In the summer of 2020, Danielle Adams was looking for a career change. Her job paid well, but she was hungry to do something that incorporated the “Works of Mercy” valued by her Catholic faith. When she became the Executive Officer at the Frederick County Building Industry Association (FCBIA) in 2001, it turned out to be her dream job; she could use her skills to help people in tangible ways.
Danielle (who goes by Dani) has long been impressed by the ministry that your support established. After she started working for FCBIA, she learned that the Mission was the food security hub for Frederick County during the Covid crisis. Dani wanted the FCBIA to help us somehow.
When she saw all the difficulties our gravel parking lot caused, she knew that would be her project. The staff of the Mission told her that the parking lot was a lost cause and that they had tried unsuccessfully to get it paved for 15 years. Dani was not deterred.
Dani contacted Taeko Wakasono, Manager of Engineering at the City of Frederick. Taeko studied the parking lot and determined it only needed a runoff plan, not a complete overhaul. She recognized that a paved parking lot with simple drainage would benefit the environment by creating cleaner runoff water and improving air quality. Pavement would also enhance the physical safety of guests, volunteers, and staff.
Next, Dani recruited John Mazelon from Fox & Associates. John had been the engineer in previous projects at the Mission, overseeing the new kitchen and the Food Distribution Center construction. Together, John and Taeko made plans to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Dani brought Steve Oder with Cavalier Development onboard as the project manager to get contractor bids and establish a budget. Dani now had to find $282,000 to finish funding the project.
Dani started by going to the Home Builders Care Foundation. She reasoned, “I’ve got God on my side, so I’m going to ask big.” She asked for $141,000, saying she would find another organization to match the grant. She did not know that the Foundation had been looking for a large project to make a huge community impact. They might have turned her down if she had asked for less money!
Dan Ryan, who is on the Home Builders Care Foundation, was so enthusiastic that he asked Dani to start the project immediately. The City of Frederick was so supportive that permits that would typically take weeks to approve took two hours! Neighbors like the Religious Coalition for Emergency Human Needs were more than cooperative in providing an easement. Suddenly, Dani saw God in control of the project and that she was just a conduit.
Since this was God’s project, Dani was not surprised when the Ausherman Family Foundation agreed to match the $141,000. W.F Delauter & Son, Pleasants Construction, and H. Frank Foland & Son contributed time, equipment, and manpower. MANY others in the community also stepped up to see this project come to fruition.
When installing the drainage through the Religious Coalition’s property, workers found other unexpected challenges and supply chain delays. By God’s grace, in time, those problems were resolved.
When Dani saw our gravel parking lot in 2021, she knew by faith that the drainage and paving project would get done. She just didn’t know how or when. By putting her faith into action, she saw God act in ways she did not expect!
