COLUMBIA, MD - In their largest effort yet, the Howard County Association of REALTORS® and its nonprofit HCAR Cares were able to feed 446 local families this year through the 8^th Annual Thanksgiving Basket Drive.

 

In partnership with the organization Neighbor Network, HCAR and HCAR Cares launch their basket drive every October, asking HCAR members and the community at large to drop off baskets containing everything needed to have a Thanksgiving dinner, including a $25 grocery store gift card that may be used to buy a turkey. This year’s overwhelming response filled HCAR’s Columbia office to the brim, as baskets lined the hallways and filled work spaces, two conference rooms, the IT closet, the lobby, and the REALTOR® retail store.

 

Columbia Community Cares distributed 100 of the baskets to their clients and the rest were distributed by Neighbor Network and the Howard County Multiservice Center to local organizations and individuals who need them the most.

 

HCAR offices competed this year to see who could donate the most baskets. With 64 baskets, the Wendy Slaughter Team of Elevate Real Estate Brokerage were the winners. They will house the coveted traveling turkey trophy until next year’s winners are announced. Coming in second with 41 baskets was Primary Residential Mortgage. In third place with 38 baskets was Long & Foster Columbia.

 

“Each year, this drive gets bigger and bigger and we owe it all to our incredible community of supporters,” said HCAR Cares President Alicyn DelZoppo. “We look forward to many more years of partnering with Neighbor Network to ensure Howard County families in need have dinner on Thanksgiving.”