Plates of Plenty

Plates of Plenty Rectangle

Plates of Plenty is a campaign to raise awareness and funds to combat hunger in our community. Proceeds will help the Mission Food Program at the Westminster Rescue Mission purchase, warehouse, and provide meat, fresh produce, dairy, and dry goods to our partner network of food pantries, soup kitchens, local charities, and agencies across Carroll County.

The Mission Food Program's Impact

THE MISSION FOOD PROGRAM

Westminster Rescue Mission is dedicated to overcoming the growing problem of food insecurity and hunger in our surrounding communities. The Mission Food Program — the largest re-distributor of food in Carroll County — provides hunger relief through our distribution network and community outreach services in partnership with dozens of area agencies and charities.

In 2023 the Mission Food Program at the Westminter Rescue Mission...

Did you know...

more than 28% of students in Carroll County Public Schools received free or reduced meals in 2024-2025? Without that safety net of meals at school, summer break means higher grocery bills and hunger for food insecure families.

Free and reduced meals

WHERE IS THE NEED?

Carroll County is one of the wealthier counties in Maryland, blessed with rolling farmland, vibrant small towns, and bedroom communities for workers in the Baltimore-Washington region. Despite this wealth, there are families among us who are struggling to make ends meet.  Even among those who are keeping up, many may be one car repair or medical bill away from having to choose between expenses.

Ironically, sometimes the residents surrounded by farms in our more rural areas have the biggest challenge to access food, because there aren’t full-service grocery stores nearby.  Even in the wealthiest areas of the county – southern communities along I-70 and Liberty Road (MD-26) – approximately 20% of working families are struggling or are living paycheck to paycheck, one unexpected bill away from having to choose between necessities.  Further north and west in the county, the numbers are more challenging, with 40%-60% of employed households in some communities at or below the income threshold to be able to consistently meet basic costs of living.  Source: The United Way: United for ALICE.

2023 Food Insecurity Index. Courtesy of Partnership for a Healthier Carroll County

How You Can Help

 Financial support is vital, enabling the Mission Food Program to purchase what is needed at a specific moment.

  1. Host a FUND DRIVE to support the Mission Food Program!
    1. Get the whole family involved and have the children host a lemonade stand;
    2. Host a fundraising party at your house and invite your friends to bring their checkbook! Keeping with the theme, try to create the menu from shelf staple foods or below a certain budget.
  2. Partner with a local venue to have a fundraising night open to the public – consider bowling alleys, golf courses, and other popular destinations.
  3. If you would prefer to donate by check, make it out to Westminster Rescue Mission with Plates of Plenty in the memo line. Mail it to:
    Westminster Rescue Mission
    PO BOX 285
    Westminster, MD 21158
Donate

Donate Food

Donate food – from your family, or organize a food drive. Keep it local, and deliver it to your nearest food pantry, who will know what is most needed in your neighborhood.  To join our county-wide food drive, visit Feeding Carroll Together.

HOW WILL THE MONEY BE USED

  • Help us PURCHASE NUTRITIOUS FOOD – meats, dairy, eggs, produce – that have high demand but low supply or are too perishable to be part of traditional food donation drives. As a partner of the Maryland Food Bank, the Mission Food Program has access to bulk foods priced at a steep discount specific for the food bank network.

 

  • Help us DELIVER TO CARROLL COUNTY by offsetting the costs to maintain our fleet of trucks, refrigerators and freezers, fork lifts, and pallet jacks.

Sponsors

Caught you doing good!

We'd love to showcase your business as one of our partners. Contact Trish St. Michel tstmichel@WestminsterRescueMission.org