Operation Ten City to invest $1M in Baltimore area communities Nov. 17 and 18

Dr. Bill Winston, a globally renowned pastor, entrepreneur, and business leader, and Bill Winston Ministries announce that Baltimore, MD will be the seventh stop of the Operation Ten City (OTC) campaign that began in 2022 with stops completed so far in St. Louis, Detroit, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Chicago. 

With six cities now complete, Operation Ten City is proud to share that the campaign has provided a total of over 13,000 bags of food to feed more than 56,000 people; $800,000 worth of new brand name clothing; 6,000 gas cards totaling $240,000; $30,000 worth of rideshare and public transportation cards; and $110,000 in stock portfolios and gold bars. The Expungement Clinics have helped over 1,300 individuals work towards a fresh start and over 900 students have experienced the Youthpreneur Entrepreneurship Workshops in an effort to inspire young entrepreneurs. Also, $110,000 has been donated to local churches through the Business Pitch Competition, and $105,000 in cash prizes have been awarded to entrepreneurs that were the top-three rated contestants in each city.

Operation Ten City – Baltimore, with a vision to inspire individuals toward true economic prosperity and self-sufficiency through wealth-building and ownership, is a mega event experience taking place this November from Friday, November 17^th – Saturday, November 18^th. Event highlights include Youthpreneur Entrepreneurship Workshop; an expungement clinic; a business pitch competition; food, clothing, and gas card giveaways in two locations; motivational business and entrepreneurship keynotes; and workshops led by industry experts on artificial intelligence, government contracting, wealth-building, and more. 

“We recently hosted a very successful Operation Ten City Campaign in Chicago earlier this fall and we can’t wait to continue spreading wealth and inspiration in Baltimore,” says Dr. Bill Winston, creator and  visionary of Operation Ten City. “Our goal is to bring economic restoration and prosperity to ten cities in this great nation to close the wealth gap in black and brown communities through entrepreneurship and ownership.”

The Campaign, which intends to inspire individuals to move from consumer to producer, kicks off on Friday, November 17^th at 9:30 a.m. with Youthpreneur, an exciting, half-day interactive and inspirational entrepreneurship workshop for middle school and high school students. Topics covered at previous events include purpose-driven entrepreneurship, fundamentals of starting a business, social media content creation, and more. The Entrepreneurship Workshop will feature an inspirational talk from highly successful media personality and entrepreneur Cheryl Jackson, and iPad and gift card giveaways. Youth-focused events continue that evening with Greatness Unlocked: A Next-Gen Experience, a ministry event featuring a keynote speaker, special guest artist, musical performances by local talent, networking, games and more. All events will be held at Baltimore Convention Center, (1 W Pratt St, Baltimore, MD 21201), unless specified below. 

The final day of Operation Ten City, Saturday, November 18^th, is comprised of an array of community events including:

• Heaven’s Pantry Drive-Thru Food, Clothing & Gas Card Giveaway, providing bags of food to more than 2,000 families in need at two different locations along with new, brand name clothing; gas cards; and rideshare gift cards. Heaven’s Pantry will take place on Saturday, November 18^th from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at Mount Pleasant Community Life Center (6000 Radecke Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21206) and Carver Vocational Technical High School (2201 Presstman Street, Baltimore, MD 21216)

Operation Ten City is set to make a significant impact on Baltimore and surrounding areas with the Heaven’s Pantry Drive-Thru Food, Clothing and Gas Card Giveaway. This initiative, taking place on Saturday, November 18^th from 9 AM – 12 PM, is designed to provide essential resources to the community and will feed hope and opportunity into the heart of the city. 

Operation Ten City has partnered with Mount Pleasant Community Life Center (6000 Radecke Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21206) and Carver Vocational Technical High School (2201 Presstman Street, Baltimore, MD 21216) to offer this giveaway experience at two locations on the east and west sides of Baltimore. Each location will be stocked with 1,000 food bags that will feed a family of four for one week; plus, new clothing for men, women, and children; and gas and rideshare gift cards. This effort is a testament to Operation Ten City’s commitment to transform communities and empower individuals.

Baltimore faces significant challenges, with a higher rate of hunger and homelessness than the national average. These issues disproportionately affect the African American community. According to recent statistics, nearly 25% of African Americans in Baltimore live in poverty, making them more vulnerable to food insecurity and homelessness. Operation Ten City recognizes these challenges and aims to alleviate them through free events like Heaven’s Pantry.

Melissa Duff Brown, spokesperson for Operation Ten City, shares her excitement, saying, “Heaven’s Pantry is more than a food giveaway; it’s a symbol of hope and support for those in need. We are honored to host this initiative while partnering with local organizations to bring nourishment and opportunities to the people of Baltimore.”

Operation Ten City began in 2022 and has since made stops in St. Louis, Detroit, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Chicago. With six cities now complete, Operation Ten City is proud to share that Heaven’s Pantry has provided a total of over 13,000 bags of food to feed more than 56,000 people; $800,000 worth of new brand name clothing; 6,000 gas cards totaling $240,000; and $30,000 worth of rideshare and public transportation cards.

