Partnerships that make a difference
By Jaclyn “Jacie” Mathias
One of my favorite parts of working at the Community Foundation of Carroll County is that I get to witness generosity before anyone else knows it’s happening.
Most people see the finished project. They see the scholarship awarded, the grant announced, the park bench dedicated, or the family receiving help.
What they don’t always see is the conversation that started it all.
Sometimes it begins with a family wanting to honor someone they love. Sometimes it’s a donor who wants to leave the world a little better than they found it.
And sometimes…
It starts with a simple question. “How can we help?”
A few weeks ago, Texas Roadhouse in Westminster reached out to the Community Foundation with an idea. Beginning in June, they would be opening their doors for lunch on Fridays, and they wanted those Fridays to have a greater purpose. They weren’t looking for recognition. They weren’t responding to a crisis. They simply wanted to use their success to strengthen the community they call home.
As we talked through different possibilities, one need kept rising to the surface.
Emergencies.
Not the kind you schedule. The kind that changes everything. If you’ve lived long enough, you’ve had one. Or you love someone who has.
A house fire.
An unexpected medical diagnosis.
A paycheck that suddenly disappears.
A vehicle that breaks down when it’s your only way to get to work.
A family struggling to cover burial or cremation expenses after losing someone they love.
Life has a way of changing in an instant, and when it does, even the strongest families can find themselves needing help.
That conversation became the beginning of the Community Foundation of Carroll County’s Community of Compassion Emergency Fund.
Every Friday from June 19 to September 25, 2026, 11 a.m. until 4 p.m., Texas Roadhouse, Westminster, will donate 10% of food purchases made with our fundraiser flyer to help build this fund. Present the printed flyer or show it on your phone to your server for the donation. Dine in or take out.
It’s a simple idea, but one that has the potential to make an extraordinary difference.
What I love most isn’t the fundraiser itself. It’s what it represents.
An emergency fund is built before the emergency. Just like you don’t buy insurance after the fire, you don’t create hope in the middle of a crisis. You prepare for it while the skies are still blue.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about that while working in my gardens. Long before the first flower blooms, the work begins. The soil is prepared. The weeds are pulled. The seeds are planted. The watering starts long before there’s anything beautiful to see. Every gardener understands that today’s work creates tomorrow’s harvest.
Communities work the same way. We build them before they’re tested.
That’s exactly what Texas Roadhouse is doing. They’re planting seeds they may never see grow.
One Friday lunch might help a family replace groceries after a house fire. Another might keep the lights on after an unexpected illness. Another might help a loved one lay a family member to rest with dignity when final expenses become overwhelming.
None of these are moments anyone plans for. But all of them are moments when community matters most.
So, if you’re looking for a place to have lunch on a Friday, I hope you’ll choose Texas Roadhouse. Bring your family. Meet a friend. Enjoy the rolls. Laugh a little longer around the table.
Because while you’re enjoying lunch, you may also be helping someone you’ve never met find hope on one of the hardest days of their life.
That’s how community works.
Not because we know whose storm is coming. But because we know storms come for all of us eventually.
The strongest communities aren’t measured by how they celebrate in the sunshine.
They’re measured by how well they’ve prepared to care for one another before the clouds ever appear.
Share this flyer with your friends. Flyer must be presented at Texas Roadhouse, 21 S Cranberry Road, Westminster, (print or digital) for the donation to count! Fridays, 11 AM – 4 PM, until Sept 25. Dine in or take out.
Thank you for supporting the CFCC Community of Compassion Emergency Fund!
