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Channel Marker was founded in 1982. Today, the nonprofit provides Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot counties with integrated behavioral health services for all ages, “helping individuals living with mental health challenges build stability, independence, and overall wellness.”
Though Channel Marker offers an array of programs and services, from adult mental health rehabilitation services to health home care coordination to employment and job readiness programs, the grant that they received from the Caroline Foundation in late 2025 will go towards their Youth Nourishment Project. The Project provides young people “access to nutritious food in a safe and supportive environment, helping youth remain focused, engaged, emotionally regulated, and better prepared to participate in positive mental health and wellness activities.”
To an outsider, the Youth Nourishment Project looks like simply stocking up on snacks for the kids and young adults that participate in Channel Marker’s After-School Program. But representatives explained that the snacks go much deeper than meets the eye. “Many of the youth arrive after a long school day in immediate need of nourishment, and for some, the food they receive at school and in our after-school program may be one of the few reliable sources available to them each day,” said Channel Marker. Being able to expect a snack or meal at Channel Marker provides much-needed stability for youth in need of support.
This type of outreach fits in perfectly with the Caroline Foundation’s mission to financially back local health-related nonprofits and initiatives. “Channel Marker’s work is vital to the health of our community because we provide compassionate mental health, wellness, and supportive services to individuals, youth, and families who may otherwise go without care and resources…Programs such as our Youth After School Program and Youth Nourishment Project provide safe spaces where young people can receive mentorship, emotional support, life skills, recreational opportunities, and nutritious snacks and meals. For many youth, these programs offer consistency, encouragement, and access to resources they may not otherwise receive at home,” representatives of Channel Marker explained.
