Community Generosity Helps Make The Holidays Brighter

We are approaching what many call the most wonderful time of the year. Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude, good food and spending time with others. I love Thanksgiving, and I especially love working at SPAN, where I see the spirit of the season lived out through the generosity of our community.

For SPAN, the season starts each year with Severn School’s annual Spirit Week food drive, which is truly amazing! The amount of food collected is incredible and makes a tremendous difference in keeping our pantry shelves stocked. Also, Severna Park Elementary once again donated boxes of macaroni and cheese, a contribution that has sustained our pantry for months in past years.

With today’s high cost of living and more people turning to SPAN for help, these donations make a real difference. At this time of year, SPAN is blessed by the many individuals, businesses and community groups that donate food to help us serve our neighbors. Your generosity has a real and lasting impact.

Some of our most-needed food items right now include:

• Canned meat
• Canned vegetables and fruit
• Tomato products, including diced tomatoes, paste and sauce
• Side dishes and meal helpers, such as rice, potatoes, stuffing and boxed meal kits

While SPAN is best known as a food pantry, we assist as many households with emergency financial assistance as with food. We have been especially busy helping families avoid utility shutoffs as energy costs rise and the six-month state moratorium on BGE shutoffs has ended.

One family we assisted recently includes a grandmother raising her three grandchildren after the recent death of their mother. Life can bring unexpected challenges to any of us, but those challenges can be especially difficult for people living on a fixed income or without emergency savings.

Thanksgiving is, of course, also about food. Working at a food pantry reminds me that food is about so much more than nourishment. If eating were simply a matter of fueling our bodies, we wouldn’t put so much thought, time and effort into what we eat. Food carries memories, meaning and traditions. We each have our comfort foods and dishes that remind us of family gatherings, childhood memories, cultural traditions or religious observances. Sharing a meal and breaking bread together also brings people closer and creates a sense of belonging.

For many of our clients, the holidays can be an especially stressful time of year. SPAN’s Holiday Caring Program serves to lighten the load for these families. Thanks to the generosity of people like you, this program helps provide holiday meals for our clients and Christmas gifts for their children. This year, we are also collecting gift cards so that more of our clients can celebrate the holidays with a good meal, choosing the foods that make the holidays meaningful to them and their families. For more information email spanhelps@yahoo.com.

Thank you for including SPAN in your holiday plans and for showing what it means to care for our neighbors. Your generosity helps make the season brighter for families throughout our community.

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. For more information, call 410-647-0889, email spanhelps@yahoo.com or visit www.spanhelps.org.