16 | Non-Profit Organisation Awards 2026 Leading Humanitarian NPO 2026 – Maryland orking primarily across the Southern Baltimore City and Anne Arundel communities, We Are 4 supports the homeless populations through two main assistance programmes, a meal programme and its Hire the Homeless employment programme. The first of these runs every other Saturday across the entire state, and has been ongoing since March 2018. It was started as a response to the tremendous hunger that Deborah witnessed first-hand amongst many of the low-income, unhoused individuals in the region. Less than two years later in January 2020, the Hire the Household programme began, with this tapping into a community of individuals who are often skilled labourers but have fallen out of work as a result of addictions and other such hardships. The seventh edition of the programme started last month, and is seeing people able to earn money whilst improving the neighbourhood in which they live. The programme also extends to cleaning areas of high drug use, removing and disposing of used needles. “To date we have worked over 3,527 hours, collecting over 37 tonnes of trash and more than 2,500 used needles.” Alongside these two primary programmes, We Are 4 also takes great pride in supporting other non-profits to bolster the positive impact it has on the community. This includes the team volunteering their time and skills, raising awareness of different causes, and providing inkind donations of products such as toiletries and resources including outreach brochures. Since this is a non-profit organisation, all of this is made possible by the funding of its generous donors, who are supporting this vital work. Deborah McCrayer is at the helm here, and she is responsible for running the day-to-day operations of the organisation, all on top of her role as a full-time employee for another company, where she already works 40 hours a week. “The non-profit is my other full-time job”, she explained. There are no paid staff at We Are 4, and the work it does is carried out solely by volunteers, including Deborah herself, who hands out all of the donations and directly supports the homeless every work day. As part of her duties as CEO, Deborah must also navigate what is the most pressing issue facing both her and almost every other non-profit in operation today: securing consistent and adequate funding. The unpredictable and restrictive nature of the grants that are provided makes it difficult to plan for the future and sustain operations, forcing Deborah and her team to do more with less. Similarly, attracting and retaining volunteers in some of the areas where the organisation works can be incredibly tough. On the back of these challenges, not to mention the US’ fluctuating economy, it is unsurprising all of We Are 4’s funding is currently sourced directly from Deborah herself. She implores for support from anyone willing to help her cause: “My non-profit organisation needs sponsorship, entrepreneurs who believe in the work and willingness to fund the work. I also need a vehicle to expand the work we do.” Any help is more than deserved, especially since this is the only NPO in the state of Maryland to hire the homeless. Despite these difficulties, We Are 4 is continuing to drive a lasting impact across the communities it works with, having introduced initiatives including reusing vacant lots to support green neighbourhoods and creating a community vegetable garden. The space for this garden was first acquired by the team in April 2024, and they spent until September last year clearing the debris, moving abandoned vehicles, and having the lot levelled. Then, the trees were trimmed, fences installed, and ten raised garden beds were installed. 2026 will see three water totes mounted, supplying the garden with a total of 990 gallons of water, and vegetables will finally be planted here for the first time. Once it is officially up and running, the garden will help to address food insecurity across Baltimore’s Brooklyn neighbourhood. This is just one example of the work that will be taking up the rest of the year for Deborah McCrayer and those who support her cause, and more information on how to volunteer or donate to We Are 4 can be found below. Contact: Deborah McCrayer Company: We Are 4 Offering a unique, personal response to both hunger and growing unemployment amongst the unhoused community in Maryland, We Are 4 is a non-profit organisation dedicated to providing low-income and displaced individuals across the state with healthy meals, clothing, and support as they transition from a life on the streets into meaningful work. For more on the programmes delivered by this dedicated NPO, we caught up with Deborah McCrayer, its CEO. W
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTUyMDQwMA==