Prince George’s County has numerous church-run assistance programs offering emergency financial aid for rent and utilities, as well as food pantries, clothing distribution centers, and counseling services. While some churches provide these resources directly, many operate through specialized faith-based non-profits and collaborative community action ministries to pool funds and expand their reach across the county.
Since funds for direct financial assistance are often limited and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, it is strongly recommended that you call ahead or check specific operating hours before visiting the location.
Mission of Love Charities, Inc.
Mission of Love Charities, Inc. (MOLC) provides comprehensive crisis assistance, basic needs support, and job training to low-income, homeless, or vulnerable individuals, families, and veterans in Prince George’s County. Operating from their headquarters at 6180 Old Central Ave in Capitol Heights, Maryland, they run various targeted programs designed to help families stabilize their income and prevent homelessness.
To access financial assistance or request case management services, you must provide the necessary documentation to verify your eligibility. You can coordinate directly with case managers by calling (301) 333-4440 during business hours (Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Fridays, 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.).
Core Services and Stabilization Programs
Emergency Housing and Utility Assistance: Provides vital financial aid during crises—including rent assistance, security deposit supplements, and direct support for utility bills—to actively prevent evictions and service shut-offs.
Food Bank and Nutritional Security: Operates a major emergency food bank open Monday through Friday (hours shift to Monday through Thursday during summer months). They also offer a dedicated phone line for processing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) applications, featuring multilingual interpretation support available 24/7.
Job Training and Workforce Development: Features a dynamic training center offering free vocational certification programs to build skills that facilitate rapid employment. Professional programs include courses for Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA), OSHA safety, and water treatment technicians.
Behavioral health and clinical support: Partners with specialized medical and therapeutic groups—such as Greater Baden Medical Services and DXT Therapeutic Services—to provide on-site case management, diaper banks, and weekly clinical mental health counseling.
Material resources: Supplies essential furniture, clothing, hygiene products, and household items to families recovering from disasters or living in systemic poverty.
SHABACH! Ministries, Inc.
SHABACH! Ministries, Inc. (SMI) is a dynamic, faith-based, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that serves as the charitable and human services arm of the First Baptist Church of Glenarden. Founded in 1996, the organization operates a comprehensive empowerment center based in Glenarden, Maryland, dedicated to stabilizing families, eliminating food insecurity, and facilitating local pathways to economic self-sufficiency.
Core programs and community services
Emergency food distribution center (Food Bank): Serves as a vital nutritional resource for Prince George’s County residents, distributing fresh produce, meat, and non-perishable items to families facing food shortages.
Clothing bank (The Clothes Closet): Provides new and gently used clothing—including professional attire for job interviews, seasonal coats, and school uniforms—to families in need at no cost.
Employment and workforce empowerment: Offers essential career guidance, résumé-writing workshops, and job-search support to help unemployed or underemployed individuals secure sustainable livelihoods.
Education and Youth Programs: Manages specialized educational initiatives, including the SHABACH! Christian Academy (serving infants through eighth-grade students), a homeschooling network, and dynamic after-school enrichment programs and summer camps.
Counseling and Crisis Intervention: Offers compassionate crisis case management, emotional support, and referrals to professional counseling to guide individuals and families through sudden personal or financial hardships.
Community Ministry of Prince George’s County
Community Ministry of Prince George’s County (CMPGC) is an interfaith, non-profit organization (classified as a 501(c)(3)) that has served local families for over 50 years. In collaboration with a broad network of 36 partner churches, community organizations, and health agencies, the ministry pools resources to provide emergency human services, eliminate food insecurity, bridge educational gaps, and reduce health disparities for low-income residents and the homeless.
Essential Assistance and Human Services
The Answer and Benefits Center: Serves as the primary crisis support hub, providing intensive case management, emergency family counseling, and direct referrals to municipal or state benefit programs. Residents can contact the center’s coordinators by calling (301) 499-2319.
“Step Up” Housing Assistance Program: Focuses on housing stabilization through financial literacy education, combined with eviction-prevention grants and referrals for emergency relocation for families at risk of displacement.
Community Place Café Food Assistance Program (CPCFAP): Operates in conjunction with local faith-based organizations to provide essential food to low-income households, seniors, individuals with disabilities, and the homeless.
“We Do Care” Food Distribution: In partnership with the Capital Area Food Bank, this large-scale distribution initiative provides over 52,000 pounds of fresh produce and food items each month, including specialized nutritional packages for homebound seniors and seasonal holiday food boxes. No advance registration or identification is required for standard drive-up distribution sites.
Health Equity and Community Education Programs
Beyond crisis assistance, CMPGC conducts structured, multidisciplinary community outreach programs designed to foster long-term community health and safety:
Health Guidance and Screenings: Organizes regional health fairs and preventive initiatives focused on the social determinants of health (SDOH); specifically, it funds mobile clinics for prostate cancer screening, smoking cessation, diabetes management, and vaccine access.
Youth Outreach and Education: Manages community-oriented youth development initiatives, focusing on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) mentoring programs, the integration of academic achievement, and specific youth violence prevention programs.
Salvation Army – Prince George’s Corps
The Salvation Army – Prince George’s Corps serves as a central resource for crisis stabilization and emergency assistance across all Prince George’s County zip codes. Based in Hyattsville, Maryland, this unit provides immediate financial, nutritional, and material assistance to prevent homelessness and protect low-income households from critical utility shutoffs.
