September Update From SPAN

It was wonderful to see so many community members at the Earleigh Heights Volunteer Fire Company for the Eastern District National Night Out in August. SPAN’s bathtub costume received a lot of attention. It was a reminder that in addition to food, SPAN provides emergency financial assistance to help people through a utility turnoff, court-ordered eviction or the need for a medical prescription.

Emergency financial assistance is very needed these days as some of the pandemic supports end. Maryland’s eviction moratorium ended August 15 and the Supreme Court has ruled that the Centers for Disease Control does not have the authority to extend the moratorium in areas of high COVID-19 transmission. SPAN has always been there to help those facing crisis situations, such a loss of job or illness, and SPAN continues to be here as an available source of support.

An additional form of support, to help renters and landlords, is the $22.8 million in Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) funds that Anne Arundel County has to distribute. This is a federally funded program in response to COVID-19 and more than 60% of the funds still need to be dispersed. More information about the Emergency Rental Assistance Program may be found at www.dhcd.maryland.gov, and for Anne Arundel County specific information, at www.acdsinc.org.

SPAN continues to be grateful for the supportive community that helps us help others. It is wonderful to see the donations that show up at our door and to stop by the Severna Park Library and Severna Park Community Center and find the SPAN donation boxes full.

Your generosity also helps with an additional program, Holiday Caring, which provides clients with holiday meals and Christmas gifts for children. Now that students are heading back to school and pumpkins are starting to appear everywhere, many will start counting down the days until Thanksgiving and Christmas. But many families worry about Thanksgiving and Christmas because they can’t afford a large meal and gifts for their children. Unforeseen circumstances, such as a car accident, illness or job layoff can throw family budgets into crisis mode. At SPAN, we can ease the burden a bit.

Please consider becoming a sponsor — you will be matched with a SPAN client family to purchase the food and/or gifts for the family and deliver the donation to SPAN for distribution. Sponsors also have the option of sending SPAN a tax-deductible donation or gift cards. For more information, please email us at spanhelps@yahoo.com or call 410-647-0889. Thank you for your help; together we are making a difference every day!

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-12:45pm. 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!