Youth REACH Count 2026 survey is officially open.

The Youth REACH Count is a critical statewide effort to better understand the experiences and needs of young people experiencing housing instability across Maryland. Your partnership is essential to helping us reach youth where they are and ensure their voices are counted.

Survey Details:

Maryland Department of Health
Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities
FY2027 Funding Opportunities

The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities (MHHD) has announced the release of two major grant opportunities designed to advance health equity and improve outcomes for racial and ethnic minority communities across Maryland. The deadline for both RFAs is March 11, 2026, at 5 PM.

Minority Outreach and Technical Assistance (MOTA) Program

The MOTA program is MHHD’s flagship initiative, focusing on community-based health education and prevention through funding to organizations provide preventative programming, utilize community engagement, partnerships, outreach, technical assistance, and ongoing intervention with individuals in need.

This grant supports projects targeting chronic disease and critical health areas, including:

To learn more about MOTA, visit bit.ly/4j7NRpd.

To apply for the grant, visit eMMA at https://emma.maryland.gov/;
Solicitation ID: BPM055355.

The Pre-Application Webinar for the MOTA FY 2027 RFA will be held on February 25, 2026, 12 – 2 p.m. Register to attend at eventbrite.com/e/1980494078101/?aff=oddtdtcreator.

The application deadline is March 11, 2026, 5 PM.

Addressing Disparities in Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Program

The SDOH program targets the “upstream” factors that impact health, typically outside health care delivery, necessary to reduce health disparities and maintain healthy communities and populations. The program does this by funding organizations to provide community-based interventions addressing SDOH.

Learn more about social determinants of health here. Examples of SDOH applicants should address include :

To learn more about the SDOH program, visit bit.ly/4qDBG7r

To apply for the grant, visit eMMA at https://emma.maryland.gov;
Solicitation ID: BPM055359.

The Pre-Application Webinar for the Social Determinants of Health FY 2027 RFA will be held on February 26, 2026, 12 – 2 p.m. Register to attend at eventbrite.com/e/1980495081101/?aff=oddtdtcreator.

The application deadline is March 11, 2026, 5 PM.

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Registration is Open for The 2nd Annual Eastern Shore Food Security Symposium!

Join us for Feeding Our Futures, Moving Forward Together: The 2nd Annual Eastern Shore Food Security Symposium on Friday, March 20, 2026 at Chesapeake College for a day filled with insightful discussions, engaging workshops, and networking opportunities. Together, we will explore innovative solutions to address food insecurity in our community. Let’s come together to share ideas and strategies to ensure that everyone has access to nutritious food. This event is free, and both breakfast and lunch will be provided.

The opening session features an inspiring lineup of distinguished speakers who will share insights on the future of agriculture, food security, and rural health in Maryland.

Secretary Kevin Atticks of the Maryland Department of Agriculture will kick off the event, delivering opening remarks on the vital role of agriculture and the food system in Maryland.

Secretary Kevin Atticks of the Maryland Department of Agriculture will kick off the event, delivering opening remarks on the vital role of agriculture and the food system in Maryland.

Charlotte Davis, Executive Director of the Rural Maryland Council will highlight exciting new opportunities poised to revitalize and strengthen our rural communities.

The Maryland Department of Health will introduce the new Rural Health Transformation Program, highlighting funding opportunities and targeted investments to enhance food security among rural Marylanders.

Seating is Limited. Register Now.
For questions about the event, please contact Nancy Nunn at nnunn@umd.edu.

Invitation: SOAR Training and Information Session

What: SOAR (SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery) is a nationally recognized, evidence-based program that assists individuals who are experiencing homelessness—or at risk of homelessness—with applying for SSI/SSDI disability benefits using a trauma-informed approach.

This session is designed to strengthen your ability to:

Mid Shore Behavioral Health has a Certified SOAR Case Specialist dedicated to serving the mid-shore region, managing referrals, and coordinating directly with providers to support clients throughout the application process.

This training is highly encouraged for all CHWs supporting individuals facing housing instability or complex behavioral health needs.

When: Feb 27 · 9:00 am EST

Where: 28578 Mary’s Court, Easton, MD 21601

Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/soar-training-information-session-tickets-1982545986414

SAVE THE DATE: Feeding Our Futures, Moving Forward Together

What: 2nd Annual Eastern Shore Food Security Symposium

When: Friday, March 20, 2026

Where: Chesapeake College, Wye Mills, MD

Registration: midshorehealth.org/foodsecurity, registration opens Mid/Late February

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Dear Caroline Better Together Supporters,

Thank you for your engagement with ongoing collective impact work in Caroline County! We appreciate your commitment and patience as we continue with our efforts to connect people to each other and to resources throughout the county.

An important part of what Caroline Better Together does is share information, for instance through the resource directory on CarolineBetterTogether.Org and our Facebook and Instagram pages. But we’ve heard that some weeks it feels like you are being bombarded by mass emails from us. We’d like to stop doing that, while still distributing valuable information shared by our members.

This email is the inaugural email in our new model of information sharing. From now on we will collect relevant announcements and items of interest over the course of a week and share it all in one weekly email digest sent on Fridays, rather than sending things out in multiple emails.

If you have events, resources, or opportunities that are appropriate to send through the Caroline Better Together email digest, please send them to admin@carolinebettertogether.org and we will include them in the weekly email.

Enough from us, below are a few items of potential interest.

Upcoming Free Preparedness and De-Escalation Classes

Citizens Preparedness Training:

This 10 week course is geared to increase the participants’ knowledge of and confidence to handle common and some not so common emergencies.

Enrollees will gain knowledge and tools to handle situations until Emergency Responders can arrive, including skills such as how to use fire extinguishers, CPR, AED, de-escalation techniques, narcan training, and what information to gather and relay to 911 when you call to report large scale emergencies. Use this link to register.

You can read more about the training in the Caroline Review here.

This training is made possible by a partnership between CCHD and DES.

Where: Caroline County Recreation and Parks 107 S 4th St, Denton, MD 21629

What: 10 week program with time built in for MRC enrollment (week 1) and time to complete the R2R step 2 orientation (week 9) as a part of the program

When: Tuesday evenings 6-9 PM starting Feb 17th

Registration Link

If you have any questions about the training, please email: vog.dnalyramobfsctd-6dc13f@llahac.niboR.

Self-Awareness and De-Escalation Training:

In this 2-part series led by trainer Phil Whitelock, participants will learn basic de-escalation, situational awareness and conflict resolution techniques. This is a series and participants must complete the first session to enroll in the second. Use this link to register.

Where: HAPS Building, 403 S 7th St, Denton, MD 21629

When: Module #1 Feb 17th at 12pm, Module #2 March 7th at 1pm

Registration Link

If you have any questions about the training, please email: vog.dnalyramobfsctd-1fe89d@llahac.niboR.

Shakeoff Winter Dinner and Fundraiser for Caroline Medical Adult Day Care

Enjoy a meal and support the Caroline Medical Adult Day Care by purchasing a $35 dollar ticket for this dinner fundraiser. To purchase tickets contact Debbie at 410-490-5881 by February 27th (tickets will NOT be available at the door).

Dinner provided by Grills on Wheels.

When: Doors open at 6:00 pm, dinner at 6:30 pm, Friday, March 6, 2026 (purchase tix by 2/27)

Where: Preston Volunteer Fire Company, 3680 Choptank Rd Preston