Columbia Community Care

What Columbia Community Care does

Columbia Community Care (CCC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Columbia, Maryland (Howard County), founded in March 2020 by high school Spanish teacher Erika Strauss Chavarria during the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization operates a no-barrier hunger relief and community wellness model — providing food and supportive services without income verification, documentation, or appointments — serving approximately 300 to 400 families per week (~1,500 people) and having completed more than 17,000 home grocery deliveries to date. Its core programmatic surface includes three Saturday food distribution sites, a home grocery delivery service, the STAND and PUSH youth development programs, the Black August Summer Institute (now operating in Mexico), the Circles for Those Who Mother program, a volleyball program, and the recently launched Freetown Farm Community Garden in partnership with the Community Ecology Institute. The organization's infrastructure footprint is undergoing a major expansion: The Source, a 65,000 sq ft community center that broke ground on April 24, 2026 and is projected to create more than 100 new jobs, represents the centerpiece of a multi-year capacity buildout. The operating model relies on donations, local county grants (including YEP! and YES Council engagement with Howard County Government), corporate and institutional partnerships (Columbia Concepts, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Howard County Food Bank / Community Action Council), and a volunteer base numbering in the hundreds alongside approximately five paid staff. Disclosed operating cost for the hunger relief program alone is approximately $4,000 per week (~$208,000 annualized), though total organizational expenditure is not publicly disclosed and is likely materially higher given concurrent facility construction and multi-program operations. Founder Erika Strauss Chavarria was named a 2025 Most Admired CEO by The Daily Record.

Name

Columbia Community Care

Legal name

Columbia Community Care Inc

Website

https://columbiacommunitycare.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Columbia Community Care is a Howard County, Maryland-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates no-barrier hunger relief, youth development, and community wellness programs, serving roughly 1,500 people weekly through food distribution, delivery, and a new 65,000 sq ft community center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Services / Hunger Relief

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Center Education Programs (EDAAAFAB)

Keywords

• Hunger relief services
• Food distribution programs
• Community assistance
• Youth development programs
• Food pantry services

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: Columbia Community Care is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that relies on donations from individuals, community members, local county grants, and generous supporters. The majority of support comes from local county grants and community donors who believe in the mission.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Columbia Community Care is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides no-barrier food assistance to Howard County residents through three Saturday distribution sites and a home grocery delivery service. It complements hunger relief with youth mentorship and development programs (STAND, PUSH, Black August Summer Institute, volleyball) and community-building initiatives, and is developing The Source, a 65,000-square-foot community center, plus a community garden for fresh produce.

Product overview

Columbia Community Care is a nonprofit community organization that provides hunger relief, youth development, and community support services in Howard County, Maryland. The organization operates a network of food distribution sites and grocery delivery services, youth mentorship programs (STAND and PUSH), and community-building initiatives including restorative justice circles and volleyball programs. Major initiatives include The Source, a planned 65,000-square-foot LEED-certified community center with gymnasium, food hall, and recording studio; a community garden at Freetown Farm; and the Black August Summer Institute international youth program. Founded in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, CCC serves 300-400 families weekly without requiring income verification or documentation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Source: A planned 65,000-square-foot, LEED-certified community center being developed in partnership with Columbia Concepts. The Source will feature a 20,000-square-foot gymnasium with four basketball courts, a food hall, video game and game rooms, a recording studio, computer access and Wi-Fi service, tutoring, arts engagement, mentorship programs, and employment resources.

