not going to be self-sufficient," Brungard said.

On Tuesday, three women looking to try out the program visited Shoppe for Hospice and Brungard said by the end of their time at the Shoppe, all seemed to be satisfied.

"Actually, it was very interesting. All the women certainly felt cared for and valued. One woman in particular was nervous and a little defensive. She was worried she wasn't going to find the right clothes … but by the end of the time she was there, she was almost a different person. She was learning things about her wardrobe that she never thought about. She was smiling and looking good. It was a very affirming time for all them."

This is just another link in the ever growing chain of the End Hunger in Calvert County initiative, a barely two-year-old program. Since it began, the initiative has helped three families become self-sufficient, and the program is looking to continue helping as many as it can.

"We help remove barriers," Brungard said. "If [candidates] need child care, we help with child care, we help them keep their car on the road so they can get to their jobs … Each business [involved in End Hunger] does a little bit and we're able to accomplish a lot."

The Shoppe is located at Kaine Industrial Park, 4130 Old Town Road in Huntingtown. It is open on Thursdays from noon to 7 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Donations of women's and children's clothing are accepted Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

To learn more about the End Hunger in Calvert initiative, go to www.endhungercalvert.org.

League of Women Voters to host candidate forums

Based on citizens' requests, the League of Women Voters Calvert County will hold two separate Primary Election Candidates Forums to give the public more time to ask questions of the candidates for the Calvert County Board of County Commissioner positions.

The league's nonpartisan 2010 Primary and General Election Candidates Forums will be held as follows at Huntingtown High School:

ï Tuesday, Aug. 31, at 5 p.m.: Primary Election Candidates Forum for all candidates on the local election ballot except Board of County Commissioner candidates;

ï Wednesday, Sept. 1, at 5 p.m.: Board of County Commissioners Primary Election Candidates Forum;

ï Thursday, Oct. 21, at 5 p.m.: General Election Candidates Forum for all Candidates

A forum will also be held in North Beach for the town council candidates. Details are still in the planning phase. The public is invited to attend these free candidates forums.

Law firm selected to represent CMH

The Prince Frederick law firm of Davis, Upton, Palumbo & Keffler announced that it has been selected by Calvert Memorial Hospital to represent the hospital as legal counsel in the Southern Maryland community.

"Our law firm has a long standing commitment to Calvert County and the surrounding communities of Southern Maryland," said Mark Davis, managing partner of Davis, Upton, Palumbo & Keffler, in a press release from the firm. "We are dedicated to working with local businesses and families who seek legal assistance and we are proud that Calvert Memorial Hospital recognizes us as a strong partner in meeting their needs."

In September 2009, the law firm expanded its legal staff to include two new attorneys who will focus on civil litigation, domestic and criminal law, the release said.

Library to host black history program

The Calvert Library Prince Frederick will host Omar Ali for a Black History Month program at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25. He will be presenting "Dr. King's Civic Practice: Building Inclusive Communities in a Divisive World." This presentation is made possible with funding from the Maryland Humanities Council and is co-sponsored by the Concerned Black Women of Calvert County.

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s moral and political vision of an inclusive and democratic society has yet to be fully realized in the 21st century. With war abroad and growing social and economic troubles at home, his practice of building the community by focusing on civic concerns in an inclusive manner has been neglected in favor of deeply divisive partisan politics, according to a press release. Ali will lead conversation about the role blacks have played in making some of the most sweeping changes in the republic — abolishing slavery, extending the right to vote and protecting civil rights. These conversations fit well with the Calvert Library's series Voices for a Sustainable Calvert taking place on the first Thursday of each month. According to Calvert Library Director Patricia Hofmann, "Calvert Library is excited to be providing numerous special events this month celebrating Black History month. Dr. Ali's presentation is an excellent scholarly supplement to the roster of our more family-oriented programs. We have a lot of community-minded adults in Calvert who will enjoy this presentation."

Ali is an assistant professor of history at Towson University. He is the author of "In the Balance of Power: Independent Black Politics and Third Party Movements in the United States." An honors graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science, he is a Fulbright Scholar and the recipient of research grants from Harvard University and the University of Michigan. Ali received his Ph.D. from Columbia University.

For more information, call the Calvert Library Prince Frederick at 410-535-0291 or 301-855-1862.

Serenade a sweetie

The Chesapeake Choral Arts Society, under the direction of Michael K. Santana, will be providing Valentine's Day Singing Phone-A-Grams from 2:30 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 14. Serenade a sweetheart across the miles or across the room with their own personalized phone call featuring a harmonized version of traditional love songs. Valentine singing Phone-A-Grams are being offered by the Chesapeake Choral Arts Society (a nonprofit organization) for a reasonable fee that is tax deductible. Valentine senders may choose from a selection of four songs: "Let Me Call You Sweetheart," "To Know Him (Her) is to Love Him (Her)," "Love Me Tender" and "I Love You Truly." The cost of a Phone-A-Gram Valentine depends upon the quantity ordered: $7 for one, $10 for two, $12 for three, and $3 each for more than three. Every effort will be made to complete the valentines between the hours of 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. to the phone numbers provided. Messages will be left for those individuals who cannot be reached. If no message machine or voice mail is available, CCAS will attempt to contact individuals three times during the designated hours. Phone calls are not guaranteed and donations are not refundable.

For more information, or to order a Phone-A-Gram Valentine, call 301-642-0594 or 301-934-5447.The Chesapeake Choral Arts Society is supported by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive. Partial funding is also provided by the Charles County Arts Alliance whose mission is to stimulate, promote, encourage, and provide recognition of the arts and the creative spirit.