Dear Jane,

As 2025 draws to a close, I want to extend my deepest gratitude for the belief you’ve shown in our young people at the St. Francis Neighborhood Center. Because of your support, students in the Power Project are finding their voices, building their confidence, and stepping into possibilities they once imagined only from afar.

This year, our classrooms are full. Every seat in the Power Project is occupied, and we now maintain a growing waitlist of students and parents seeking the opportunity to join our programs. The demand is a stark reality. The hope is tangible. And with your help, we are meeting it and keeping hope alive.

But we’re also navigating an increasingly challenging landscape. Government funding streams that once helped underpin our work have been severely cut. Many nonprofits nationwide, especially those supporting youth, education, and community services, are facing a funding cliff as federal and state support shrinks. Other school programs that have been cut are sending students to us, resulting in higher enrollment and waitlist numbers than we’ve ever seen.

What that means for us: our students need more than ever the wrap‑around support of mentors, tutors, safe space and enrichment. Families are also turning to our food pantry with greater urgency. Since summer, our food distribution attendance has approximately doubled.

Because both public funding and private support are under pressure, your year‑end gift becomes even more critical. Your generosity will help us:

• Maintain and expand the Power Project so no young person is turned away for lack of space

• Keep our food pantry shelves stocked and our distribution flowing so every family in our community can count on nourishment and dignity

• Meet increased demand without compromising the quality of mentorship, tutoring, and care that our students rely on

As the fiscal terrain shifts, your gift ensures that regardless of budget cuts or policy changes, our mission stays strong and our doors stay open. Together, we’re affirming a truth: when a young person gets the tools, encouragement, and community they deserve, they can lead and succeed with a guiding purpose of passion in all they do.

Thank you for standing with our students, our families, and our community at this pivotal moment. Hope remains alive, futures remain possible, and the Power Project continues to transform lives……because of YOU!

In this moment of rising need and shrinking resources, your support is what keeps us standing strong.

Thank you!

Stay connected with us!

St. Francis Neighborhood Center

2405 Linden Avenue

Baltimore, MD 21217

stfranciscenter.org