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Identifying Needs. Creating Solutions.

The Food Project, the flagship program of UEmpower of Maryland, is committed to addressing two critical challenges: food insecurity and youth unemployment. By providing opportunities for at-risk youth to gain employment while preparing and delivering essential food resources to the community, we create opportunities that empower young people, break the cycle of poverty, and provide vital support to those in need.

In addition to food our community has resources needed to help them get on their feet. UEmpower of Maryland is committed to identifying areas of genuine need and bridging resources to create impactful, long-term solutions that empower individuals and families in focused on Southwest Baltimore. Every person who walks through our doors completes an intake, and from there we are able to connect individuals and families to the support they need, including:

    •    Document assistance & benefits navigation

    •    Therapy & mental health support

    •    MVA Learner’s Permit testing and Driving School

    •    Job placement & workforce pathways

    •    Tutoring & mentorship

    •    Legal aid & reentry support

    •    Insurance and healthcare

    •    Safe drop-in support for women on the street

We are grateful to announce our NEW partner Safe Exits Innitative, providing a compassionate and judgment-free safe space for women navigating homelessness, street life, and survival.

Our growing family of UEMD HUB partners includes:

Therapeutic Wellness | Fathers Fighting for Fathers | Maryland Physicians Care | So What Else Helps | Ascensions Healthcare | The Franciscan Center | MVA | Healthcare for the Homeless | Safe Exits | The Difference Makers

…and many more organizations working arm-in-arm to build stability, dignity, and hope in Southwest Baltimore. Learn More

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Transforms Lives Through Comprehensive Community Support

The Food Project expands services to help Baltimore residents achieve food security and career goals

Photo by: Ja Nai Wright/WMAR

By: Ja Nai Wright

Posted 7:37 PM, Nov 18, 2025

and last updated 7:38 PM, Nov 18, 2025

BALTIMORE — For the last eight years, The Food Project has been expanding its services in Baltimore City, transforming lives through comprehensive support that goes far beyond providing meals.

Inside an abandoned school on Pulaski Street, The Food Project serves as a lifeline for hundreds of people seeking free meals. But the organization's mission extends much deeper than addressing immediate hunger.

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"It's crucial to provide more than just food if you want a community to be able to get up on their feet and move to the next step," said Michelle Suazo.

The need for The Food Project's comprehensive services continues to grow as Baltimore faces ongoing challenges with food insecurity.

"We have an at-risk population and people who are really food insecure so what we have the ability to do is to provide them with some resources as well as some training that is going to improve and better their lives," Suazo said.

The organization's impact extends beyond immediate relief, creating lasting change in people's lives. Tyree Johnson, who I met last year after he received his license, exemplifies this transformation. He now has goals of owning his own restaurant one day.

READ FULL STORY

https://www.wmar2news.com/news/region/baltimore-city/the-food-project-expands-services-to-help-baltimore-residents-achieve-food-security-and-career-goals#google_vignette

The Food Project Steps in as Lifeline for Abandoned 12-Year-Old in Southwest Baltimore

This Mother's Day, a child finds family and hope in the city’s poorest zip code

Baltimore, MD — A powerful story of resilience and hope is unfolding at The Food Project, a nonprofit community hub located in Baltimore’s 21223 zip code—Maryland’s poorest and one of its most underserved. A 12-year-old boy, found living alone in a drug house, has now found family and stability, thanks to the unwavering commitment of community members and the support system built by The Food Project.

The child, whose father is incarcerated and whose mother and stepmother both died due to addiction, first came to The Food Project seeking food. “Each day he came back, we learned more of his heartbreaking story,” said Michelle Suazo, Executive Director of U Empower of Maryland and co-founder of The Food Project. “He had been surviving completely on his own.”

As the boy continued to show up for meals, a deeper need emerged—one that transcended hunger. He began staying with Christina, a woman who was once homeless herself and is now thriving thanks to support from The Food Project and its donors. Christina, who lost her own mother to addiction at the same age, has taken the boy in and is now working toward legal guardianship with the help of Markus Trent, founder of Fathers Fighting for Fathers.

“This is a full-circle moment,” Suazo shared. “Two years ago, UEmpower of MD helped us secure a security deposit so Christina could get housing. Last year, our supporters helped us provide her with a stove. Today, because she has a stable home, she’s opening her door—and her heart—to a boy who desperately needed both.”

The story highlights the critical role The Food Project plays as an essential safety net in Southwest Baltimore. Often labeled a "containment zone," 21223 is at the epicenter of the opioid epidemic's long-term effects. Children like this young boy are often its forgotten casualties—until someone intervenes.

