Community Services

CARES
GEDCO’s CARES serves families and individuals in crisis by connecting our clients with resources that enable movement toward self-sufficiency. These resources include employment, 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 56 Member Organizations, individuals, schools, corporations, government agencies, and community groups. During the past fiscal year, GEDCO’s CARES responded to over 4,441 requests for food, positively impacting 1,855 children and providing financial assistance to over 662 families. This included providing 290 families with eviction prevention assistance, assisting 80 older adults with prescription assistance, and helping 283 households avoid a disruption in their utility service. CARES Career Connection assisted 200 individuals with their job search process, securing 45 jobs in FY24 (April 1, 2023, through March 31, 2024).

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.