Each year, WYPR’s On The Record features interviews with the latest cohort of OSI-Baltimore Community Fellows.
This year, fellow Ana Rodney kicked off the 2019 cohort in December when she spoke to host Sheilah Kast about her organization, MOMCares, which offers postpartum doula support to low-income, single women of color in the NICU. Listen here. Fellows Janet Glover-Kerkvliet and Damien A. Hassling were also featured in December. Glover-Kerkvliet’s program, Baltimore Job Hunters Support Group (BJHSG) offers not only practical training but also much-needed emotional support to older job seekers. Haussling’s project, Baltimore Furniture Bank, aims to provide formerly homeless people with items they need to furnish their new homes. Listen here.
Starting the new year, fellows Marvin Hayes and Mariah S. Pratt Bonkowski talked about their projects, Baltimore Compost Collective and Pop Pantries, respectively. Hayes started his composting collective to help combat Baltimore’s environmental challenges. Pratt Bonkowski started PoP (which stands for Parts of Peace) Pantry, similar in concept to Little Free Libraries, to provide things like nonperishable food or hygiene products to those who might have difficulty obtaining such things. Listen here.
Today, Dinorah Olmos and Kendra Summers, two fellows who are working with Latinx populations in Baltimore, will talk to WYPR about their work, La Escuela, sus Hijos y Usted (School, Your Children, and You), and Casa Amable (Kind Home), respectively on January 7 (listen here). Then on January 15, the interviews will wrap up with Kanav Kathuria, whose Farm to Prison Project aims to improve all aspects of food served in correctional facilities, and Elyshia Aseltine, who will talk about Fair Chance Higher Education, a program she started to support students with criminal records.
