This past year, 14 residents completed our Entrepreneurship Program, aka “Mercaditos,” gaining knowledge, skills, mentorship, startup support, and the confidence to bring their ideas to life. Susana earned her ServSafe certification and now sells her dishes at local farmers’ markets, while Silvia launched an online beauty shop importing Latin American cosmetics to meet community demand.

​​The program’s impact goes beyond individual success—it fuels local economies, keeps resources in the community, and inspires others to lead.

In the coming year, with support from the Truist Foundation, we’ll expand the Entrepreneurship Program to reach more communities, helping at least 25 new entrepreneurs take the next step toward financial independence.

When immigration raids began spreading fear through several of the communities we serve, our team acted fast. Last spring, we launched the Red Card Project, going door-to-door in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties to deliver Know Your Rights cards to neighbors in communities we support.

Within weeks, our team and volunteers reached 1,260 families.

“These cards mean we’re not alone,” one resident shared. “We know what to say, and we know someone cares.”

The Red Card Project began without a grant—just two donors, nine intrepid volunteers in the June heat, and an urgent sense of community safety. Together, we built a lifeline that continues to grow, one red card at a time.

Your support makes our quick, targeted services possible. With your gift, residents will have more of the tools and resources to lead rapid responses, keep fellow families informed, and strengthen the safety of their communities.

That same spirit of quick, community-led response now guides our work on another urgent need — food security. As many of the communities we serve face new challenges this fall, we’ve made expanding access to nutritious, reliable food our top priority. Your gift today helps ensure residents have the resources they need as federal food aid continues to decline.

This year, over 9,600 residents across 28 affordable housing communities have access to Communities Together programs that strengthen stability, health, community cohesion, and opportunity.

• 95% of residents are Black or Latino
• 55% are women—more than half leading their households
• 1 in 5 residents is a child
• 2,000+ are older adults and seniors

Behind every number is a neighbor shaping their community’s future. Your support helps ensure residents have the tools and resources they need to help their communities thrive.

We’re grateful to the Prince George’s County Local Development Council for their steady financial support over the past several years for our programs in Ft. Washington. This year, their partnership helped launch a new community-building initiative featuring a “Story Corps” style oral history project, lifting up residents’ voices and preserving the stories that shape their neighborhood.

We’d also like to thank United Bank and Jonathan Rosenberg for their ongoing support!

Join Our Team! We’re hiring a full-time Community Engagement Coordinator to serve the DC and Maryland communities. The coordinator will help residents plan activities, connect with resources, and keep their neighborhoods strong and connected. Interested or know someone who might be? Apply here or forward this link. 

We’re excited to share our refreshed Communities Together newsletter—designed to reflect the residents, partners, and supporters who help our team deliver excellent support to 28 communities from Baltimore to DC to Harrisonburg.

Will you take our 3-minute reader survey and tell us what stories, issues, and opportunities matter most to you?

Thank you for standing with residents who make lasting change possible. Every story, every program, and every number reflects the power of communities working together.

When residents lead, communities thrive.

With gratitude,
The Communities Together Team