How Wraparound Services Helped one Eastern Shore Family

“I can’t even really put my feelings into words. Without Martin’s and the Maryland Food Bank, I don’t know that we could have dug ourselves out of that dark place. We’re all humans, and it’s amazing that there are people who will help when people are struggling.”

When her mother passed away in May 2021, Sara Griffith thought all she and her family would have to deal with was grief. Little did she know that due to an unforeseen chain of events, they would come to rely on the services available from longtime MFB Network Partner Martin’s House & Barn in Caroline County just a few months later.

Three generations of Griffiths had been living in their family home, which Sara had always been told was financially sound. But the pandemic had been affecting the extended family’s finances more than she realized. And then, on July 26, 2021, a simple knock on her door changed everything.

Immediately, Sara called the Caroline County Health Department, which suggested she reach out to Martin’s. Since 1983 the organization has been providing “an array of services through a single point of entry with a dignified approach to address immediate and long-term needs.”

By the end of August, the Griffiths had moved into Martin’s Family Shelter in Ridgely, Md. and were getting relief from the organization’s varied resources.

While being able to access healthy food under a stable roof meant a great deal to the Griffiths in the short term, it was the organization’s Rapid Rehousing program that changed her family for the long term.

The program helped connect Sara with both a job opportunity and housing with rent that her family could afford.

Martin’s House & Barn is one of many statewide partners that are offering wraparound services, helping position families like Sara Griffith’s to stabilize and thrive.