Gordon Biersch Taps Summer Ale For Local Charity

The Towne Center brewery is hosting a Sommerbrau Release party and silent auction to raise money for We Care and Friends.

Nonprofit Leader Finds Redemption in Charity Work

Larry Griffin, head of We Care and Friends, was a drug addict for 28 years.

A tale of two cities. That’s how Larry Griffin has long described his hometown of Annapolis. The 62-year-old founder of We Care and Friends—which aids the homeless, former criminals and addicts—knows both tales well. Prior to forming the nonprofit organization in 1990, Griffin spent 28 years battling his own addictions and two years living on the streets of the ritzy Maryland capital. "When you look at Annapolis, you think of this as a nice place," he said. "Got some money, it's historic. But there is a thing of a tale of two cities here. The ones that don't have it and the ones who do." And Griffin's load is likely to get much worse. Homeless Needs Grow Nationally, homeless figures have stayed fairly stable from 2009 and 2011, according …

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Donations for Annual Thanksgiving Dinner Will Benefit Those in Need

We Care and Friends is accepting donations of canned food and turkeys, which can be delivered to the Stanton Community Center through Sunday evening.

For more than 20 years, Larry Griffin and his organization, We Care and Friends, have been serving Thanksgiving dinner to people who are homeless and in need in the Annapolis community and beyond. This year, he is gearing up to do the same, and is encouraging people in the community to donate canned food, turkey and other items. Griffin, a former drug addict who said he was at one point homeless himself, started the organization in 1991, according to its website. He said he decided he wanted to do something for others. Griffin said the idea for the dinner started in February 1990 when he held a food and clothing drive at Middleton Tavern downtown. He said donations of food and clothing from the community quickly began to pile up. “It was …

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