Our latest graduate family left Hope Gardens several weeks ago for their new home, just as the stay at home orders were being issued.

Winter is finally winding down…can T-shirts, flower blooms, and warm temperatures be far behind?

Icy temperatures swept our area this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, bringing Montgomery County’s homeless population face-to-face with a treacherous freeze. Despite the weather shockwave, volunteers offered their time and empathy to us here at Hope Gardens and at our food cupboard in Roslyn.

I hope you’re all settling into a happy and safe new year, and that the winter season thus far has revealed, in abundance, ways for you to access and spread your inner lights.

I send you all my warmest wishes in hopes that you’re falling into your winter routines with ease—candles and fires lit as friends and family linger close by. Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa or observe the season another way, there’s so much to be grateful this December. You’ll be absorbed in wishes of health, laughter, passion and good faith as temperatures plummet, snowflakes fall and furnaces work a little harder.

November is a time to come together and reflect on the things we are thankful for—our friends, family, homes, jobs. At Inter-Faith, it’s a time for us to thank YOU—the supporters and volunteers who are so vital to our mission.

Every nonprofit needs a strong and effective board of directors to fully realize its potential to do good.

“Growing in Hope Gardens” can mean many things—including, this month, a thank you to some folks who have been literally “growing” for us for years.