WASHINGTON —
U.S. Senators Benjamin L. Cardin and
Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-MD) today announced that Shared Opportunity Service in Chestertown has been awarded an $8,656 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development grant to purchase safety and education playground equipment for the family support center it operates in Chestertown, MD.

Shared Opportunity Service, Inc. (SOS) is the non-profit 501(c)(3). The agency was established in 1996 as a result of a local needs assessment that identified gaps in the family support services available in the community.
  The center is the result of a partnership formed in 1999 between SOS and Friends of the Family Inc., a statewide network of 25 Family Support Centers in Maryland. The family support center provides child care for approximately 35 children between the ages of 0-4, the majority of whom come from households with a median income of $31,000 a year.
 

“Children are our future and this family support center provides important child care services to the families of Kent County,” said
Senator Cardin. “This grant will go toward the purchase of safe and educational playground equipment that will stimulate their minds and bodies.”

“This USDA grant is about investing in Maryland’s children and making sure they have a safe, nurturing and educational environment to grow and prosper,”
Senator Mikulski said. “I will continue to fight for funding for grants like these that invest in Maryland’s families and communities.”

The Rural Development grant program was created to improve the economy and quality of life in rural America.
  The program helps support essential services and infrastructure improvements, and promotes economic development by supporting loans to businesses through banks and community-managed lending pools.