A Prayer For A Pandemic

May we who are merely inconvenienced remember those whose lives are at stake.

May we who have no risk factors remember those most vulnerable.

May we who have the luxury of working from home remember those who must choose between preserving their health and making their rent.

May we who have the flexibility to care for our children when their schools close remember those who have no options.

May we who have to cancel our trips remember those who have no safe place to go.

May we who are losing our margin money in the tumult of the economic market remember those who have no margin at all.

May we who settle in for a quarantine at home remember those who have no home.

As fear grips our country, let us choose love.

And during this time when we may not be able to physically wrap our arms around each other, let us yet find ways to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbors. Amen.

In these uncertain times, there exists a lot of fear in our community and in the world. Not only fear of catching the coronavirus, but fear of lost income, fear of becoming homeless due to lost income, fear of being unable to afford life-saving medicine, and fear of not being able to feed one’s family.

SPAN is working every day to be able to assuage some of this anxiety. We locked our doors to prevent germs from being spread, but we remained open – albeit on an abbreviated schedule – to continue to help those in need in the community. We have moved a large portion of our food to our outdoor pantry behind the SPAN house (use the gravel driveway). It is available for anyone who needs it, although we ask that you be considerate of others in the amount you take. Likewise, please wait your turn if someone is already getting food, so as to keep the six-foot rule.

We will post our hours on our Facebook page and our website regularly. If no one is present when you come and you need help with an emergency that doesn’t concern food, or if you need diapers or formula, feel free to email us at spanhelps@yahoo.com. Our voicemail will be checked periodically, although if you have a life-threatening emergency, you should call 911. You may also find other resources by calling Maryland’s First Call For Help Line at 211.

Utility turnoffs and evictions are being delayed until the coronavirus threat has passed, but we are able to help with food, toiletries and prescriptions in the interim.

We couldn’t do this without our generous donors, to whom we are eternally grateful. Donors may leave nonperishable food in the same bin mentioned above. If you want to donate something perishable, please email spanhelps@yahoo.com to make arrangements.

We presently have plenty of food, but we anticipate a huge financial need in the upcoming months, when once again utility bills and rent become due. Please consider making a financial donation to SPAN – no amount is too small, and it is tax-deductible – online at www.spanhelps.org.

Please stay safe and healthy.

Our deepest gratitude to those who put their lives at risk for the rest of us daily: the paramedics, midwives, nurses, doctors, pharmacists, government health workers, hospital employees, supermarket workers, truck drivers, those who produce and deliver food, child care workers, families of those on the front lines, and so many others who work hard for the health of our world.

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!