There’s a building on Nuttal Avenue in Edgewood, Maryland, that doesn’t look like much from the outside. But walk through the door on a Wednesday morning, and something shifts. The smell of fresh-brewed coffee fills the room. A volunteer waves you over to a table. Someone asks how you’re doing — and genuinely means it.
This is the Hope Center, home base for Breathe 379 — one of the most quietly remarkable nonprofits in Harford County, and a proud NANA Club host nonprofit.
More Than a Food Pantry. More Than a Clothing Closet.
Breathe 379 is a 501(c)(3) organization located in Harford County, Maryland. But describing them by their services alone misses the point entirely.
Yes, they run Bailey Sue’s Country Market — a self-serve food pantry where neighbors pick up pantry staples, fresh produce, and personal care items with dignity, not charity-line anxiety. Yes, they operate The Cabin, a boutique-style clothing resource stocked with items ranging from infant to plus sizes. Yes, they serve hot lunches and freshly brewed coffee and tea at The Well, their welcoming gathering space inside the Hope Center.
But what Breathe 379 is really running is a place where people feel like they belong.
“A non-judgmental place,” as they describe it, “where no matter your economic status, physical appearance, whether wearing a business suit living in a mansion or jeans on a farm or even tattered clothes and living in a cardboard box, no matter your beliefs, age or any other box that society puts us in, you are welcomed.”
That’s not a mission statement written for a grant application. That’s the actual culture of the place — and anyone who’s visited will tell you it shows.
The Numbers Behind the Heart
Since its founding, Breathe 379 has served this community at a scale that’s easy to underestimate:
- 43,350+ individuals helped
- 28,500+ bags of groceries donated
- 5,100+ bags of coats and clothing donated
- 8,500+ toys, stockings, and pajamas donated
- 1,500+ backpacks donated
Those aren’t abstractions. Those are local families who made it through a difficult week because Breathe 379 showed up.
A Hope Center Built Around Dignity
What separates Breathe 379 from a traditional social services model is the intentional way they’ve designed the experience of getting help.
At the Hope Center, you’ll find a disarming atmosphere as you walk into The Well where, at no charge, you’ll find hot lunches, fresh brewed coffees and teas. A place you can sit and relax, catch up with a friend, have someone to chat with or even a prayer with one of the amazing volunteers.
From there, you’ll be escorted to Bailey Sue’s Country Market where you’ll find a self-serve, with-dignity shopping experience in a market loaded with pantry items, produce, personal and baby care items — picking and choosing the items you and your family need.
The language matters: self-serve, with dignity. Nobody hands you a box and sends you on your way. You shop. You choose. You leave with what your family actually needs — and your head held high.
The Hope Center is currently open every Wednesday from 10am to 2pm at 2124 Nuttal Avenue in Edgewood.
Beyond the Walls of the Hope Center
The Hope Center is just one dimension of what Breathe 379 does. Their seasonal outreach programming extends their reach across the calendar year: back-to-school backpack drives, Thanksgiving meal collections, Christmas gift distributions, and the Breathe Hope Community Day — a large-scale free community event that brings together food, fun, and resources for anyone who needs them.
They also run Mentours — a mentorship program connecting young people with adults who can model what it looks like to live with purpose and integrity. And their Breathe Love Music Festival turns community celebration into community engagement, drawing people together around something joyful.
The vision Breathe 379 carries is expansive. Their desire is to have multiple locations that can facilitate any need — from daycare and after-school care to job training, GED tutoring, life skills classes, counseling and support groups, elder home visits, mobile medical care, and more. They’re not trying to solve one problem. They’re building the kind of comprehensive community infrastructure that helps people get stable and stay that way.
A Mission That Resonates
The mission of Breathe 379 is simple: finding and meeting needs in their communities and beyond. Their vision is to help as many people as possible — to be people loving people, letting them know they are not forgotten. Through the love of Jesus, breathing life and hope to those who need it, without limits of gender, age, beliefs, or location.
That phrase — without limits — is worth sitting with. Breathe 379 doesn’t ask who you are before they help you. They don’t require a referral, a membership, a demonstrated need, or a particular faith background. Anyone can come for help, a chance to escape from the pressures of society and life, a place to learn to survive, a place to fit in and to be yourself.
In a world that often sorts people into categories before deciding whether they deserve support, Breathe 379 is doing something countercultural and quietly radical: they’re just showing up for people. Every week. Without conditions.
How NANA Supports Breathe 379
Breathe 379 is a NANA Club host nonprofit — which means a dedicated group of Harford County business professionals meets monthly to serve as their community advisory board. Every month, NANA members bring their professional expertise to the table: ideas for partnerships, event support, fundraising strategy, volunteer recruitment, and the kind of practical business perspective that mission-driven organizations rarely get sustained access to.
It’s also worth noting that NANA club membership dollars flow directly back to Breathe 379. That’s not a one-time donation. That’s recurring community investment, built into the structure of the network.
If you’re a business professional in Harford County who believes in what Breathe 379 is doing, joining their NANA Club is one of the most meaningful things you can do with one hour a month.
Get Involved with Breathe 379
There are several ways to support Breathe 379 directly:
- Visit the Hope Center — Wednesdays, 10am–2pm at 2124 Nuttal Avenue, Edgewood MD 21040
- Donate food or clothing — pantry staples, produce, and clothing in all sizes are always needed
- Give financially — every dollar supports programs that serve thousands of Harford County neighbors
- Volunteer — the Hope Center runs on the energy and heart of its volunteer community
- Follow them on Facebook — facebook.com/BREATHE379
Learn more at breathe379.org
Join the NANA Club That Supports Breathe 379
If this is the kind of work you want to be part of — not just as a donor, but as a consistent, engaged community advocate — NANA has a seat at the table for you.
One hour a month, starting at $25. Real impact for a real organization doing real work in your community.
Join the Breathe 379 NANA Club at nanaclubs.com →
NANA — Nonprofit Advocates Networking Alliance — connects business professionals with local nonprofits through monthly one-hour club meetings. Every Club is dedicated to one nonprofit. Every dollar of dues includes a 20% give-back to that nonprofit. Learn more at nanaclubs.com.
