The Generosity of the Brown Memorial Church
You know the saying, “it takes a village”? It’s true that a village of ardent and enthusiastic supporters can accomplish all sorts of wonders, simply by being reliable and supportive when they’re most needed.
Chrystie Adams
“We have a very generous congregation. You just have to say, ‘we need this!’ and they help, not only to provide all of this—the family-style meals and books—but also thirty-six tablets and cases for the pre-K and Kindergarten students who didn’t have tablet technology. Now they have what they need.”
“Today I’ve brought the Fun & Learning bags—we always pack them in advance, though I never get to see who actually gets them. I’m finally going to see people when they come! I know a lot of the kids and I’m so happy that some of them will be coming here.”
Chrystie Adams, FreedomFood planner & driving force behind ongoing gifts from Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church
At this moment when nearly everyone is weary as the pandemic seems to be deepening, we’re humbled how Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church has stuck with us week in and week out since the pandemic hit, assisting our new methods of supporting our community. They’ve aided our ongoing efforts: they’ve tirelessly given time and resources and offered enthusiastic care and love to support the work of Promise Heights.
They have opened their building as a site to prepare community delivery packages and provided fiscal means and hard-working energy via their volunteers. And they have done this again and again.
When our FreedomFood community-based incentive grant funding ended in late September, several Brown Memorial members were its key planners and stepped up to continue offering weekly meals until winter arrives. Their ongoing commitment as an essential “village” means the world to the people of Promise Heights.
The dynamo arranging so many of Brown Memorial’s weekly deliveries recently managed details outside the Eutaw-Marshburn Elementary School entrance on October 23. Chrystie Adams arrived early to lead our team to set up distribution tables for the FreedomFood meals and children’s books and brightly colored activity bags for the kids.
"Today we're here to give out Fun and Learning bags, and brand-new books. The food is being brought by Chef Bobby D, a Black business owner in Hampden. He has an incredible menu and is today's featured caterer. Each meal is packaged to feed five people. We have twenty-one families on the list and hope they’ll all be here today. But if they can’t get here, I have a car and can deliver!”
FreedomFood members are committed to strengthening Upton/Druid Heights. As Chrystie Adams shared, “We’ve chosen caterers who are in the 21217 neighborhood or that are Black-owned businesses. So we've had Lea Bailey of L and L Catering on Edmonson Avenue, plus the Land of Kush, Chef Bobby D. and many more."
We’re so appreciative to the church and its congregation for having helped finance, package, and distribute nutritious food, and special treats like children’s books featuring biographies and histories of renowned Black people of the present and the past. Their ongoing commitment as an essential “village” means the world to the people of Promise Heights.
Neighbors passing by the October 23 FreedomFood delivery gathering—as well as those who were on the guest list—were welcomed to take books to share with their families.