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On Friday, June 14, the Anne Arundel County Council passed the County Executive’s proposed Fiscal Year 2025 county budget including more than $2 million in funding to support the work of the Anne Arundel County Food Bank. We are extremely grateful to the County Executive and the Council for their support of our work and their partnership to alleviate food insecurity in Anne Arundel County. These funds will primarily support the purchase of food to help sustain the more than 50,000 instances of service that we are providing across Anne Arundel County every month. They will also help support salary and essential Food Bank operations.
As we close out FY24 and look to the coming year, I am heartened by the strength of commitment that the AACFB, and by extension the neighbors facing food insecurity who we serve, receives from across our community. The AA County government is only one, albeit a very important one, of the many supporters who make our work possible. Everyone in our community who contributes their time, talent, and/or treasure to ensure that we can meet the growing need for supplemental food resources in Anne Arundel County is taking a stand and sending a message that consistent access to nutritious food is an essential need and right. We could not do this work without the commitment of our many friends and supporters – individuals, businesses, community organizations, elected officials and their teams, county agencies, allied nonprofits, and more. I am humbled by the generosity of the people of Anne Arundel County and remain in firm belief that together we can create systemic change, breaking the cycle of food insecurity that is the reality for far too many of our neighbors. Thank you all.
I am wishing everyone a joyful 4th of July holiday and a relaxing summer.
Sincerely,
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Leah Paley
CEO, Anne Arundel County Food Bank
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OUT AND ABOUT
AACFB Attends National Anti-Hunger Conference
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On June 3 and 4, CEO Leah Paley and Director of Development and External Relations Sarah Reilly took part in the National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference in Washington, DC. The conference, sponsored by the Food Research & Action Center, brought together more than one thousand anti-hunger advocates from across the country.
The Conference take-aways included updates on SNAP and WIC from USDA staff, insights on how local food councils are working with local and state government to put food policy in action, and a better understanding from individuals with lived experience about how to involve them in food security solutions thoughtfully.
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Summer EBT program launches
The USDA has launched Summer EBT, a new program available in 37 states (including Maryland), all five U.S. territories, and two Tribes. The program will provide grocery benefits to low-income families with children ages 5-18 during the summer months when school is out. Eligible families in participating states will receive $120 per eligible school-aged child to purchase groceries.
The Anne Arundel County Food Bank is committed to raising awareness about programs like this to increase food security here in our county. Sharing resources like this is critical to building pathways out of food insecurity!
For more information about the Summer EBT program, follow this link:
https://www.summerebt.org/
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Crosby Marketing Pledges $50,000 Match This July
Thanks to the generosity of Crosby Marketing Communications, any gift given to the Anne Arundel County Food Bank in the month of July will be matched dollar for dollar up to $50,000.
Food insecurity doesn’t go on vacation in the summer. Household food insecurity actually increases during the summer months because more family members are home. Young people without access to school meals are especially likely to experience a decline in their intake of nutritious food and experience increased food anxiety.
Think outside the lunchbox this July. Double your impact, and help reduce summer food anxiety.
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Happenings at the Food Bank | |
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Grant Supports Needed Warehouse Management Improvements
The Anne Arundel County Food Bank recently received a $7,000 grant to fund the purchase of a new inventory management system. The new system is expected to be implemented by the end of September.
The system, called Fishbowl, will allow AACFB to track products and vendor/client data more efficiently and effectively. The full-featured system allows for advanced work orders, barcode scanning, and more.
| Food Bank Welcomes Two New Employees | | |
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The food bank is delighted to introduce two new employees. Director of Programs Morganne Bovee is a global health professional with particular expertise in pediatric/early childhood and community-centric programming. She has demonstrated experience in field research and MHPSS program management for NGO, humanitarian, and non-profit programs. She remains dedicated to working with underserved populations such as undocumented and migrant communities and applies her research and public health expertise in a culturally sensitive and trauma-informed way. She holds a Master of Public Health degree from George Washington University.
As our director of programs, Morganne will serve as an expert on food insecurity and food programming in Anne Arundel County, focusing on strategic priorities and programming initiatives, as well as identifying solutions to address the root causes of food insecurity.
Receptionist/Administrative Assistant Katie Amaya brings four years of receptionist/administrative assistant experience, most recently working as an administrative assistant at a landscaping company in Clinton, MD. Prior to that, Katie worked as a pediatric medical assistant for a practice in Greenbelt, MD. In addition to her administrative and customer service skills, Katie is a fluent Spanish speaker. We receive many calls from Spanish-speaking neighbors, and we’re thrilled to be able to communicate with them in their native language.
In her new role, Katie will be greeting visitors, answering the phone, and assisting office staff with administrative tasks when needed.
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New AACFB website up and running | |
Last month, the AACFB unveiled a redesigned site with many improvements, including cleaner navigation, easier use with mobile devices, a bolder color palette, and a password-protected section for our Network Partners. The URL remains the same: www.aafoodbank.org. | |
Neighbor survey results are in | |
In March 2024, the AACFB distributed a survey to each of the food pantry partners to distribute to neighbors who utilize their services. The purpose of this survey was to identify areas of success and opportunities for improvement. A total of 2,589 neighbors responded to the survey. The results of this survey indicate that AACFB is achieving intended outcomes on food distribution systems including increased access to healthy food within the support system. The biggest strength of the services we provide appears to be helping our neighbors save money to pay for other basic household expenses. | |
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Almost half the food we distribute (45%) is donated by the generous residents and businesses of Anne Arundel County. Our current inventory of donated food remains low. Please help us restock our warehouse with donations of shelf-stable food.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Donate items directly to the food bank located at 120 Marbury Drive in Crownsville. Donations accepted Monday through Friday from 9 am to 3 pm. (Please do not leave items on our loading docks when we are closed.)
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Organize a food drive. Bring together your workplace, community, or circle of friends to collect food for the Anne Arundel County Food Bank.
Our new food drive guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to hold a food drive and the best foods to donate to promote health.
Help us plan our warehouse volunteer schedule and register your food drive on our website. Click the button below for all the details on hosting a food drive.
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UPCOMING CLOSURES
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Week of June 24-28: AACFB End-of-Year Inventory Review
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Thursday, July 4: Independence Day
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