“Before the recession, hit the pantry was, for the most part, elderly with fixed income or families that needed a little extra to make it to the end of the month,” said an organizer of the Ark Church food pantry, Kellie James. “After the recession we’ve had just about everyone represented. It can be a household with two people who work every day and turn out to be ineligible for food stamps,” said James, who has worked with the North Avenue pantry for seven years.
Ark Church is just one of many food shelters and pantries across the city intent on keeping Baltimore fed at a time where many families and individuals are having to choose the different ways to stretch a dollar.
According to reports released by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), a national organization focused on compiling data, 19.4 percent of Americans in the last quarter of 2011 reported suffering through a food hardship within the past year. Meaning, they found themselves at some point without enough money to buy food for themselves and or a family at least once.
“I didn’t have a job. I had just been laid off because of my illness and my husband wasn’t working,” said Sahara Smith, explaining what led her to seek help from a shelter. “I felt so good with how they were treating everybody that I started working at the food pantry giving out food, bagging, and handing it out to the community,” said Smith, who found herself wanting to give back to other Baltimoreans.
The FRAC Food Hardship Report, released Feb. 28, shows hunger statistics not only on a national level, but also gives numbers of the congressional districts of each state. To get a live report on the nation’s wellbeing, the Gallup-Healthways partnership completes 1,000 surveys each day from points across the country, 350 days a year.
“Maryland is doing a little bit better than the national averages, especially when we talk about basic access to food and clean water,” said Reggie Ramsey, a data specialist for Gallup- Healthways.
The FRAC Food Hardship in America report is completed with data collected in the Gallup-Healthways Well- Being Index (WBI), an alliance between Gallup, an international polling and data company, and Healthways, an international organization focused on making nations of the world healthier.
“It’s a pulse of what’s happening,” said Ramsey of the index. “We want local government and leaders to address the issues highlighted.”
Overall 16 percent of Marylanders endured food hardship as of the fourth quarter of last year, and compared to 100 other major cities with citizens facing food shortages, Baltimore City takes position 64. Reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture further show that of the total population facing food scarcity in the U.S., 9.1 percent of that number is made up of African Americans, followed closely by Hispanics at 8.4 percent.
While the WBI focuses on several categories such as physical health and work environment, the hunger portion of the report was of significant importance at the National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference this week. Held in Washington, D.C., the conference brought together over 700 anti-hunger organizations to bring attention to what is happening on the ground level for everyday Americans in terms of food. The convention afforded an opportunity for Maryland lawmakers to review the reports on hunger in the state.
For those needing help with food:
Willing Workers, Refuge Way of Cross Church?
4301 Old York Road ?Baltimore, MD 21212
?Phone: (410) 528-9016/(410) 435-8339/Fax:(410) 323-3706
?Email: refugewotc@refugewotc.org?
Baltimore City Department of Social Services, Homeless & Environmental Services
Unit ?1920 N Broadway Avenue ?Baltimore, MD 21213?
Phone: (443) 423-6000/Fax: (443) 423-6002?Hours: 8:30am-5pm M-F?
Civic Works
?2701 Saint Lo Drive ?Baltimore, MD 21213?Phone: (410) 366-8533/Fax: (410) 366-1831?Email: info@civicsworks.com?Hours: 8am-5pm M-F
Harford Center for Senior Citizens/Northeast Food Pantry
?4920 Harford Road ?Baltimore, MD 21214
?County: Baltimore City
?Phone: (410) 426-4009/Fax: (410) 426-4081
Calvary Baptist Church?
3911 Garrison Boulevard ?Baltimore, MD 21215
?Phone: (410) 664-2111/Fax: (410) 367-1481?
Email: questions@calvarybaltimore.com?
Hours: 10am-1pm Friday
City Temple Outreach Soup Kitchen Rent Assistance
410-383-8040
?317 Dolphin Street
?Baltimore, MD 21217
Heart’s Place Shelter- St. John’s Church
?2640 St. Paul Street ?Baltimore, MD 21218?
County: Baltimore City
?Phone: (410) 235-9269/(410) 435-0392 (after hours)/Fax: (410) 366-7734?
Email: heartsplace@earthlink.net?
Hours: 8am-8am Sun-M; 3:30pm-8am M-Tue?
Bus/Rail Lines: 3, 11, 61
