Rockville Nonprofits Receive United Way 'Shoeboxes'

 and , also of Rockville, were two of three Montgomery County nonprofits to receive 280 boxes of supplies on Thursday to distribute to clients.

The boxes were among more than 2,000 filled with personal and emergency preparedness as part of the United Way of the National Capital Area’s inaugural Shoebox Project.

“There are so many people in need within Montgomery County," Nina Golding, director of development for Interfaith Works, said in a news release. "It is so important that there are organizations like the United Way that reach out and support those in need. Like the United Way, Interfaith Works is about neighbors helping neighbors and this is exactly what the Shoebox Project is about.”

The shoeboxes will be redistributed to the elderly, veterans and the homeless.

“We will use the boxes we receive for the clients of our Elderly Ministries Program," Lynn Arndt, director of development and volunteer services for Community Ministries said in the release. "The people we serve in the program are low-income, frail and generally living alone. Being given a shoebox will mean so much to them. The Shoebox Project is a very special thing. It’s more than just a box. It is a gift, something tangible that provides a connection for the elderly, letting them know that there are people in the community who care about them and they are not alone.”

Sixty-five volunteers from local businesses and nonprofits decorated, sorted, assembled and packed the boxes to mark the United Way's annual Day of Action.

was the other county nonprofit receiving boxes.

Click here to learn more about the inaugural Shoebox Project.