Free Food Resource Guide Launches Interactive Redesign
Website Assists Carroll County Families in Need Find Groceries
The Westminster Rescue Mission has launched an updated version of its Carroll County Free Food Resource Guide, including maps and searchable criteria that can help users easily locate pantries and other food programs near their community.
The Guide, now found online at www.ccmdfreefood.org, allows users to customize their search by location, day of the week, and types of services and includes the ability to translate the site to Spanish or Ukrainian. The list of providers that meet the user’s needs can be saved as a PDF to print or download for future reference.
“The Carroll County Free Food Resource Guide launched three years ago as a directory to help our hungry neighbors and the agencies that serve them find food pantries, free meals, and little free pantries that can assist them where and when they need food,” said Stephanie Halley, CEO of the Westminster Rescue Mission. “At that time, we had no idea how vital this resource would become, with cuts in food benefits and higher grocery bills striking a double blow to household budgets.”
The Carroll County Free Food Resource Guide proved especially valuable during the 2025 government shutdown that impacted families reliant on federal paychecks, as well as the unprecedented cut to SNAP benefits. Government agencies and community groups were able to point affected community members to the site to find services many did not even realize existed.
The need for food assistance continues to grow. Carroll County pantries reported a 20% increase in visits in 2026 compared to 2025, and monthly visits are projected to exceed a record 12,000 for October through December 2026.
The Mission Food Program at the Westminster Rescue Mission is a redistribution partner of the Maryland Food Bank. The Mission Food Program provides protein, dairy, vegetables, and shelf-stable staples to 28 downstream partners across Carroll County, including through its five monthly mobile distributions that often move thousands of pounds of food in an hour. In the 2025-26 fiscal year, the Mission Food Program moved more than 1 million pounds of food through its warehouse, which is approximately 907,600 meals on Carroll dining tables.
“As we prepare to serve more families more often, this updated version of the resource guide provides a better user experience to help Carroll County families in crisis find help where and when they need it,” Halley said.
The new version of the Free Food Resource Guide soft-launched in September to work out programming bugs and became publicly available this week. The project was funded by the Carroll County Health Department through a Community Food Security Grant issued by the Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Control at the Maryland Department of Health.
About the Mission Food Program
Westminster Rescue Mission is dedicated to overcoming the growing problem of food insecurity and hunger in our surrounding communities. The Mission Food Program — the largest re-distributor of food in Carroll County — provides hunger relief through our distribution network and community outreach services in partnership with dozens of area agencies and charities. In FY 2025-2026 the Mission Food Program distributed more than 1 million pounds of food into the community – that’s the equivalent of 907,600 million meals.
Contact:
Trish St. Michel
Community Engagement Manager
410-848-2222x135
tstmichel@WestminsterRescueMission.org
