A Season For Giving

This is a wonderful time of year. I notice the changing of the seasons not just with the falling leaves but also with the increase in community members reaching out to help their neighbors.

We have had amazing contributions from local schools over the last month. Severna Park Elementary School collected more than 400 boxes of macaroni and cheese for SPAN. This is their second year in a row of doing this. St. Martin’s-in-the Field Episcopal School had a wonderful drive for SPAN. And the Severn School spirit week food drive is always a huge success.

It is wonderful to have the school groups supporting us, and it is great when young people reach out with offers to help. A high school student recently put together birthday bags and collected toiletries from his friends and neighbors. We also appreciate the neighborhoods, such as Manhattan Beach and Shipley’s Choice, that donate to SPAN. Thank you for including SPAN in your gatherings and celebrations.

On November 12 from 2:00pm-5:00pm, there will be a food drive at our SPAN location with s’mores and hot chocolate. Come join us for this fun event and bring your favorite Thanksgiving side to donate. We will see what the most popular Thanksgiving side is — bread based (boxed muffins and breads), potato based (instant or canned potatoes and yams), vegetable based or desserts.

Food can always be donated to our bins in the Severna Park Community Center and Severna Park Library or directly at our building. Some focused food donations this month to match the cooling temperatures are items such as chili, soups and stews, beans, instant and canned potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, canned pumpkin, hot chocolate and marshmallows.

This is a season with an increased focus on giving. Many people go through difficult times or an unforeseen circumstance, such as a car accident, illness or job layoff, which can happen at any point and throw family budgets into crisis mode. In those situations, the additional expenses during the holidays are added stress.

We are in full swing organizing one of SPAN’s wonderful traditions — our Holiday Caring program. It is a program where community members and groups sign up to provide clients with holiday meals and Christmas gifts for children. Please consider becoming a sponsor. Contact us at spanhelps@yahoo.com or call 410-647-0889.

Thank you for helping us help others! Together we are making a difference!

SPAN (Serving People Across Neighborhoods) is an independent nonprofit food pantry and emergency services provider that has been helping local families with eviction prevention, utility turnoffs, medical/prescription bills, and food since 1990. SPAN serves 14 zip codes in Anne Arundel County. SPAN is located behind Our Shepherd Lutheran Church at 400 Benfield Road in Severna Park. Hours are Monday through Thursday from 10:00am-1:30pm. For more information, call 410-647-0889, email spanhelps@yahoo.com or visit www.spanhelps.org. Financial donations may be made through the website. Food donations may be dropped off 24/7 using the storage bin behind SPAN’s building. Please “like” SPAN on Facebook.