Walmart Grant Helps Partners Rescue More Local Food

Recently, Walmart boosted six Maryland Food Bank community partners’ efforts to feed communities through the generous donation of funding, vehicles and equipment to rescue more food from local grocers.

Retail recovery is when perfectly good food that hasn’t been purchased at the grocery store goes directly to neighbors, instead of to the landfill. The Maryland Food Bank can proudly say that last year, our community partner network rescued an amazing amount of food—enough to provide nearly 11 million meals to neighbors in need!

But the fact remains that 1 in 3 Marylanders may face hunger on any given day, and we need to do more.

Similar to MFB’s other grant programs, the Walmart grant places resources in the hands of our partners, the ones who best understand the needs of their community and can maximize the impact on neighbors.

This expansion of our multi-year partnership with Walmart means that neighbors visiting Gabrielle’s Place in south Baltimore, Haven Ministries in Queenstown, the Langston Hughes Community Center in northwest Baltimore, Open Hands of MD in Pasadena, Rebirth in Salisbury, or Mercy Court in northern Baltimore will have an expanded selection of food, rescued from nearby retail locations.

Gabrielle’s Place

In the Sandtown/Winchester community south of Baltimore, Gabrielle’s Place (aka N8 House) has been helping neighbors overcome root cause challenges by offering regular distributions of primarily shelf-stable food and a comprehensive program to help neighbors achieve a greater degree of stability in their lives.

Now, with the addition of a refrigerated truck, founder Dawn Glover knows they’ll be able to do even more for their neighbors. Dawn shared that while they have been participating in retail rescue for some time, having to use low-capacity personal vehicles was inefficient, and led to having to refuse and large donations of fresh or frozen foods.

“It is a privilege to be chosen for this kind of donation from Walmart. We’re looking forward being able to safely provide more fresh and frozen food to our neighbors – things that just weren’t possible before when we were using coolers and blankets and making multiple trips in our own cars,” said Dawn.

Haven Ministries

Across the Bay Bridge and about an hour southeast of Gabrielle’s Place is Haven Ministries, a Queenstown, MD-based community partner that offers relief to about 1,800 individuals each month, locals who are spread out geographically, and have very limited grocery store and transportation options.

Amanda James, the organization’s director of food pantries shared some of the ways people work through those challenges—including families riding to Haven Ministries in open wagons towed by tractors, individuals on bicycles, and even one gentleman who struggles to balance the bags of food he receives on the handlebars of a rental scooter—but is encouraged by what the addition of a truck means to her neighbors, and her volunteers.

“I’m looking forward to people being able to choose from an increased variety of meats, produce, and dairy in addition to the shelf stable items people are used to. It also will uncomplicate they way we do things now, and free up more hands on deck to help unload and distribute the food,” shared Amanda.

Langston Hughes Community, Business, and Resource Center

With the closest grocery store about a mile away, neighbors in need in the Park Heights neighborhood of northwest Baltimore have found the Langston Hughes Community, Business, and Resource Center to be a judgment-free destination to find relief from food insecurity and receive assistance with financial, mental health and childcare challenges.

A Maryland Food Bank partner since 2009, the Langston Hughes Center is actually the largest food pantry in MFB’s service area (21 counties and Baltimore city), yet director Carol Little knows there is still more work to do.

“We’re so, so happy to receive this truck from Walmart, it is definitely an asset for us and obviously means more food for the populace. Very rarely have we ever had to turn anyone away, but with the growing demand, it means that we can ensure that we have enough product on hand,” said Carol.

Rebirth

Located in Salisbury, where nearly 20% of the population is from Haiti, Rebirth is dedicated to empowering, sustaining and enriching the local community by providing a food pantry, as well as connections to financial, health, and legal services.

Founded by James Bennett High School graduate Habacuc Petion, Rebirth is one of more than 130 community partners on the Eastern Shore and regularly sees more than 200 neighbors during their food distributions. And while the community has been very complimentary of what Rebirth currently offers, Habacuc is energized by the potential of the new vehicle.

“I appreciate that Walmart was willing to support us here at Rebirth. Having the truck means that we will be spending less time traveling around, and more time building our programs and services that help people stabilize.”

Mercy Court

In the Lake Walker area of northern Baltimore, neighbors struggling with the challenges of a lack of financial resources, unaffordable childcare, and transportation are able to find relief at Mercy Court.

Clinical Research Coordinator Bukola Daramola, who runs the organization’s food pantry, shared that the vast majority (70-80 percent) of neighbors that visit came to Baltimore from Africa, Haiti, or Spanish-speaking countries are trying to rebuild their socio-economic status, and rely on Mercy Court for nutrition. She sees great potential for them to benefit from this particular grant.

“Through this generous grant, Walmart has empowered us to give our neighbors something truly meaningful – the power of choice. As a public health worker, I know that having options is the first step toward building healthier eating habits and, ultimately, healthier lives. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Walmart and the Maryland Food Bank for helping us make a lasting difference.”

Over nearly 50 years, the Maryland Food Bank has evolved from founder Ann Miller passing out surplus donuts from her home’s garage to a statewide hunger relief organization with locations in Hagerstown, Baltimore, and Salisbury that supports more than 760 community partners.

Partnerships are what fuel the Maryland Food Bank’s distribution of tens of millions of meals each year to any of the 2 million Marylanders who find themselves in need.

Grants like Walmart’s empower our partners—neighborhood experts running pantries, soup kitchens, and other community-based food assistance organizations—to provide impactful solutions to their neighbors, and we couldn’t be more proud to be a part of this powerful program.