Volunteers with the Heritage Baptist Church Food Pantry in Annapolis anticipated a strong turnout the morning of Nov. 4. Delays in federal food assistance benefits and a federal government shutdown meant there would likely be more people than usual in need of food.
But when attendance turned out to be even greater than expected and volunteers were forced to close up shop early, the Rev. Scott Shelton turned to social media to ask for help.
In just one week, the food pantry received nearly $10,000 in donations and an estimated 5,000 pounds of donated food to accommodate its growing number of visitors.
Shelton said it was “incredible” to see so many people in the community donate what they could. “I think the donations come from people who want to help—they just don’t know how to help,” he said.
Lea Hurt, a parishioner who has volunteered with the food pantry in the past, said it was “heartening” to see the outpouring of support. She said she’s lived in Annapolis for 35 years, but it continues to amaze her how her community steps up in times of need.
“It just makes you feel good about where you live,” she said.
A growing need in the community
This year, the Heritage Baptist Church Food Pantry — which has a partnership with the Anne Arundel County Food Bank — has been serving 200 families per month on average.
“But in the last quarter, it went up to 260 [families] a month,” said Bruce Livingston, a Heritage Baptist parishioner who runs the food pantry. “It’s a 30% increase.”
Livingston said that with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefit delays and the federal government shutdown, the number of families that came to the food pantry on Nov. 4 was even higher.
“We had 80 families come in in the first 45 minutes,” he said, adding that the food pantry, which is open between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Tuesdays, normally averages 50 families coming in per week.
Those numbers are still growing. Livingston said 88 families, a record high, came into the pantry this past Tuesday.
For Livingston, the recent donations from the community were a “relief.” He said they allowed the food pantry to get the additional items required to be “ready” to serve the growing number of people in need this past week.
On Oct. 31, a month into the federal government shutdown, two federal judges stopped the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s plans to pause SNAP funding. However, the ruling didn’t stop the delay of SNAP payments for millions of Americans.
This past week, as legislation made its way to President Donald Trump to end the shutdown Wednesday night, many Americans who rely on SNAP were still without their November benefits.
In Anne Arundel County, 41,847 residents rely on SNAP, according to county government.
In an effort to address the absence of benefits, Anne Arundel County government and area nonprofits have appropriated funds to ensure county residents in need have access to food. On Nov. 4, County Executive Steuart Pittman announced county plans to provide the Anne Arundel County Food Bank with $500,000 to distribute food to residents affected by the delay of SNAP benefits and the federal government shutdown.
“The Trump Administration’s initial refusal to release funding for SNAP has caused delays and uncertainty for families who are trying to get food on the table,” Pittman said in a Nov. 4 news release. “That, paired with the number of federal workers and contractors who are not being paid during this shutdown has resulted in a great need for more food assistance. Anne Arundel County and our partners will continue to do what we have always done: fill in the gap and protect our people.”
On Monday, the Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County announced that it had launched a Food Insecurity Fund that pools donations from the community to address hunger in the county. In a news release, the nonprofit said it had already distributed $40,000 to the Anne Arundel County Food Bank.
“The need is real and growing,” the organization’s CEO and President John Rodenhausen said in the news release. “With the Food Insecurity Fund, we’re giving residents a way to come together and make an immediate, local impact for families who are struggling to afford nutritious meals.”
Shelton said that this past week, there was a feeling of uncertainty among food pantry recipients regarding when they would next receive food assistance benefits.
“So there’s kind of a ‘I should go get food now’ [mindset],” he said. “There’s definitely that pulse among the people.”
A direct impact
Annapolis resident and retired county government employee Larry Foote has been going to the Heritage Baptist Church Food Pantry for more than a decade. He said the food from the pantry helps him and his wife, Mary, make ends meet every month.
Foote, who is not a SNAP recipient, said that after seeing the line for the food pantry on Nov. 4, he decided to go home and come back another week.
“It was standing room only,” he said. “There had to be about 80-some people in there.”
Foote believes the government shutdown contributed to an increase in the number of people going to the food pantry over the last few months.
Annapolis resident Lynn Quayle also noticed a long line outside the food pantry on Nov. 4, something she doesn’t normally see.
“It’s heartbreaking that anyone would have to deal with food insecurity,” she said. “It’s a basic need.”
After seeing a social media post about the church’s need for donations, Quayle and her two young children picked up pasta, pasta sauce and tuna fish on their grocery store run to donate to the food pantry.
Quayle said she gives credit to all of the work that community volunteers do to ensure people can put food on the table all year round.
“Because there is an ongoing need no matter what,” she said.
Foote said he likes the atmosphere at Heritage Baptist’s food pantry.
“I think they run a good program,” he said. “I think it’s a blessing to the families in the area, really.”
Those who want to learn more about the Heritage Baptist Church Food Pantry can visit https://ift.tt/Uflg7sV. Those who would like to donate or volunteer can visit https://ift.tt/2MInPLp.
Have a news tip? Contact Maggie Trovato at mtrovato@baltsun.com, 443-890-0601 or on X @MaggieTrovato.
