“One-stop shop” provides food, education, energy and housing assistance

NAIOP Maryland, the local commercial real estate association, has donated a $5,000 gift in support of the Community Action Council of Howard County. The mission of the organization is to “diminish poverty, enable self-sufficiency and advocate for low-income families and individuals.” Over the past several months, NAIOP has also provided financial resources to the non-profit groups World Central Kitchen, The Choice Program at University of Maryland Baltimore County and Baltimore County COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund.

Community Action Council of Howard County (CAC) is a “one-stop shop that provides food, early childhood education, energy and housing assistance to families in need throughout Howard County,” explained Anita Sheckells of KatzAbosch and a member of the council’s Board of Directors.

The NAIOP Maryland gift will be targeted to support the Howard County Food Bank, as well as various pop-up pantries that have emerged during COVID-19. Over the past four months, the Howard County Food Bank has served more than 33,000 people with nearly 626,000 pounds of food.

“The ongoing pandemic has disrupted the lives of many Howard County residents and CAC continues to depend on gifts such as this to help improve the situation of people in our community,” stated Sheckells. “We cannot understate the importance of our need for sustained funding to stay the course in our fight. CAC values the support we have received from NAIOP Maryland.”

“Sustained food and quality housing are basic necessities that have become increasingly difficult to obtain for many Howard County residents during this pandemic, and the NAIOP Maryland Board of Directors recognizes the important work of the Community Action Council of Howard County to help many,” explained Jim Lighthizer, President of NAIOP-MD. “The group is making a tremendous difference in our region and we challenge other professional organizations to help them as well.”

NAIOP Maryland, the local association of NAIOP, has approximately 450 members and represents the interests of the commercial real estate industry throughout the state. The Maryland Chapter is part of the international network of approximately 55 chapters in North America and is comprised of commercial real estate development companies and professionals engaged with affiliated service companies including the architectural, brokerage, construction, interior design and law industries. For additional information visit www.naiopmd.org