Local
Feeding the homeless Pride edition on tap
Special event slated for Rescue Mission
There will be a special ‘Feeding the Homeless Pride Edition’ on July 16 that will take place from 3-6 p.m. outside the Baltimore Rescue Mission at 4 N. Central Ave.
Brian Dolbow is on a mission. He is the event coordinator for a non-profit organization, Fundaciόn Arce, which specializes in nourishing the homeless and less fortunate of Baltimore City. They host a large “Feeding the Homeless” event on the third Saturday of each month in which approximately 300 people are fed.
Dolbow, a Baltimore resident who started this work in 2013 covering 30 events, stated that there will be a special “Pride Edition” on July 16 that will take place from 3-6 p.m. outside the Baltimore Rescue Mission at 4 N. Central Ave.
“We will be feeding approximately 300 homeless in East Baltimore,” Dolbow, tells the Blade. “This month we are doing a cookout. We will be serving hot dogs, burgers, chicken, side dishes, desserts and soft drinks. We will also be giving out men’s and women’s personal hygiene items, shoes and some clothes.”
Dolbow is proud of the past support he has received from The Drinkery, Grand Central, Hotel Brexton and Hotel Indigo, which have donated food and supplies for each event. Recently, S.H.E. Productions has joined in, and Flavor is hosting a benefit for the July 16 event.
To raise money for Fundaciόn Arce, a pre-Pride dance and drag show is scheduled on July 15 at the Attic at Flavor, 15 E. Centre St. at 9 p.m. There will be a $5 cover or a nonperishable food item will be appreciated. DJ Rosie will provide the music for the party that will include drag performances.
“I started feeding the homeless in 2010,” Janet Arce, the founder Fundaciόn Arce, tells the Blade. “I have always had a passion for helping others. Over the years, I have seen churches and organizations close their doors to the homeless. The LGBT community though has always supported my work. Thank you.”
For more information, call 410-622-9519.
WorldPride 2025 concluded with the WorldPride Street Festival and Closing Concert held along Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. on Sunday, June 8. Performers on the main stage included Doechii, Khalid, Courtney Act, Parker Matthews, 2AM Ricky, Suzie Toot, MkX and Brooke Eden.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Celebrating the transgender community, Baltimore Safe Haven, an organization committed to empowering LGBTQ individuals in Baltimore City, plans to host their fourth annual Baltimore Trans Pride on Saturday.
Instead of the usual parade and march, this year’s Trans Pride will be a block party on Charles Street and between 21st and 22nd Streets. The event will start at 1 p.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and last until 10 p.m.
Community members can go on guided tours, enjoy refreshments by local vendors, listen to presenters, and watch performances by special guests.
Sukihana, the event’s headliner, plans to take to the stage to entertain the crowd, along with a variety of local performers, according to Melissa Deveraux, Baltimore Safe Haven’s executive assistant to Executive Director Iya Dammons.
“Some (are) prominently known, some (are) just making a name for themselves,” Deveraux said. Iya is always making sure that community talent is showcased at all of our functions.”
In company with Pride on Saturday, Baltimore Safe Haven will be opening its new building on Friday from 1-4 p.m.
“That is sort of going to be the prelude to pride,” Lau said. “Thanks to Sen. Mary Washington and the Weinberg Foundation, we were able to purchase the building outright, and it’s going to be a community hub of administrative buildings and 12-bedroom apartments.”
Renee Lau, administrative assistant for special projects coordinator for Baltimore Safe Haven, said the planning process for Baltimore Trans Pride began in January, and putting it all together was a collaboration of multiple city agencies and organizations.
“Safe Haven is an LGBT community organization, but we service the entire community, and that’s the message we try to spread,” Lau said. “We’re not just here for the LGBT community. We’re here to spread goodwill and offer harm reduction and housing to the entire community.”
Lau said the organization’s biggest goal for the event is to gain exposure.
“(We want) to let and let people know who we are and what our community is about,” she said. “Right now, because of what’s happening in DC, there’s a lot of bad untruths going on, and the total thing is bringing out the truth.”
Deveraux said having a place of inclusivity, acceptance, and togetherness is important in today’s political climate and the current administration.
“This event will have people seeing the strength and resilience of the transgender community, showing that no matter what we are going through, we still show up,” Deveraux said. “We are here, we will not be erased.”
The 2025 WorldPride Parade was held in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, June 7. Laverne Cox and Renée Rapp were the grand marshals.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key and Robert Rapanut)
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