Final Food Pick-Ups Before the Holidays!

The last of the 648 Turkeys Donated by Chesapeake Materials was Distributed to Anne Arundel County Food Bank Member Food Pantries.

For the past five years, Chesapeake Materials has been making an annual donation of turkeys, hams, chickens, and holiday fixings to the Anne Arundel County Food Bank (AACFB) to help make the holiday season much brighter for hundreds of families in Anne Arundel County.

While this local business stopped by in November to donate 78 turkeys, 78 hams, 18 whole chickens, and other holiday fixings, they heard about the increased need in our community and took action again in December. This time they brought in the support of their partners, Fidelity First Financial and CFG Bank, and together they donated $12,050 to purchase turkeys for families in our community.

With their generous support, the AACFB was able to purchase 648 turkeys!

“We just think helping our neighbor is an important cause,” said Sean Shannon, President of Chesapeake Materials. “We believe that when you can help, you should help.”

The team from Chesapeake Materials is pictured in front of the last of their donated turkeys to be distributed this week. Pictured above are Jordan Carbone, Savannah Hatch, Emily Proctor, Sean Shannon, and Kyle Leary.

Without contributions like that of Chesapeake Materials and its partners, it would be extremely hard for the AACFB to meet the increased demand for food during the winter months. Over 6,000 households requested food baskets from our member agencies for the December holidays alone. Each of these 648 turkeys will be distributed to an Anne Arundel County household in need this holiday season through the AACFB network of 70+ member agency food pantries.

The purchased turkeys were distributed in the weeks prior to the holidays, with Wilson Memorial Church being one of the last member agency food pantries to pick up this week. Their small church helps approximately 100 families every other week.

“We’re thankful for businesses like Chesapeake Materials who help make sure all families can gather around a table and enjoy a holiday meal together,” said Leah Paley, CEO of the AACFB. “It’s only by working together that we can ensure that everyone in Anne Arundel County has access to nutritious food that keeps them healthy this holiday season and beyond.”

As the challenges of the pandemic and high inflation remain for our under-resourced neighbors, if you would like to join Chesapeake Materials in partnering with the AACFB to serve our community and provide critical support in our fight against hunger, please consider giving now: www.aafoodbank.org/donate.

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About Anne Arundel County Food Bank

Anne Arundel County Food Bank was founded in 1986 to distribute food to community partners throughout Anne Arundel County. To this day, AACFB continues its commitment to providing free food and other critical services to under-resourced residents, working alongside county and state governments to address food insecurity throughout the County. The AACFB network of member agencies includes over 70 community-based member food pantries. For more information: www.aafoodbank.org.