Pictured left to right are first-time clients of One Mission Cambridge: Monique Smith, Delois Laws, and Rosemary Wongus.
One Mission Cambridge is expanding this spring, increasing its capacity to serve some of Cambridge’s most vulnerable populations. The nonprofit, formed in 2022, provides quality programs, including a food pantry, community navigation, community dinners, and counseling services.
“We average about 375 people a month who utilize the food pantry and our mission center as a place to receive a snack or lunch and encouraging words. The new space next door will store the food and folks will shop there. It will also offer private consultation rooms for clients needing access to resources. Our current space will be set up more like a cafe to accommodate the growing number of people who eat lunch or a snack and receive other case management services from us. This expansion will also allow us to host more community programs,” comments Krista Pettit, Executive Director of One Mission Cambridge.
On Thursdays, the center offers hot meals, serving between 20 and 25 people on that day. The clients and volunteers on this particular Thursday tell the center’s growth and story best – finding hope in an otherwise discouraging world.
Malana Miya of Cambridge, both a client and a volunteer, finds the center welcoming and friendly.
“I have a lot of respect for this organization because it feeds people but doesn’t judge them. Volunteers create a welcoming environment at the resource center, offering hot meals and the best coffee in Cambridge. It’s the only resource center I have ever found that is like walking into a family’s home. There is trust, hope, and compassion. The spirit of God is here. It’s like they are building a kingdom,” she states.
“They greeted me with love the first time I came here and helped me with my electric bill. They asked me to help one day so I do whatever they need. It gives me purpose. I see friends and make friends here. We needed this in this neighborhood,” adds Donald Jackson of Cambridge, another client and volunteer.
“People of all ages come here and everyone gets along. It is growing every day.”
Donald Jackson values the pantry’s approach of allowing clients to shop for their own groceries.
Delois Laws of Cambridge, who was visiting One Mission Cambridge for the first time, shares, “It is nice and warm and courteous here. Food is something we need to nourish the body. It’s like shopping at a store, we don’t get things we don’t use.”
Chris Baltimore of Cambridge, a regular client, now helps unload the food trucks when they make deliveries at the center. He states, “Even though I work, I use the food pantry to help make ends meet. The people here are what make it special.”
Terry Smith of Cambridge has been a volunteer since One Mission Cambridge opened. She enjoys cleaning and giving out food to people who really need it. She adds, “I came to meet friendly people. I love everything they have here.”
Tim Sterrett of Cambridge works part-time in retail. He shops at the food pantry once a month for himself and his mother. He started coming after having surgery for Stage 3 bone cancer.
“It really helped me out after the surgery as I couldn’t have gone to a grocery store and shopped due to my limitations. One Mission Cambridge helps the neighborhood out. We need more resources for people. If they didn’t have this, people would be struggling,” he comments.
To learn about One Mission Cambridge, visit the website, onemissioncambridge.org, or call 410-901-3959.
One Mission Cambridge is open Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, from 1 to 5 p.m. for services. For additional information visit onemissioncambridge.org, Facebook, and Instagram, or call 410-901-3959. Donations can be made to One Mission Cambridge, P.O. Box 1495, Cambridge, MD 21613.
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.