Food Insecurity Grows In Baltimore County During Pandemic

CATONSVILLE, MD — Even before the coronavirus pandemic swept around the world, food insecurity and hunger affected numerous area families.

Ellen Draper, a local resident, felt compelled to help those affected by hunger and volunteers with the Catonsville Can! Food and Toiletry Collection, along with the Casserole Campaign through her role as chairperson of the St. Mark Social Justice Committee.

According to Feeding America, there were 92,530 food insecure people in Baltimore County in 2016.

Coronavirus restrictions prevented people from placing donated casseroles for Our Daily Bread in their freezers, so Draper worked with the owners of Chef Paolino's in Catonsville to receive donations to pay for the preparation of casseroles that the parish would then deliver to Our Daily Bread, My Brother's Keeper and My Sister's Place. They immediately agreed and we set the price at $15 per casserole tray of baked ziti with meat sauce.

"By the time that first casserole campaign ended in June, Chef P's had received donations for 697 casseroles. Those casseroles have been delivered over time to meet the needs of the recipient organizations," Draper told Patch.

Draper and other volunteers have been unable to collect nonperishable food and toiletries at their parish as they normally did each week due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"I was aware that other churches in Catonsville were in the same position. I spoke to Bonnie Harry, the director of Catonsville Emergency Assistance (CEA), and to Vivian Watson and Robin Price, who run the food pantry at Grace A.M.E. Church, and learned that the need for food assistance was increasing. I reached out to Ed Cogs at the Knights of Columbus and he offered to let us use the parking lot at the Knights of Columbus Hall to run a community wide food collection site," Draper said.

Saturday collections are staffed by volunteers from area churches and members of the public not associated with the churches. In addition to adult volunteers, college students and local youth have aided with collections, Draper said.

"Shortly after we started collecting food and toiletries on Saturday mornings in the parking lot of the Knights of Columbus Hall, Tricia and Bob Cooper from Catonsville Presbyterian Church offered to expand our collection by setting up an additional drop-off time. They sit outside Catonsville Presbyterian Church every Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. and receive donations. They bring those donations to our Saturday morning collection site where we check expiration dates, box the food, weigh it and then deliver the boxed food to CEA and Grace A.M.E.," Draper said.

A second casserole campaign through a partnership with Dimitri's International Grille resulted in hundreds of casseroles being funded. This campaign will continue through December.

"I think people might be surprised to know how great food and housing insecurity are in our area. In July and August alone, we collected more than 4,800 pounds of food. Every week of the summer, all of the food that we delivered to the Grace A.M.E. food pantry was distributed the week it was received. The need was great in the early months of the pandemic and it continues to grow with new families seeking assistance from CEA and Grace A.M.E. every week. There is also great concern about the need for utility assistance, housing insecurity and the ability of families to avoid foreclosure once restrictions are lifted," Draper said.

"The need is great in normal times, but the increased need caused by COVID will be with us for quite a long time. In the Catonsville area, I encourage people to send in a $15 check to Dimitri's on a regular basis, drop off food at our Friday or Saturday food collection site - every can of food helps," she noted.

Donors can drop off nonperishable food and toiletries Fridays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Catonsville Presbyterian Church or Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Knights of Columbus Hall.

Patch has partnered with Feeding America to help raise awareness on behalf of the millions of Americans facing hunger. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that in 2020, more than 54 million Americans will not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.