Columbia's Festive Fridays, tonight and next week, merge holiday fun with donation drive for those facing housing, food insecurity

Dec. 9—The spirit of giving is in the air at Festive Fridays, the annual holiday event put on by the Downtown Columbia Partnership and the Columbia Association at the city's lakefront today and Dec. 16.

Unlike previous iterations, this year's festival is centered on charity and attendees are asked to bring hygiene products or food pantry items to benefit the Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center, a Columbia-based nonprofit offering health, crisis and homeless services to individuals and families in Howard County.

"We live in a very generous, forward-thinking area that is always looking to and thinking about others," said Columbia Association community engagement manager Robin Stimson. "It just made sense for us to be able to fold that aspect into [Festive Fridays]."

While attendees can still enjoy hot cocoa, ice sculptures and live choral music by the lake, they'll also have the opportunity to give back to some of Columbia's most vulnerable residents this holiday season.

Some of the most needed items, according to Grassroots, are toiletries such as body wash, toothpaste and baby wipes, and pop-top, microwaveable foods such as soup, canned meats and ramen noodles.

"I know it's hard to believe in Howard County, but people don't have these basic items," said Grassroots volunteer and in-kind donation coordinator Monteith Mitchell.

Founded in 1969 as an all-volunteer organization, Grassroots is now a professionally staffed crisis intervention center that operates a 24-hour general crisis hotline, walk-in counseling program and the county's only general emergency homeless shelter, featuring 33 beds for families and single adult women. Grassroots also maintains a men's shelter for up to 18 individuals and cold weather shelters in partnership with local congregations.

Much of the crisis service expansion came in the wake of the pandemic, as mental health and housing needs proliferated. In fiscal 2022, Grassroots fielded more than 58,000 hotline calls and served nearly 500 clients at overnight shelters, compared with about 39,000 calls and about 300 shelter clients in fiscal 2021, according to the organization.

"We've just expanded our services in ways that we hadn't thought imaginable prior to [COVID]," said Mitchell, who joined the organization in 2014.

Food items donated at Festive Fridays will go to Grassroots' community pantry, which helps Howard County residents facing financial and food insecurity. Easy-to-make foods are the best, says Mitchell, since many individuals requesting items may not have access to adequate cooking facilities and rely on microwaves.

"The key word here is 'portable,'" Mitchell said.

Full-size as opposed to hotel toiletries are preferred for hygiene items, since they'll be provided to shelter residents who will need to make supplies last as long as possible.

While she understands it might not be as fun as donating toys, Stimson hopes the food and hygiene item drive helps attendees understand the disparities that persist across Columbia and the county, particularly when it comes to housing.

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In Howard County, three out of five residents have rent or home ownership costs that are 30% or more of household income, according to a report by the Howard County Library System.

Since coming on board in March, Stimson has looked for ways the Columbia Association can leverage its resources and annual events to amplify the work of Grassroots and other "boots on the ground" organizations.

"All of us are changing, Columbia's changing, organizations change, needs change, clients change," Stimson said. "We want to be able to come to the table and recognize that."

Alongside Grassroots, the association and Downtown Columbia Partnership are partnering with Columbia nonprofit The 3rd, Whole Foods and local restaurants The Collective and Cured / 18th & 21st to provide festive drinks and food, from s'mores to hot chocolate, at the event.

Admission to Festive Fridays is free, but registration is recommended, and snacks, drinks and s'mores kits will be available for purchase. The events take place 5:30-8 p.m. at 10275 Wincopin Circle at the downtown Columbia lakefront.

"I just can't tell you how meaningful it is to have [the Columbia Association] ask us what we need," Mitchell said. "There are some people and organizations that think they know what you need, but they don't talk to you."

To learn more about Festive Fridays and ways to give, visit: https://www.columbiaassociation.org/event/festive-fridays-2022/2022-12-09/.