Here’s to the Helpers

January 27, 2025

Here’s to the Helpers

Leah Paley
CEO, Anne Arundel Food Bank

 

It’s that time of year again. Not the holidays, although it’s that time, too. But the time when public attention turns to food banks. It’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, the end of the tax year, and all the things that make us reflect on what we’ve done and what we can do to help others.

In a popular meme that makes the rounds on social media every year, someone has put together a list of helpful tips for making food bank donations—don’t give boxed mac and cheese, for example, because making it requires milk and butter, which can be in short supply. This time around, I saw that someone else had written over this advice with “just give money.”

There’s some truth to the “Just give money” sentiment. Cash is king, and it allows us to buy more food more cost effectively when we purchase in bulk at wholesale rates. Monetary donations also allow us the flexibility to buy what we need all year long, and to be responsive to our partners, who may need more of something (or less of something else).

But like a lot of things that seem simple on social media, the truth is more complicated. Last fiscal year we bought a little more than half (53%) of the food we brought in. A lot of that was fresh produce, frozen meat, and other things that are difficult to drop into a food drive box for pickup, but are equally important for providing the kinds of healthy meals that will help our neighbors not just survive periods of food insecurity, but give them the stability and strength necessary to find their way through to a better place.

At the same time, staples—the cereals, rice, and canned goods that come in through food drives, provide a shelf-stable base that also helps a family get through tough times. Those donations make up about a third of the food we take in. A smaller portion, but still critical to the 3.2 million meals-worth of free food we were able to provide over the past year.

And food drives have other benefits as well. We just finished tallying up the results from one of our largest drives of the year, the Harvest for the Hungry, with Anne Arundel County Public Schools. HFTH brought in nearly 85,000 pounds of food this fall which we will distribute back out to the neighbors we serve providing them with resources that they otherwise face barriers to accessing. But the implications of this food drive partnership go far beyond just the donation and distribution of food. Kids are natural philanthropists–curious and caring and eager to be of help. By partnering with AACPS, the Food Bank is helping to encourage and nurture this next generation of helpers and selfless givers, a resource our entire community certainly needs.

Help, whether it comes in the form of treasure, time, or talent, is just that—help, and the Anne Arundel County Food Bank receives a great deal of it, for which we are always deeply appreciative. Philanthropy and philanthropists come in all shapes and sizes. Be it a significant financial contribution from a couple enjoying a comfortable retirement, a can of chicken noodle soup that a kindergartner donates because it’s her favorite winter meal, or a business employee volunteering at an evening Mobile Pantry distribution because that’s when he has the time, every gift makes a difference, every gift matters. I wish all of our many givers very happy holidays and a joyous New Year.