Communities, Corporations Pack To Give Back on a Local Level

On any given day, more than 760,000 Marylanders struggle with food insecurity are forced to make tough choices between rent, utilities, medication, and putting food on the table. In an effort to alleviate stress on these Marylanders around the holidays, we have been visiting communities in need across the state to bring holiday relief directly to those who need it most.

As families across the state prepare to gather around the table for a holiday meal, we’re making it possible for thousands of food-insecure Marylanders to do the same. For the fifth consecutive year, the Maryland Food Bank and our network of community partners are packing holiday meals as part of our annual distribution effort we call Pack to Give Back.

Only this year, we are traveling across the state and going into every county we serve to host more intimate events at the local level. Reimagined as Pack to Give Back Local, each event aims to bring together community organizations and corporate sponsors to pack and distribute holiday meals to those who need them the most.

Transamerica, this year’s presenting sponsor, signed on to support Pack to Give Back Local with the hope that no individual will have to go hungry this holiday season, said the company’s president Bradie Barr.

“We’ve learned that getting enough to eat can be a real hardship for many families, especially over the holidays when schools and other support organizations are not open to serve meals,” Barr said. “Transamerica is committed to improving quality of life in the communities where we work and live.”

In addition to supporting the statewide effort, Transamerica employees will pitch in to volunteer at one of the Pack to Give Bank Local events in Baltimore City, where they will pack and distribute meals to food-insecure Marylanders that same day. Each meal comes with a turkey and all of the traditional holiday fixings, including stuffing, gravy, and mashed potatoes, to feed a family of four.

Employees from BGE, Xerox, and various other corporations also took part in events across Baltimore and central Maryland. On the Eastern Shore, Perdue Farms and Sysco helped hungry Marylanders, while CSX joined the effort in Western Maryland. Statewide, 23 different corporate partners contributed to this year’s Pack to Give Back Local events.

“This year we’re trying something new, and we’re grateful to the business community for coming together to take a stand against hunger,” said Maryland Food Bank Interim President & CEO Matt Whelan. “We also appreciate our community partners who worked with us to host these special events statewide. Our aim with Pack to Give Back Local was to go into the communities we serve and make a difference in the lives of our neighbors in need. It was a team effort, and we can’t thank everyone enough for joining us in the fight to end hunger in Maryland.”

Thank you to all our 2016 sponsors who made Pack to Give Back Local possible.