One crisis can have an affect on all aspects of one’s life, causing a cycle of crises. Members of a household may have just lost their job, have an unexpected medical or house rental bill delivered in the mail, or may even be struggling to put enough food on the table. At GEDCO, we connect clients with resources that will help them to move towards self-sufficiency so that they can permanently escape the cycle of crises.
Families and individuals in crisis should always have someone on whom they can rely.
At GEDCO we strive to assist the residents of the Baltimore community with emergency food, financial and employment needs. We have done so through our CARES program, where we assist with career development and employment searches. CARES also provides emergency food and financial assistance.
Our Programs:
CARES
GEDCO’s CARES serves families and individuals in crisis by connecting our clients with resources that enable movement towards self-sufficiency. These resources include food and emergency financial assistance services.
CARES continues to be run by an extremely dedicated team, consisting of one full time and one part time employee, as well as over 100 volunteers. With the generous support and food donations made by GEDCO’s network of over 55 Member Organizations, individuals, schools, corporations, government agencies, and community groups, GEDCO’s CARES responded to over 3,599 requests for food and financial assistance to over 478 families. This included providing 208 families with eviction prevention assistance, assisting 81 older adults with prescription assistance, and helped 189 households avoid a disruption in their utility service in FY 20 (April 1, 2019 thru March 31, 2020).
CARES was opened in 1993 by a group of devoted volunteers primarily from churches in the Govans neighborhood of north Baltimore. Their vision was to create a centralized place where area churches could send persons in need and know they would be served more effectively and efficiently.
Click here to learn how CARES completely turned one woman’s life around.
Services
- Client-Choice Food Pantry: This dignified model of service allows our customer-clients to be the decision makers as they choose the food that their household members prefer. A nutrition guideline based on family size is provided on-site for assistance. Hours of Operation are Mondays and Thursdays from 9:00am-11:00am, and Saturdays from 10:00am-12:00 noon.
- Emergency Financial Assistance Center: Assists individuals and families with pending evictions, utility shut-offs and prescription needs. Hours of Operation are Mondays and Thursdays from 9:00am-11:00am.
- CARES Employment Services: GEDCO’s CARES also serves individuals seeking jobs and pursuing careers by providing one-on-one support from trained staff and volunteers.
How CARES Helps the Community with Job Assistance
CARES Career Connection works in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development, which established a Community Jobs Hub for computer skills training across the street from CARES at Holy Comforter Church.
Services
- Resume preparation
- Cover letter writing
- Online job search and application assistance
- Interview skills coaching
- Computer training courses
- Help for SSI/SSDI recipients who are also seeking employment
- Support in overcoming other barriers to employment
For More Information
- For food pantry or financial services, call 410-532-2273.
- For employment services, call 410-532-7117
- Contacts: Rachael Neill
- CARES is located at 5502 York Road, Baltimore, MD 21212 behind St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church.
Interested in volunteering and providing service to our community? Click here to sign up for upcoming opportunities!