Products and services

• Food Distribution Sites Weekly Saturday food distribution (9:30 am - 11:30 am) at three Howard County locations - Wilde Lake Interfaith Center, Long Reach Village Center (courtyard area), and The Barn at Oakland Mills - providing groceries and essential items to families in need without requiring income verification, documentation, or appointments.
• Grocery Delivery Service Home delivery of full grocery orders to Howard County families who lack transportation or cannot visit distribution sites in person; available to all county residents with a 7-day waiting period between orders.
• The Source Community Center 65,000-square-foot LEED-certified community center under development at the former Columbia Flier Building, featuring a 20,000-square-foot gymnasium with four basketball courts, food hall, recording studio, game rooms, tutoring, arts engagement, mentorship programs, and employment resources; will create at least 100 new jobs.
• Community Garden at Freetown Farm 1,350-square-foot community garden plot at Freetown Farm (a six-acre working farm stewarded by the Community Ecology Institute) expected to yield approximately 1,350 pounds of fresh produce per season for distribution to families.
• Black August Summer Institute International educational program sending youth mentees to Mexico for immersive experiences combining Revolutionary Black history, sustainable agriculture, CPR training, horseback riding, yoga, and life skills development.
• Circles for Those Who Mother Monthly restorative-justice circles hosted at the Harriet Tubman Cultural Center in partnership with the Restorative Justice Partnership, providing a supportive space for caregivers to share experiences without seeking advice, with childcare and food provided.
• Pocket Pantry Partnership Community refrigerator initiative providing 24/7 access to nutritious food for Howard County families, operated in partnership with Howard County Food Bank, Roving Radish, DCRS, RLG Community Foundation, and Glenelg United Methodist Church.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves 300-400 families weekly (approximately 1,500 individuals)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Columbia ConceptscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024Columbia Concepts is the developer partnered with CCC to redevelop the Columbia Flier Building into 'The Source,' a 65,000-square-foot community center. Columbia Concepts will construct and operate the facility, creating at least 100 new jobs. The partnership was announced in April 2024.
• Community Ecology Institute (CEI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEI stewards Freetown Farm, a six-acre working farm in Columbia. CEI installed a raised-bed garden at CCC's original headquarters and partnered with CCC for a 1,350-square-foot market garden plot. CEI's Nourishing Gardens program has installed over 70 gardens at schools and community spaces across Howard County.
• Howard County Food Bank / Community Action Council of Howard County (CAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCC operates as a complementary partner to CAC's Howard County Food Bank. Families slightly over income guidelines at CAC are referred to CCC. Community members uncomfortable with applications are referred to CCC. The organizations function as a living referral network, with CCC filling gaps for ALICE populations and those uncomfortable with traditional application processes.
• Columbia, Maryland Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership began in 2022 when sorority members signed up to volunteer. Volunteers sort food, package diapers, deliver items, and organize food drives every second Saturday. The sorority has contributed over 540 hours of service to CCC.
• Miller's Grant Retirement CommunityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOnce a month, volunteers from Miller's Grant, a retirement community, help at CCC food pantry. They collect donations in their lobby and bring them to CCC, help with headquarters relocation and repairs, and coordinate bulk donations.
• Stepping Towards a New DestinyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCC partners with this organization which provides mentors for the STAND youth program. Mentors like Jahlil Jarrett and Darryl Jeffries serve as role models for at-risk youth.
• S.T.A.N.D HoCo and P.U.S.HcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCC partners with these youth organizations to create mentorship and development opportunities. Programs include STAND and PUSH which focus on mentorship of at-risk youth, and United We STAND summer program which served 32 at-risk teens in 2025.
• Restorative Justice PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCC partners with Restorative Justice Partnership to host 'Circles for Those Who Mother' - monthly gatherings for people who care for others, providing a space for sharing experiences without seeking advice.
• KGD (Architecture Firm)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitects at KGD are designing The Source community center project.
• Howard County Youth Engagement Strategies (YES) CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCC served as a council member in Howard County's YES Council, established by County Executive Calvin Ball in March 2025. The council assessed how the county engages and supports young people and produced the Transforming Youth Outcomes through Restorative Justice report.
• Howard County GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHoward County purchased the Columbia Flier Building in 2014. County Executive Calvin Ball launched YEP! initiative in 2023 offering grants to nonprofits supporting youth. The county is partnering with CCC on The Source project and the Pocket Pantry initiative.
• Pocket Pantry Partners (Howard County Food Bank, Roving Radish, DCRS, RLG Community Foundation, Glenelg United Methodist Church)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCC partnered with Howard County Food Bank, Roving Radish, DCRS, RLG Community Foundation, and Glenelg United Methodist Church to launch and sustain community refrigerators stocked with nutritious food.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Moveable Feast: Maryheadquartered nonprofit providing medically tailored home-delivered meals and food assistance. Closely comparable in the home-delivery food assistance model and Maryland geographic focus, though serves a different beneficiary segment.
• SOME (So Others Might Eat): DC-based comprehensive anti-poverty nonprofit combining food, housing, workforce development, and youth services under one organizational umbrella. Materially comparable integrated service model targeting similar populations.
• Martha's Table: DC-based nonprofit operating no-barrier food distribution combined with youth development and family services — closely mirrors CCC's integrated model of dignity-first food assistance plus youth programming in an adjacent mid-Atlantic market.
• Bread for the City: Washington DC nonprofit providing food, clothing, medical care, and social services to low-income residents with a dignity-first, barrier-removal approach. Strong parallel in combining wraparound services with food access in the same region.
• DC Central Kitchen: Mid-Atlantic nonprofit combining food distribution, culinary job training, and community meals. Comparable in combining hunger relief with workforce development programming, though operates at significantly larger scale.
• Howard County Food Bank / Community Action Council: Howard County's established food assistance provider operating traditional application-based food bank services. CCC explicitly partners with CAC through a referral network serving ALICE populations; they offer overlapping services with complementary intake models in the same geography.

Regional players

• Capital Area Food Bank: Regional food bank serving the DC metro area including parts of Maryland. Operates at much larger scale with traditional food bank model; comparable category but different geographic footprint and intake process.

Broad incumbents

• Maryland Food Bank: Statewide hunger relief organization and CCC's parent-network partner; operates as a food sourcing/distribution umbrella across Maryland. Materially comparable mission with a more traditional model and substantially larger scale.

Emerging players

• Nourish Now: Maryland-area food recovery and redistribution nonprofit focused on reducing food waste while addressing food insecurity. Comparable regional scope and hunger relief mission with a distinct food-recovery angle.

Others

• Community Ecology Institute: Howard County-based nonprofit stewarding Freetown Farm where CCC's community garden plot is located. Direct operational partner; comparable in local nonprofit community-embeddedness though focused on food/agriculture rather than distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=39DWB5RYHKk
• Facebookfacebook.com/columbia.community.care
• Instagraminstagram.com/columbiacommunitycare
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/columbia-community-care

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Columbia Community Care