WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate has passed an appropriations request by
U.S. Senators Benjamin L. Cardin and
Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-MD) that would provide $400,000 in funding to the Maryland Food Bank.
The funding will enable the Food Bank to meet its highest-priority capital needs, including the purchase of three refrigerated trucks, upgrades to office spaces and the installation of a new roof at the Maryland Food Bank's 87,000-square foot distribution center in Baltimore.
The Maryland Food Bank, an affiliate of
Feeding America
, was founded in 1979 to coordinate the procurement and distribution of food donations from manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and government agencies to organizations providing free food to the state's hungry.
It
provides nearly 14 million pounds of food annually to 1,000 Network Partners — including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, low-income day care centers, after-school programs, senior centers, rehabilitation centers, and other feeding programs.
“In these tough economic times, every day thousands of Marylanders make tough choices between buying food and meeting other needs such as paying rent, heat and medical bills,” said
Senator Cardin, a member of the Senate Budget Committee.
“I am strongly committed to supporting the mission of Maryland Food Bank, and I will work to ensure it has the resources needed to continue it mission.”
“Maryland’s hungry come from all walks and all stripes. They are a 5-year-old girl whose father left home with the income, or a 17-year-old boy who can’t find a job. They are seniors, families, and the working poor. They are our neighbors,”
Senator Mikulski said. “Every day, the Maryland Food Bank opens their doors and helps relieve their hunger. I will continue to fight to put funds in the federal checkbook to support their work.”
The Maryland Food Bank operates from two facilities: one in Baltimore, serving Central Maryland, and one in Salisbury, serving the Eastern Shore. Our Baltimore operation supplies six Regional Distribution Organizations with food. They are the Community Action Food Bank (Harford County), Garrett County Food Resources, Food Resources, Inc. (Washington and Frederick counties), Howard County Food Bank, Southern Maryland Food Bank, and Western Maryland Food Bank – expanding our reach to counties distant from our two warehouses.
