News

Last month, we put out a request for landscaping tools and equipment for one of our ENOUGH families who is starting their own business. Several individuals responded and donated fantastic supplies, including a lawnmower, leaf blower, string trimmer and much more. The family wants to say THANK YOU to everyone who contributed. The tools will help them have sustainable income to support their children. HARC thanks you as well.

John Wesley United Methodist Church, 129 N Potomac St., Hagerstown, MD is seeking a part time Director of Music/Organist. Applicants must have relevant experience and references, and work well with people. To apply to work on our smoke and drug free campus, go to www.jw-umc.org/employment to view the full job description and the application form. The annual salary is $20,000 and entails an average of approximately 12 hours/week. Applications will be evaluated and screened as they are received for this position that comes open November 1, 2026.

On Saturday evening, September 26, HARC’s annual Interfaith Progressive Dinner was held, featuring four faith traditions:
~ St. John’s Episcopal Church (Christian-Anglican)
~ Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Christian-Mormon)
~ Church of the Wild Earth & Soul (Nature-based Spirituality), and
~ The Islamic Society of Western Maryland (Muslim).

About 100 people registered for the event, and the showery evening couldn’t dampen anyone’s spirits as guests were treated to a wide variety of appetizers at St. John’s, a delicious entrée buffet at the Mormon church, and a lavish dessert buffet at the mosque.

At each stop, guests listened as leaders of each faith tradition shared information about their faith and answered questions from guests. Rev. Dr. Rick Swanson spoke at St. John’s and a tour was given of the stunning historic sanctuary; After guests listened to children and youth sing songs of faith, Bishop Jonathan Harris and Heather Goodmansen spoke at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which also provided the setting for Leah Rampy to share the philosophies of the Church of the Wild Earth & Soul; and Imam Nazir Faruki spoke at the mosque about the imperative for Muslims to serve their community and show kindness to people of all faiths.

“It was such a fun night!” said one participant afterwards. “We really enjoyed great food and even better company.”

At the end of the event, another participant observed “Looking around, I see people from all different faiths and backgrounds coming together, respectfully talking and enjoying one another. It’s beautiful. If only we could do this ‘out there,’ we could have peace on earth.”

Thank you to all participating houses of worship for your generosity and wonderful hospitality!

See more photos from the dinner on our Facebook page 

IT’S OFFICIALLY SOCK-TOBER!
The challenge is ON!
For the entire month of October, we’re challenging our community to collect as many NEW socks as possible for the men, women, and children in our community.
And we want you to turn it into a SOCK DRIVE!

• Your workplace
• Your church
• Your family
• Your friends
• Your small group

Pick a group, grab a collection box, and see just how many pairs you can collect by October 31!
Use this image as a flyer. Bring the people together. And together, we’ll fill those shelves!
LET’S MAKE SOCK-TOBER COUNT!

We are overwhelmed with gratitude and joy for Potomac Bank / BCT Cares Foundation’s incredible donation of $30,000 (wow!) to our Micah’s Backpack program from their annual Pack The Pack fundraiser. This equates to more than 15,000 meals for children in our community. Their donation is outstanding and their total fundraising of over $120,000 for FOUR backpack programs (3 in WV) boggles our minds. But what’s truly remarkable to us is how hard the entire Potomac Bank team worked to achieve this and how much each of them deeply cares about ensuring that no child goes hungry.

In addition to the $30,000 donation for food, Potomac Bank has committed another $1,000 to purchase microwaves for Micah’s families that need them.

THANK YOU, Potomac Bank!!

HARC and the Micah’s Backpack Steering Team

Hello Dear RWN [Refugee Welcome Network]Team,

We would like to sincerely thank every member of your team from the bottom of our hearts for all the kindness, support, and help you gave us during one of the most difficult periods of our lives.

When our circumstances were very difficult, you stood by us and helped us in so many ways. You helped us find work, assisted us with rent, and even provided food for us. We will never forget your kindness, generosity, and support.

Your support and trust gave us hope and the strength to stand on our own feet again. We worked very hard, made many sacrifices, and did everything we could to build a better life. We also worked hard to meet the requirements and become eligible to purchase a home.

Today, we are very happy to share one of the greatest achievements of our lives with all of you: we have been able to purchase a home for our family. This home represents hope, hard work, perseverance, and the beginning of a better life.

Today, my wife and I are both working and doing our best to build a better life, be productive members of our community, and contribute to the people and the country we now call home.

Whenever we faced difficulties, we reached out to you, and you were always there for us with kindness and compassion. But this time, we did not want to contact you because of a problem. This time, we wanted to share a happy moment with you because we consider all of you more than just people who helped us—we consider you part of our family.

If we have reached this point today, a part of our success is because of your support, kindness, and encouragement. Your help during our difficult days gave us hope, energy, and motivation to keep working hard and moving forward.

Thank you to every member of the team for everything you have done for us. We will always remember your kindness and carry it in our hearts. We are truly happy to share this wonderful news with all of you.

With our deepest respect, gratitude, and appreciation,
Mohammad Aref Danish and Family

Want to help support other families like this one? Donations of funds and time are always needed. Donate HERE, choosing Refugee Welcome Network from the drop-down menu. If interested in volunteering, contact refugeewelcome@harc.datachievereview.xyz or 301-842-4272.

A huge thank you to our community partners Fiserv and the Elk’s Lodge for collecting and distributing 3,512 individual servings of peanut butter (439 boxes of eight) + 1,396 individual cracker sleeves for Micah’s Backpack! Fiserv collected all the food and delivered it to the Elk’s Lodge, where members sorted the food by individual Micah’s Backpack sponsors and distributed it. What a great partnership and community effort!

Rev. Mark Van Meter, Major for the Salvation Army in Hagerstown, MD, moved here last year to take over operations. In March of this year, the ministry’s only thrift store had a fire and closed, causing a huge loss of revenue. Salvation Army hosted our September HARC meeting, where Mark shared an update on the fire and progress with the thrift store as well as information about the essential programs and services of the Salvation Army, which served 41,938 people in 2025.  Mark also offered ways the faith community can help.

Watch the presentation on YouTube

Salvation Army one page programs overview

Help with bell-ringing!

 

HARC’s Lighthouse After-School program is seeking Program Leaders who have a skill or hobby to offer and can commit to weekly sessions for at least one marking period (4-8 weeks). This role can be paid or volunteer. We try to match you with a school and day of your choosing, and you will have at least one classroom aid from the designated school and typically no more than 15 children. A training will be held Friday, October 9, 3-5 pm for new and seasoned Program Leaders. Classroom volunteers and Substitutes are also wanted. Contact Angela for more info: angela@harc.datachievereview.xyz or 801-520-4918.