Helping Neighbors Stay Afloat

There are times when life can be exhausting. We all have days with a long to-do list, rushing between events and squeezing in errands. I often hear that exhaustion as I help SPAN clients load food into their cars. This is just one stop as they search for more work, care for a sick family member, and take care of their kids while sharing the working car with other family members.

Unexpected expenses add even more stress when money is tight; things such as a trip to the hospital, a needed car repair or an appliance breaking are enough to cause a temporary crisis. Many of our clients fit into the category of earning just enough income to afford the basics, and unexpected expenses can easily put them in a deeper and deeper hole.

The United Way tracks this by location and found that 6% of residents in Anne Arundel County are below the federal poverty level and another 27% are in the ALICE category (Asset Limited Income Constrained and Employed). These are households whose occupants are employed and still have trouble paying for the basics. Many of these households include people working multiple jobs and/or caring for family members, which makes employment more difficult (learn more at www.unitedforalice.org.)

SPAN has several families who come regularly for food. We often hear comments about how much the food and toiletries help them be able to make it to the end of the month. As they prioritize what bills to pay, the money that they save on food can go toward their rent and utilities.

SPAN also helps people with medical expenses. Our clients can get up to $200 per year of assistance with prescriptions and medical bills, and for many people, this makes a big difference. “Steve” needed to use the little money he had left last month for gas, both to get his daughter to her doctor’s appointment and so he could get to a job interview. He was extremely grateful that SPAN was able to help him with his daughter’s prescriptions and with food for his family.

Health issues, whether chronic or acute, are a concern for many of our clients. SPAN helped a family who received a BGE turnoff notice at the same time as a cancer diagnosis. “Mark” was in the hospital for over a month with what started as a kidney stone and then was discovered to be a much larger issue. While in the hospital, he was not working and not getting paid. His family could not pay their utility bill. The family was on budget billing, which is meant to help with consistency in the utility bill by charging an average each month, but there can be a buildup if the average varies from the actual cost.

Higher utility bills have hit many of us lately, and in this case, the buildup of those higher bills had a huge impact. The drawback with budget billing is that if a payment is missed, the entire balance is due. Mark’s family quickly found themselves with a large BGE bill and a turnoff notice, in addition to navigating his cancer diagnosis.

Year to date, SPAN has helped 462 families with a total of more than $87,500 toward court-ordered evictions, utility turnoffs and medical expenses. SPAN is primarily known as a food pantry, but thanks to this generous community, we are able to help many community members who need to make tough decisions with limited income. Thank you!

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 15 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 or at the Severna Park Library and Severna Park Community Center. Please “like” SPAN on Facebook!