Harvest Collection Follow-Up

FYI to those who donated food for our Harvest Collection on Sunday, 9/28. Your contributions were much appreciated!!! Please see the note below my signature here from the MD Food Bank. We hope to do the collection annually each autumn. If you want to donate at other times of the year, you can drop your extra garden edibles off with the Plant A Row coordinator, Jessica Rozmus at AHS River Farm (jrozmus@ahs.org) OR you can donate the fresh produce directly to area food banks and just let Jessica or myself know the amount of food donated (in pounds) so that we can report it for the Plant A Row Campaign totals.For more on Plant A Row for the Hungry, see http://www.gardenwriters.org/par/.

Thank you for your donation of fresh produce to the Maryland Food
Bank. Your donation will help us in providing food to the hungry
throughout the state.

Each week, over 50,000 different people rely on free food from soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, and other feeding programs to avoid going hungry. Annually, the Maryland Food bank provides emergency food for 235,000 different people.

Below are some demographics on hunger in Maryland:

77% of households served are food insecure. Food insecurity is defined as limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate foods. By contrast food security is
defined as access by all people at all times to enough food for an active
healthy life.

23% of households served by Maryland's charitable food
providers are food secure. The reasons they are using emergency feeding sites
vary--it may be sudden job loss, high fuel costs or unexpected medical expenses.
These people are teetering on the edge of food insecurity.
Among households with children under the age of 18, 81% are food insecure or at risk of hunger. Among households with adults over 65, 50% are food insecure or at risk of hunger.

Nearly half - 48% - of households have at least one employed adult.
67% of clients served have incomes below the federal poverty level; which is
$1, 613 per month for a family of four. 58% of all households have a monthly
income of less than $1,000.

48% of clients served have completed high school and 20 percent have some higher education.

46% of clients served choose between paying for food and paying their mortgage or rent, heating costs or medical bills. 54% of clients have unpaid medical bills and 27% of clients have no health insurance. An additional 27% of clients use Medicare and the rest operate with some form of health insurance (be it private or state).

The racial composition of those seeking emergency food assistance in Maryland is 25% white, 42% black and 30% Hispanic. 53% of adults served are women.

We provide volunteer opportunities for individuals and groups to who want to help
our mission. Our volunteer opportunities provide a rewarding, hands-on
opportunity for individuals and groups, and offers team-building
experiences.

If you would like additional information on how you can help combat hunger in Maryland or for volunteer information, please visit our website at www.mdfoodbank.org.

Again, thank you.
Maryland Food Bank
2200 Halethorpe Farms Road
Baltimore,
Maryland 21227
(410) 737-8282
(410) 536-0438 Fax
www.mdfoodbank.org