- College Park Food Bank (Washington Post)
I’ve been thinking to start a series of posts featuring social services that a number of our community groups provide. At a time when many in community are going through economic hardships, I think it’s worth focusing on them.
Today, I’ll start the series with the College Park Community Food Bank, which runs off the Church of the Nazarene on Rhode Island Avenue.
The food bank started its operation since October 2008, after it received a few calls from needy families. That inspired a few members of the Church to start a small food distribution for 30 families. The program has now grown to become the Food Bank, a full-scale distribution that monthly serves 200-300 people.
Currently, the food bank does Saturday morning distributions once a month– usually on the 3rd Saturday of the month. The date of the next distribution is always on their homepage. They also do their best to get the word out in the local community by distributing flyers each month, getting the info in school newsletters, and reminding previous recipients.
There is no charge for the food they distribute. Their website says they are supported by donations and funds raised specifically for the food bank by a team of volunteers. One just needs to show up at one of our distributions– the 3rd Saturday of each month at 10am; there is no need to bring any paperwork or qualifying information.
They food bank gives out boxes of food that are a mix of non-perishables (soup, vegetables, beans, rice, pasta etc.), fresh bread and bagels, and fresh produce. Their specific selection of food varies every month based on availability & donations. They give out what they have until they run out so it’s best to show up at 10am. Folks can receive food at the next event by filling out this form
The food bank says it needs a lot of volunteering help. If you can , please do so by visiting this page.
[Source, the Washington Poat, the Gazette]