Heaven’s Pantry is just one of Operation Ten City’s free experiences curated for the community. For more information on all events associated with the Operation Ten City Campaign, please visit www.operationtencity.com.

• Expungement Clinic & Information Sessions – Free consultations with attorneys regarding criminal record relief as well as a resource fair with expungement and community organizations providing support for individuals with prior justice system involvement. The Expungement Clinic will be held on Saturday, November 18, 2023, from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. 
• Business Pitch Competition – Local entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to showcase their business products and services and compete in a live, Shark-Tank style competition for a chance to win a cash prize. Those interested in entering the Business Pitch Competition can apply online through Wednesday, November 8^th. The Business Pitch Competition will take place on Saturday, November 18, 2023, from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. 

BUSINESS PITCH COMPETITON WILL AWARD $10K TO FIRST PRIZE WINNER IN FINAL DAY OF OPERATION TEN CITY – BALTIMORE

Local entrepreneurs, especially in the faith community, will have the opportunity to showcase their business products and services and win a cash award during the Business Pitch Competition. The three highest-rated contestants in the final round will win a cash award. First prize winner: $10,000; Second prize winner: $5,000;
and Third prize winner: $2,500. If a pitch winner is a member of a local Baltimore church that is a registered 501c3 entity, the church may qualify to receive a donation double the amount of the entrepreneur’s cash prize.

• Business Opportunity Expo & Career Fair – Emerging and established entrepreneurs can share their products and services with the community. Attendees can also seek out their next professional opportunity and network with companies, government agencies, and funding sources offering employment, procurement, and access-to-capital opportunities. The Business Opportunity Expo & Career Fair will be held on Saturday, November 18, 2023, from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. 
• Greatness Unlocked Business & Entrepreneurship Keynote Sessions featuring talks by global faith leader and CEO Dr. Bill Winston; Dr. Deloris Thomas, President of Joseph Business School; and Ray Lewis, former Baltimore Ravens linebacker, 2x Super Bowl Champion, and Pro Football Hall of Famer. Greatness Unlocked Business & Entrepreneurship Keynote Sessions will take place on Saturday, November 18, 2023, from 12:30 p.m. – 4 p.m. 
• Building Wealth Masterclass Series on Saturday, November 18, 2023, from 4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. will feature panels including:
  • ·       Seven Steps to winning Government Contracts with Chris Hollingsworth, Director of the Illinois APEX Accelerator at The Joseph Center, Paul Taylor, Director of Small Business Resource Center for Mayor’s Office of Small & Minority Business Advocacy & Development, Antonio Doss, Director of Field Policy for the Office of Field Operations at U.S. Small Business Association, and Syreeta Johnson, Founder & CEO of Redd Solutions 
  • ·       Unlock the Power of AI for Your Small Business with Troy Stovall, CEO of TEDCO, Minh Nguyen, Founder & CEO of Millennium Enterprise Corporation, and Orville Bailey, Co-Founder & CEO of EqualLevel
  • ·       Pathway to Prosperity: Principles of Building Wealth with Luke Cooper, General Partner & Founder of Latimer Ventures and Sherri Reid, Educational Services Director & Lead Faculty of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program in Baltimore as moderator
  • ·       Economic Transformation with Shelonda Stokes, President of Downtown Partnership of Baltimore and Executive Director of the Downtown Management Authority, Theodore Carter, Founder & CEO of SI3 Group, Dr. Avis Jones-DeWeever, President & CEO of Incite Unlimited, LLC., and Antoine Thompson, Executive Director of Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition

All events and activities with Operation Ten City – Baltimore are free and open to the public, but registration is required and can be done today by visiting https://www.operationtencity.com/. Operation Ten City will continue to make stops in metropolitan areas across the United States through the end of 2024. For more information, please visit https://www.operationtencity.com/. 

Sponsored by Operation Ten City

Dr. Bill Winston and Bill Winston Ministries present Operation Ten City, a ten-city initiative to inspire faith-based communities to activate hidden potential and pursue the fullness of God’s calling for their lives, businesses, and organizations. Operation Ten City supports the development of people and communities with a vision to help them access true economic prosperity and self-sufficiency through wealth-building and ownership, closing the wealth gap in black and brown communities for generations.

About Dr. Bill Winston 

Dr. Bill Winston is the founder and senior pastor of Living Word Christian Center in Forest Park, Illinois. He is also the founder of the nationally accredited Joseph Business School, which has a global impact on six continents and an online program; president of Bill Winston Ministries, a partnership-based global outreach ministry; the Living Word School of Ministry and Missions; and Faith Ministries Alliance (FMA), an organization of more than eight hundred churches and ministries under his spiritual covering in the United States and around the globe. The ministry owns and operates two shopping malls: Forest Park Plaza in Forest Park, Illinois and Washington Plaza in Tuskegee, Alabama. Dr. Winston is married to Veronica and is the father of three children and the grandfather of eight.