Aberdeen charity wins Liberty Mutual contest

With the help of community support, a local charity won $30,000 from Liberty Mutual.

Harford Family House, a shelter in Aberdeen, was recently selected for the Liberty Mutual Like My Community Contest, nominated by local agent Dana Temple.

In the contest, the top three organizations with the most "likes" on the Liberty Mutual Facebook page would each receive $30,000 from the company.

In a close race that ended Aug. 1, Harford Family House secured third place with 11,424 votes, according to the Facebook page. Right behind Harford Family was Health Care for the Homeless, with 11,333 votes, just missing the contest cutoff.

Harford Family House Executive Director Joyce Duffy was grateful for the votes and emphasized the community's involvement.

"We're very excited," she said Monday, "and it just took the whole community to make this happen."

The contest started in May and Temple was chosen to select a local charity. Being a Harford County resident, Temple said last week that it was important for her to pick a Harford County charity.

That Harford Family House provides shelter and support for local families makes it even more important to her as a mother, she said.

Duffy, too, made a point to thank Temple for selecting Harford Family House.

Harford Family House has been around since 1989, although it was named Holy Family House. Then and now, according to the website, Harford Family House has been helping homeless families by providing housing and support.

What started by helping a single mother and her child more than 20 years ago has more than 20 housing units, according to the website, and is the only shelter in Harford County for entire families.

With the $30,000, Duffy said, the shelter could support a family of four for a year.

"We're hoping it's going to help us serve more people," she added.