LEXINGTON PARK, Md. — Commissioner Scott Ostrow spent much of the previous week lending a hand to residents across Lexington Park and St. Mary’s County, participating in outreach efforts aimed at helping neighbors stay fed, warm and supported during extreme winter weather.
Speaking during Commissioners Time on Jan. 27, Ostrow detailed several community-focused efforts, beginning with a warm dinner hosted through his church earlier in the month.
“I had the privilege, on the 14th, to be able to, through our church, host the warm dinner,” Ostrow said. “My family and I were privileged enough to be able to prepare one of the meals and go and be there to serve.”
Ostrow emphasized the importance of community outreach programs that provide direct assistance to those in need, noting that service has become a family tradition.
“I think that’s very important for everybody to get involved with some sort of program that does outreach like that into the community and really benefits those who most desperately need it,” he said.
In addition to church-based outreach, Ostrow also attended the ribbon cutting for the newly opened Knott Family Center, now home to St. Mary’s Caring. The facility is designed to serve as a centralized hub for essential services.
“You can get a meal, you can be checked out medically, you can get services that you need,” Ostrow said, calling the project “absolutely fantastic.”
He credited the Knott family for providing the facility and praised the vision behind the center’s future growth.
“What they’ve done with it, and the vision that they have for that location, has been incredible,” Ostrow said. “I’m looking forward to seeing how that grows, and how much that will serve this community as a whole.”
As freezing temperatures moved into the region, Ostrow spent Saturday, Jan. 24, visiting multiple locations across the county where volunteers were distributing warm clothing, boots and sleeping bags.
In a recent Facebook post on the Lexington Park Community page, Ostrow wrote, “If you need warm clothes come on over to the Lexington Park Library. These great folks are giving out jackets and warm clothes.”
“There were a lot of folks out there, giving away warm clothing and boots, and sleeping bags for those who need it, who need to stay warm in this weather,” he said. “That was, again, a very humbling, wonderful time.”
Ostrow said he helped hand out supplies, spoke with volunteers and met residents at each stop.
“I love this community,” he said. “St. Mary’s County is a community that steps up and helps.”
He also highlighted the public response after sharing donation efforts on social media.
“I had more than 400 hits on Facebook with people,” Ostrow said. “The majority of them were people saying, ‘Hey, how can I donate stuff to this? Where can I bring it? What can I do?’”
Ostrow said raising awareness about both community needs and available support remains a priority.
“Anything that we can do to shed light on that and to shed light on the need and to get more and more of that support, this commissioner looks to do every chance he can,” he said.
As winter weather continues, Ostrow urged residents to take precautions and look out for one another, particularly seniors and vulnerable neighbors.
“Please make sure your pets are indoors,” he said. “Please make sure you’re checking with your elderly neighbors and seniors to see if there’s any help that they may need.”
He closed by encouraging residents to prepare responsibly for upcoming storms.
“Please stay warm, stay safe, stay off the roads if you can,” Ostrow said.
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