LETTER TO THE EDITOR Jacqueline M. Miller, Huntingtown. The writer is president of End Hunger In Calvert County.

On behalf of the over 15,000 people you helped care for in 2017, we extend our deepest thanks. Because of our community’s generosity, 2017 was another record-breaking year for Calvert County.

Together, we facilitated the distribution of 1,715,463 pounds of food and product to over 15,000 people. We also supported a team of local firefighters who provided relief to Hurricane Harvey first responders. Donations totaled 23,928 pounds of supplies, 120 mattresses and nearly $24,000. You made that happen.

In other 2017 celebrations, End Hunger:

• Served over 15,000 people through our 44 Partner Feeding Organizations;

• Facilitated the distribution of 4,486 holiday meals;

• Installed a new walk-in freezer unit that doubles our amount of frozen storage space;

• Partnered with The Autism Project and Calvert County Public Schools to provide hands-on job training for their students. Throughout the year, 10 students worked an average of 22 hours per week at The Lobby Coffee Bar and Café;

• Hosted a Maryland.gov Conference to help unite local nonprofits; and

• Welcomed three Volunteer Maryland AmeriCorp members to work alongside us in our warehouse, programs and food pantries.

The generosity of Calvert County continues to leave us speechless. Though the images of hunger change and shift from year to year, the generosity of this great county remains steadfast. Whether we are responding to a natural disaster across the country or responding to a personal crisis across the street, you continually rise to the occasion and meet the needs of people.

Together, we have created a culture of generosity in Calvert County. We have made it normal to look after and care for our neighbors, and together, we have challenged each other to become a community known for embracing the ideals of “give where you live.” These are roots that will only continue to deepen and strengthen. They’re values our children will inherit.

As we move through 2018, our best days are ahead of us; there is still great work for us to do. I look forward to the challenges and victories that 2018 will bring. Because we will face them together.

May we always remember that on the other side of everything we do is a person or a family who is strengthened by knowing they live in a county that cares.

Thank you for your continued partnership with End Hunger In Calvert County. May God richly bless you for your commitment to making a difference in the lives of Calvert County residents.