BALTIMORE — Hundreds of families in two Southwest Baltimore neighborhoods received boxes of food today.
The Maryland Food Bank received a $500,000 grant from South Baltimore Gateway Partnership (SBGP) to distribute "backup boxes" to feed 600 families in South and Southwest Baltimore over the next 90 days.
The Maryland Food Bank opened a second warehouse in Lansdowne back in March to put together "backup boxes" that can feed a family of four for up to a week.
Volunteers gave out about 150 boxes in both the Mt. Winans and Lakeland neighborhoods this morning.
"It was an obvious partnering. We could help the food bank whose trying to get food out to people and our neighborhoods who have put together distribution sites like this in order to get food into their communities," said Brad Rogers, the executive director of SBGP.
Rogers says many of the families they help live in food deserts, meaning they don't have easy access to fresh and healthy food. He said the coronavirus pandemic is making their situation even more dire.
"This pandemic has made the situation worse by isolating people in their homes, by job loss and by reducing the transportation opportunities people have to even get to grocery stores. So the need in South Baltimore is very great."
To learn more about SBGP's response to the coronavirus, click here.