“This is what The Food Project does,” said Suazo. “We meet urgent needs, but we also build bridges—to food, to safety, and to a future. This Mother’s Day, that future includes a new home, four sisters, and the chance to be a kid again.”

About The Food Project

The Food Project, an initiative of U Empower of Maryland, operates as a community-based education and emergency resource hub in Southwest Baltimore. Through meals, mentorship, job training, and wraparound services, The Food Project uplifts youth and families impacted by poverty, food insecurity, and systemic neglect.

To support this work or learn more, visit: www.uempowerofmd.org

Orioles and CareFirst BCBS x The Food Project: Seedy Nutty | Baltimore Orioles

Seedy Nutty isn’t just a good snack. It’s changing lives in Southwest Baltimore. We are proud to partner with CareFirst to support The Food Project Baltimore. Check out the Seedy Nutty stand the next time you are at The Yard!

https://youtu.be/pItDtAIwzPc?si=8Z7BLhAWjaqubiWe

Subscribe to the Baltimore Orioles YT Channel: https://bit.ly/2SYEQEV #BaltimoreOrioles #Birdland #MLB #Orioles For more O’s action: https://www.orioles.com Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Orioles/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orioles/ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Orioles

The Food Project: Feeding Minds, Growing Leaders | Baltimore Orioles x CareFirst

https://youtu.be/gVvMD9pZbXs?si=nQvvaRQylPV51Zt-

The Food Project’s Michelle Suazo (Executive Director) and Ashley Dingle (Operations Manager) discuss the importance of community-based education, providing jobs for youth in need, and tapping into kids’ passions to be sure they love what they do. On July 25, 2022, the Orioles announced a three-year initiative with CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield in support of The Food Project, a Baltimore organization that brings cooking, farming, restaurant skills, job opportunities, sustainable food sources, mentorship, and hope to the youth of Southwest Baltimore. The Orioles and CareFirst have pledged funds over the next three years to provide jobs within The Food Project. The positions that will be funded include an operations manager, kitchen manager, meal deliverer, and Seedy Nutty Granola production manager.

Subscribe to the Baltimore Orioles YT Channel: https://bit.ly/2SYEQEV #BaltimoreOrioles #CareFirst #TheFoodProject #Birdland #MLB #Orioles For more O’s action: https://www.orioles.com Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Orioles/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orioles/ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Orioles

Baltimore Orioles and CareFirst: Teaming up to Support The Food Project

https://www.mlb.com/news/featured/baltimore-orioles-and-carefirst-teaming-up-to-support-the-food-project

The Orioles deepened their involvement in the Baltimore community earlier this year when they announced their partnership with CareFirst Blue Cross BlueShield. As part of the partnership, the organizations will focus on supporting The Food Project, a local Baltimore non-profit, for the next three years.

Located just two miles from Oriole Park, The Food Project brings cooking, farming, restaurant skills, job opportunities, sustainable food sources, mentorship, and hope to the youth in Southwest Baltimore.

“We are thrilled to join forces with CareFirst to support a wonderful local organization in The Food Project,” said Jennifer Grondahl, Orioles Senior Vice President, Community Development & Communications. “We were first introduced to The Food Project in 2019 and have been working with them ever since. Their Seedy Nutty Granola is a popular food item purchased in our ballpark, and we were fortunate to employ at-risk youth from their program in our ballpark during the 2022 season. This new initiative is just an extension of what has already been a years-long positive relationship, and we are looking forward to getting more people involved to continue to give back to our Baltimore community.”

As part of their partnership, the Orioles and CareFirst have pledged funds to provide jobs within The Food Project. The jobs include an operations manager, kitchen manager, meal deliverer, and a Seedy Nutty Granola production manager, and will directly impact those living in Southwest Baltimore.

Orioles & CareFirst Volunteer Day at The Food Project | Baltimore Orioles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wenJgHPzcJ4

Hear from CareFirst BlueCross Blue Shield CMO Mack McGee and Director of Community Health & Social Impact Hosanna Asfaw-Means on the importance of fighting food insecurity and strengthening workforce development in our communities as Orange & Black Gives Back and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield volunteers lend a collective hand on-site at The Food Project.

Subscribe to the Baltimore Orioles YT Channel: https://bit.ly/2SYEQEV #BaltimoreOrioles #Birdland #MLB #Orioles For more O’s action: https://www.orioles.com Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Orioles/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orioles/ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Orioles