Skip to main content

The Big Chill

It's cold.

Big surprise, right? You knew that already.

But, in a winter which has been on-again, off-again it is suddenly and bitterly cold. Last week we were worrying about confused plants starting to bloom. Now it is 14 degrees. What the heck? It's rather stunning, almost as though we had forgotten what Winter was like. Maybe Winter just won't come this year, we thought.

I'm sitting in a comfy chair under a soft blanket and our heat is churning away. Nice and toasty. My husband and daughter went into the morning chill reluctantly, but bundled up with winter outerwear: heavy jackets, hats, scarves, gloves.

Winter is here with a vengeance, at least for now. And there are people in Howard County who are more than surprised. They are unprepared. Children without warm clothing, senior citizens without adequate heat, people who have no homes at all. It is incomprehensible to me that we have people living outside in tents in Howard County, but I don't think we have been able to eradicate that yet. How is our plan to end homelessness coming along?

I saw this yesterday on Facebook:

Last year the Community Action Council of Howard County provided energy & weatherization assistance to almost 6,000 HoCo residents - visit the link to find help or to provide help.

That started me thinking about all those people out there who are unprepared, and all the different ways our community tries to help.

Grassroots Crisis Intervention. In addition to emergency family shelter, they also operate a Day Resource Center on Route 1. The Day Center "...provides meals, showers, limited laundry, fellowship and social services to homeless individuals in the Howard County Route 1 corridor." Grassroots also partners with the area faith community on the Cold Weather Shelter which provides emergency shelter in area churches during the Winter months.

The Columbia Youth and Teen Center organizes and hosts a free clothing drive every year. This year's distribution dates are January 16 and 17th.

How else do we, as a community, help our fellow citizens during the coldest time of the year? How can people who want to help get involved? If you needed help, would you know where to go to find it?

In the meantime, if you go out, bundle up. Put a hat on. Zip up that jacket, for heaven's sake!

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more

What Kids Are Thinking

  It’s a Monday in February, and if you guessed that a lot of Howard County students have the new cell phone policy on their minds, you’d be right. It will mean big changes and it will be stressful, no matter how much good we hope it will do in the long run. But on this particular Monday cell phones might not be top of mind, as amazing as that seems. Some kids will go to school wondering if they or family members will be seized by ICE. Some will fear that their parents’ employment will be purged by the ongoing rampage of Elon Musk and his cronies through Federal Government. Some fear heightened and renewed racism as programs that supprted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are vilified and destroyed.  Some worry that it soon won’t be safe for them to use the bathroom in school anymore. It goes without saying that some kids fear going to school every day because of the prevalence of school shootings.  And look! Here’s something new to fear. That old hate group, Libs of TikTo...
1 comment
Read more