UCM executive director Shirley Marshall and Board President Gigi Hyland unveil UCM’s new logo at the organization’s Capital Steps Benefit in January. Photo Contributed
Many people think of United Community Ministries as just a food bank and a thrift store, executive director Shirley Marshall said.
“That is all they know about us. A lot of what we are trying to do this year, on our 45th anniversary, is say, there’s a little more to us than that actually,” Marshall said.
As UCM marks its 45th anniversary, Marshall said the organization is increasing outreach efforts to make sure they are known in the community.
“We’re starting to get back out and remind people that we are here, and to see the amazing programs we have going on. It’s an invitation to be part of what we are doing. And it’s an education,” Marshall said. “If you live in certain parts of our community, and you go up and down the parkway for work, you don’t even know that some of these needs are here, because it’s not in front of you, it’s not visible, it’s in the background. We want to make it more visible that there are needs here, and people can help.”
The organization is also unveiling a new logo that Marshall said represents the goals of UCM.
“We wanted to have a look that said who we are now, and where we are going, not just where we’d been,” Marshall said.
UCM spent several months brainstorming a new logo, as Marshall said they wanted something that newcomers to the community could relate to.
The new logo includes three figures holding up a red heart, with the tagline “at the heart of community.”
“It’s a red heart for caring, because when we’ve done surveys internally and externally, that is one of the words that came up again and again-people felt the staff and volunteers here are so caring,” Marshall said. “It’s got three people because none of us do anything alone.”
As for the tagline, Marshall said that it represents the original mission of UCM.
“We felt that tagline really spokes to who we are, and who we would like to be — the bridge between the people who want to help and the people who need help,” Marshall said.
Marshall said that UCM is striving to make everyone in the community feel welcome.
“It’s not just about welcoming donors, it’s not just about welcoming clients, you want to welcome everyone who comes through the door. You never know when you might be the client, or you might be in the position to be a donor,” Marshall said. “We have one wonderful donor who was a client 15 years ago, and now he’s a donor, because he can give back and he knows what it is like to need something. “
Diane Hill, UCM development and communications officer, has a similar story from a back-to-school drive that took place in August.
“Over the summer, we had some West Potomac High School kids that were volunteering. One of the young men very generously told me his parents got divorced when he was in fifth grade and he knew about UCM because his family came in to get supplies from UCM. That thrills us that kids who got help from UCM are coming back to volunteer,” Hill said.
As UCM continues in its 45th year, Marshall said the outreach will remind people that there is still a level of need along Route 1, even if it may seem less visible.
“This area used to have literal shacks where people lived in. It was people living close to Route 1 in a falling down shack, and you could see there was a real need there. You could see people on the street,” Marshall said. “Now what is really needed is the longer term support. It’s a different kind of need.”
Marshall said that UCM is always in need of volunteers, who keep the busy food pantry running.
“I volunteer here because I like helping and giving food to the homeless,” said Kevin Elznic, a senior at Hayfield High School who has been volunteering at the food pantry for three weeks.
The Friends of UCM will be hosting their gala on March 29.