50th Anniversary Historical Timeline

1968

• Gaithersburg HELP established by 12 local churches
• Food storage at First Baptist Church
• Offered emergency aid for clothing, housing, food, transportation and referral services
• Dues $25 per year

1969

• Laytonsville and Damascus HELP groups became active
• 39 families requested food
• Created first letterhead
• 231 rides provided

1970

• Year’s budget was $1,368

1972

• Monthly budget was $114
• Synagogue joined HELP organization

1975

• Opened additional pantry at Flower Hill Way Church of the Brethren
• HELP had 56 drivers – 25 regulars and 31 floaters
• 344 requests for food; 323 rides provided
• Maryland est. Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program

1976

• Only 50% of requests fulfilled due to lack of driver volunteers

1977

• Seven teams of volunteers support food program one weeke at a time

1978

• HELP had 1,782 calls

1979

• 548 food requests; 475 rides completed
• Temporary pantry at Asbury Village due to construction at First Baptist

1980

• Capital Area Food Bank opens

1981

• Center Market becomes distribution center for HELP

1982

• HELP incorporated on September 9
• Pantry moved to Epworth United Methodist Church
• Manna Food Center opened

1983

• Average of 82 families a month receive food

1984

• Purchased freezer for Epworth pantry
• Evaluated protein content of foods

1985

• Food requests down from previous year
• Decided on sheaf of wheat logo for GBH
• Assisted in launching Germantown HELP

1986

• Desparate need for additional volunteers
• One-hour TV program created on GBH
• Lord’s table opened at St. Martin’s

1987

• Volunteers received Food Stamps training
• Disposable diapers replaced cloth

1988

• Gaithersburg mayor designated 2nd week of October as Gaithersburg HELP week
• Address changed to Epworth United Methodist Church

1989

• 1,362 food requests completed
• Member churches asked to cover cost of diapers for 1 month
• Upper Montgomery Assistance Network (UMAN) launched

1990

• Mayor and City Council provided old firehouse as temporary storage space

1991

• HELP accepted as designee for the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC)
• $200,000 in food budget
• Established contract with Barwood Taxi
• Recruited volunteers for Spanish speaking clients

1992

• Received a $3,000 FEMA grant & $1,500 from the Lord’s Table
• Collaborated with Shady Grove Pregnancy Center for diapers and formula

1993

• City of Gaithersburg provided $2,500 grant for prescriptions
• Developed a 5 year business plan in response to application for a City grant

1994

• Shortage of food coordinators caused shutdown of Friday pantry service
• 1,246 food deliveries made
• Got large bump in funding from CFC & United Way

1995

• Pantry space leased at 431 N Frederick Ave. (Demory building) in September
• Most clients came to the pantry waiting room to pick up food

1996

• Estimate of donated goods and services was $205,826

1997

• Added American cheeses to food list
• Switched from answering service to voicemail

1998

• Implemented laptop computer for all food records

1999

• Formed partnership with Interfaith Counseling Service
• Mayor and City Council recognized HELP “Outstanding Organization of the Year”
• Improved nutrition of food packages by adding more canned fruits and vegetables

2000

• Increased helps for food from 6 to 8 times in 12 months
• Added cooking oil and dried beans to address cultural food choices
• 6,791 persons received food

2001

• Distributed 3-day supply of food to 7,700 persons
• Received $50,000 from United Way

2003

• Gaithersburg HELP website launched, emphasizing “breaking news” items

2004

• Put Rx, diapers and formula programs on computer

2005

• Additional pantry space acquired and used for storage and sorting next door to existing pantry

2006

• HELP approved for County SSL hours
• Began to email the monthly roster
• Ensured that prescription drug assistance procedures aligned with HIPAA rules
• Website used mostly as electronic poster

2007

• Evening pantry limit of 10 families had to be increased

2008

• HELP the Homeless Walkathon raised $49,522 for HELP
• 3,537 families receive food, 821 infants served, 457 rides provided

2009

• Work began on a client database project
• City changed it’s funding basis for nonprofits from grant base to contract base
• HELP partnered with Manna for food and Mobile Med for Rx.

2010

• HELP the Homeless Walkathon raised $60, 589 for HELP

2011

• Infant Needs module added to client database

2012

• New pantry leased in the Festival Shopping Center
• Fundraising Committee established

2013

• HELP became official partner of Capital Area Food Bank
• Google Drive site launched for document management
• Received one-time foundation grant of $30,000 for pantry move

2014

• Transportation records moved online
• In March, the National Christian Choir performed a benefit concert for HELP

2015

• Community Food Rescue System launched in September

2016

• Joined the JCA’s Village Rides program, a centralized call center
• First year IT included as a budget line item
• 3,822 families served; 1,206 babies served; 869 rides provided
• HELP was beneficiary of first Interfaith 5k Labor Day Run/Walk

2017

• 3,513 families served; 1,182 babies served; 1,048 rides provided

2018

• Redesigned logo for 50th anniversary
• QGiv software replaced JustGiving as website link for online donations
• Comcast Business Service replaced Verizon for telecommunications and internet services
• National Christian Choir scheduled for November benefit