The South Baltimore Gateway Partnership (SBGP) has awarded a $500,000 grant to the Maryland Food Bank (MFB) to provide food for an estimated 600 families in the South Baltimore Gateway District for the next 90 days. The funds will support hunger relief efforts by purchasing over 4,000 Back Up Boxes of non-perishable foods from the food bank and providing additional food and support for the six operating MFB Network Partners in the District.
Each Back Up Box will contain 30 pounds of shelf-stable foods such as pasta, peanut butter, canned tuna, and canned vegetables. Each box provides a family with nutritious food for about a week. SBGP will work with community partners to deliver the boxes to residents in the 21230 and 21225 zip codes beginning May 18, 2020.
“We are proud to partner with the Maryland Food Bank to help feed the residents of our District,” said SBGP Executive Director Brad Rogers. “In these uncertain times, making sure that families have reliable access to nutritious food is more important than ever.”
“Our Back Up Boxes were created in response to the heightened need for immediate food assistance that resulted from statewide closures and disruptions to everyday life,” MFB President and CEO Carmen Del Guercio said. “Combining these boxes with additional support for the community organizations that make up our partner network is the most effective way to get food into the hands of Marylanders in need. We’re grateful to SBGP for providing the funds to ensure these efforts continue in South Baltimore.”
In addition to Back Up Boxes, the funding will also be used to support the six MFB Network Partners operating within the SBGP District that are open and operating during the pandemic. Funding will ensure that the partners remain well-stocked and will provide education to make sure the organizations remain safe. The six operating MFB Network Partners in the District are:
• Fishes and Loaves Food Pantry: 2422 W Patapsco Ave.
• Cherry Hill United Methodist Church Pantry: 3225 Round Rd.
• St. Veronica’s Church: 806 Cherry Hill Rd.
• Christ Church Harbor Apts.: 600 Light St.
• Baltimore Outreach Services: 701 S Charles St.
• South Creek Community Development Corporation: 1021 Leadenhall St.
About the South Baltimore Gateway Partnership:
SBGP was established in 2016 to help implement the South Baltimore Gateway Master Plan, a sweeping plan to improve neighborhoods near the Horseshoe Casino Baltimore, with funding provided by the Local Impact Grants generated by video lottery terminals. Under its Strategic Plan, SBGP works to improve the vitality of its communities by focusing on three crucial elements of the South Baltimore Gateway Master Plan: Community Development and Revitalization, Environmental Sustainability, and Health and Wellness. To achieve the agenda laid out in the Strategic Plan, SBGP has established three interrelated program areas: Community Grants, Enhanced Services, and Transformational Projects. SBGP is not an agency of the City of Baltimore or the State of Maryland. It is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of residents of the district and representatives of businesses located in the district.
About Maryland Food Bank:
The Maryland Food Bank is a nonprofit hunger-relief organization dedicated to feeding people, strengthening communities, and ending hunger for more Marylanders by partnering with local organizations from the western mountains to the Eastern Shore. The food bank’s statewide network of food assistance brings enough resources together to provide the equivalent of 110,000 meals every day (over 40 million meals annually) to hungry children, seniors, veterans, and hard-working families, meeting the immediate needs of hungry Marylanders while simultaneously working to create pathways out of hunger. To learn more about the Maryland Food Bank, visit www.mdfoodbank.org.