BALTIMORE — Downtown Partnership of Baltimore and FutureThink Hub will join forces to host the 2025 Holiday Grocery & Toy Giveaway on Saturday, December 20, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at War Memorial Plaza, located at 101 North Gay Street in Downtown Baltimore.
The large-scale community event is expected to serve up to 3,000 Baltimore families, making it one of the largest single-day holiday distribution efforts of the season. Families will receive free groceries, toys, shoes, and essential resources, ensuring meaningful support during the holidays and beyond.
Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller will attend the event, greeting families and assisting with the distribution of toys, grocery items, and other giveaways.
Situated between City Hall and the War Memorial Building, War Memorial Plaza will be transformed into a festive “winter wonderland,” complete with live entertainment, hot cocoa stations, and holiday activities designed to create a welcoming and joyful atmosphere for families.
The event is made possible through a broad coalition of community and corporate partners, including the Greater Baltimore Urban League, Amazon, La Chow, 92Q Jams, CASA, Unlimited Potential, and DTLR, whose collective support helps ensure families receive both immediate relief and access to longer-term community resources. Through FutureThink Hub’s partnership with DTLR, children attending the event will also receive new shoes as they prepare to return to school in January.
“We’re extremely honored to partner with FutureThink Hub in welcoming families and young members of our community to Downtown for this clear demonstration of care and generosity in the true spirit of the holidays,” said Shelonda Stokes, President of Downtown Partnership of Baltimore. “FutureThink Hub is a shining example of mission-driven entrepreneurship—an organization that understands that when we lift and empower those in need, we lift and empower our entire community.”
The Holiday Grocery & Toy Giveaway reflects FutureThink Hub’s broader “Ecosystem of Care” approach, which addresses immediate needs like food insecurity while also building pathways to long-term stability.
“A hungry child cannot learn, and a family in survival mode cannot dream,” said Brandon Phillips, Founder and Executive Director of FutureThink Hub. “This isn’t charity—it’s infrastructure. When we remove the immediate stress of ‘how will I feed my kids’ or ‘how will I give them Christmas,’ we unlock a family’s ability to focus on what’s next.”
In addition to food and toy distribution, the event will feature 25 vendor and outreach tents offering community resources, candle giveaways, and roaming Santas available for family photos. 92Q Jams, a Holiday Giveaway sponsor alongside DTLR, will provide live entertainment throughout the event, adding to the festive environment.
The December 20 giveaway underscores FutureThink Hub’s impact across Baltimore. In 2025 alone, the organization has served more than 29,000 residents and distributed over 11 million pounds of food, while also advancing innovative solutions through its AI-powered educational platform for neurodiverse learners and its 35,000-square-foot culinary incubator, La Chow, which supports Baltimore-based food entrepreneurs.