A $10,000 grant funded by the Rural Maryland Council’s Maryland Agricultural Education and Rural Development Assistance Fund (MAERDAF) will allow ChesMRC to expand its activities into Caroline and Dorchester Counties. ChesMRC already reaches 700 members of the non-English speaking community, of which 83% are from Talbot County.

Awarded in September 2014, the MAERDAF grant is being used to increase the engagement of the non-English speaking population to a total of 900 clients, with the majority of the increase coming from Caroline and Dorchester, and to develop a resource directory of providers servicing non-English speaking clients in the areas of health care, legal services, social services and education.

As of January 2015, with the launch of the ChesMRC’s new website, the Resource Directory has been implemented and is available online. The Directory, which is also mobile device-friendly, offers complete contact information for service providers in the areas of Abuse/Mental Health/Disability, Children’s Services, Emergency Services, Employment, Financial/Food Assistance, Health, Legal, Schools, Tax Services, Transportation and Women’s Services.

Monies are also being used to fund the ChesMRC Resource Center in its ongoing mission to assist members of the non-English speaking community from across the Mid-Shore with translations, driver’s license applications and referrals to other professional service providers, including those providing legal, income tax and prenatal healthcare.