Volunteer Of The Month: Community Captain Steve Haris Helps Lead Winchester On The Severn To S(o)uper Bowl Victory

He may not have a Lombardi Trophy or a $40,000 ring to commemorate helping lead his team to a S(o)uper Bowl victory, but Steve Haris can be proud of the great effort he and his neighbors put into collecting donations for the Good Neighbors Group’s (GNG) annual food drive again this year.

The S(o)uper Bowl is a friendly competition between neighborhoods across Severna Park, Arnold, Annapolis, Pasadena and Glen Burnie to collect as much food as they can to help restock local pantries that often experience a lull in donations after the holidays.

In 2023 and 2024, Haris’ neighborhood of Winchester on the Severn received recognition among the dozens of participating neighborhoods for collecting the most items per household – 10.10 and 15.64, respectively. But this year, they built on their successes and claimed the title of Most Items Overall, contributing 1,624 of the 18,500 total items collected across 55 neighborhoods.

“Our program is slowly building,” Haris said with a laugh, noting that he’s a big sports fan.

Each neighborhood that participates in the GNG’s S(o)uper Bowl food drive, which culminates each year over Super Bowl weekend, has a captain who is responsible for publicizing the event and establishing neighborhood collection spots. Haris has served as captain for Winchester on the Severn for four years now, with the invaluable help of his teenage neighbors Addison and Samantha Johns.

“Addy’s been great – she’s got a great enthusiasm,” Haris said of the elder sister, who is a high school senior, noting that they’ve teamed up for the S(o)uper Bowl for years. Haris shared that Addison writes communications to their neighborhood to get the word out, which he reviews and helps disseminate.

This year they set a lofty donation goal for Winchester on the Severn, which includes roughly 100 homes: 2,000 food items. Email blasts and flyers rallied neighbors to give generously, and Haris said he and his fellow volunteers set up collection bins throughout the neighborhood.

“People have definitely been coming out of the woodwork to help, and I think it does inspire some community involvement, which is always great,” Haris said of S(o)uper Bowl participation in his community, noting that it takes place during the wintertime when neighbors aren’t out and about seeing one another as much.

While Haris underscored Addison and Samantha’s Herculean efforts in helping pull off the collection, their mom, Jessica, shared her appreciation for Haris’ influence.

“Steve is such a steady and focused volunteer who leads with joy and support,” Jessica Johns said. “He has been such a wonderful addition to our community, and as an adult lead on our S(o)uper Bowl food drive, he has provided wonderful guidance to my daughters, youth members of the food drive team, on how to see a project through, lead from behind, and (has) always empowered them. I sure wish the world had more Steves!”

Haris is an information technology professional who grew up in Maryland and relocated to New Jersey for 20 years for work. He and his family returned to his home state in 2021 and have resided in Winchester on the Severn since then.

His reason for serving as neighborhood captain for the GNG S(o)uper Bowl is simple: “It’s just the spirit of giving back, really,” he said.

Haris gives back in other ways, too. He volunteers with a youth development organization called First Tee that not only instills a love of golf in kids but also teaches them life skills and helps them build character. A University of Maryland alum, Haris also volunteers with current students a couple times each year by helping them develop resumes and conduct mock interviews to prepare for internships and career opportunities.

His family members are also passionate about helping the communities around them. Haris shared that his wife works for CASA, or Court Appointed Special Advocates, helping train volunteers to serve as advocates for children and youth who have experienced abuse or neglect, many of whom are in foster care. Likewise, Haris’ three grown children have selected career fields in which they can help others full time.

Noting that he tries to volunteer in some capacity monthly, Haris doesn’t consider giving back to be optional; he’s simply committed to helping others and helping strengthen the broader community.

Do you know of someone who resides in Severna Park, Arnold or Millersville who gives generously of their time and talents in a volunteer capacity in our community? You can nominate someone to be considered as a Volunteer of the Month by emailing their name and a brief description of their volunteerism to spvnews@severnaparkvoice.com.