Emergency Assistance (EMAST) & Financial Programs
Through its Emergency Assistance Program (EMAST), The Corps provides crisis stabilization grants (typically up to $500) to eligible families:
Rent and mortgage assistance: Provides emergency financial payments to help low-income tenants avoid eviction or stabilize their housing situation. Note: Rental assistance is often managed via a lottery system on the first day of each month; applicants are advised to call a few days in advance to be placed on the active screening list.
Utility shut-off prevention: Provides essential funds to pay overdue electricity, gas, or heating bills to keep services running.
WSSC Water Fund: The Corps directly administers the WSSC Water Fund, offering eligible customers up to $500 annually in emergency aid to settle outstanding water and sewer debts.
Basic needs, food, and material support
Food distribution: Partners with regional networks such as “Help-by-Phone” to distribute emergency food bags, fresh produce, and nutrition vouchers directly to families facing food insecurity.
Clothing and furniture vouchers: Distributes vouchers redeemable for clothing, household essentials, or emergency bedding.
Transportation assistance: Offers temporary transportation aid via bus passes or emergency gas vouchers, subject to funding availability.
Seasonal assistance and youth development
Holiday giving programs: Manages the signature “Angel Tree” program, which provides toys and new clothing to local children (aged 12 and under) during the Christmas season.
Back-to-school assistance: Organizes seasonal drives to distribute backpacks, school supplies, and essential school footwear. Youth and Community Services: Offers daily life-skills classes, character-building programs, after-school care, and summer day camps for youth.
How to Request Assistance
To expedite the application process, the Prince George Corps allows residents to submit documents digitally. Call (301) 277-6103 to request the necessary digital forms via email. Generally, you will need to provide valid Maryland identification, proof of income, documentation regarding household members, and an official eviction notice or utility shut-off notice verifying your financial emergency. The main office is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (closed daily for lunch between 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m.).
Beltway Church of Christ
Beltway Church of Christ is a local congregation located in Camp Springs, Maryland, dedicated to serving its community through spiritual guidance and practical assistance programs. The church conducts local outreach initiatives designed to help residents facing sudden financial hardship or food insecurity.
Community Outreach and Social Assistance Programs
Food Bank Support: The church organizes a regular food distribution program, providing non-perishable goods, pantry staples, and nutritious food to individuals and families facing food shortages in the surrounding neighborhood.
Emergency Assistance: When church funds allow, the congregation maintains a dedicated crisis fund to provide limited financial assistance for emergency needs, helping families overcome periods of unexpected financial hardship.
Clothing and basic needs drives: Seasonal distributions of gently used clothing, winter coats, and essential household items are organized to support vulnerable families and individuals experiencing homelessness.
Resource referral network: Collaborates with Prince George’s County social services and regional coalitions of faith-based organizations to guide applicants toward state-funded, long-term assistance programs for utility payments, housing aid, and employment support.
St. Stephen Baptist Church (M.E.R.C.Y. House)
St. Stephen Baptist Church operates M.E.R.C.Y. House (Mountain Top Emergency Resource Center For You) as its community service arm. Based in Temple Hills, Maryland, this ministry works to alleviate human suffering and meet urgent material needs throughout the county.
Important Financial Policy: M.E.R.C.Y. House does not provide cash or direct financial assistance. Instead, it functions as an intake and assessment center that verifies clients’ needs and issues official referrals to county and state agencies that provide direct aid for rent or utility payments.
Key Community Service Programs
Free Food Distribution (Drive-thru): St. Stephen Baptist Church organizes a large weekly food distribution every Tuesday from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. This activity takes place at the church’s main campus (5757 Temple Hill Rd, Temple Hills, MD) and provides fresh food and non-perishable items to any resident in need, with no prior registration required.
Clothing and Household Goods Bank: Located at the M.E.R.C.Y. House facility (4402 Cedell Place, Temple Hills, MD), this center is open on the first and third Saturday of each month from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Clients can obtain clothing for the family, footwear, accessories, and basic household items free of charge.
Crisis Referral Network: Case managers use the M.E.R.C.Y. House online intake form to assess families in crisis. They provide verified, expedited referrals for access to domestic violence shelters, emergency housing, and assistance to prevent utility service disconnection.
“Safe Haven” Emergency Bags: In collaboration with local domestic violence intervention groups, the ministry prepares and provides immediate-response emergency bags containing essential hygiene items, clothing, and basic necessities for individuals fleeing dangerous domestic environments.
“Grandma’s Closet”: A specialized sub-ministry that stocks and distributes baby formula, diapers, and childcare supplies free of charge to young mothers and low-income families.
Seasonal Material Aid: Every August, the church organizes a comprehensive drive to donate school uniforms and supplies for county students. During the winter, they conduct a local coat drive, providing new coats, hats, and socks to school-aged children in the area.
Bethel House, Inc.
Bethel House, Inc. is a faith-based, non-profit community aid organization (with 501(c)(3) status) founded by the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church. Headquartered in Brandywine, Maryland, this ministry provides a vital safety net for low-income families and individuals facing sudden financial emergencies in southern Prince George’s County.
Actionable Tips for Requesting Aid
Call 2-1-1 first: Many church programs require an official referral or proof that you have applied for state funds (such as those from the Office of Home Energy Programs) before offering supplemental assistance. Call the Maryland 211 resource line to undergo an assessment.
Gather your documentation: Churches offering financial assistance almost always request a copy of your current lease, a court eviction notice, or a utility shut-off notice, as well as proof of county residency.
Look into joint initiatives: Keep an eye out for county-wide interfaith events. For example, local congregations often collaborate on coordinated initiatives under the “Be the Church” banner, which include free gas giveaways, assistance with Pepco energy bills, and direct food distribution.
