Chesapeake Cares Warms the Season for Neighbors with Holiday Meal Kits

To families facing financial instability, the holidays can feel just like other days—filled with stressful questions and decisions.

Rather than worrying about how many chairs they can fit around their holiday table, food-insecure Marylanders are forced to consider questions like “Do I have enough food for my children and myself today?” or “Will our food run out before I have money to buy more?”

Thankfully, we have nearly 800 community partners statewide who want to help.

While they help feed hungry neighbors every day, these partners relish the opportunity to brighten the season by distributing Holiday Meal Kits complete with turkey and all the traditional trimmings. More than just food, these kits are carefully curated by our Sourcing Team to make it easier for families to gather and form memories around the dinner table.

Just like families have their own unique traditions, our community partners share food in their neighborhoods in different ways, based on their knowledge and experience with locals, and the root causes challenges they face.

Shortening the Line with Technology and Empathy

Just north of Huntingtown in Calvert County, the Chesapeake Cares Food Pantry sees about 400 neighbors attending their weekly food distributions and have developed a web-based order and fulfillment system that rivals that of most fast-food chains!

“The whole process just flows so beautifully now, and our neighbors have told us how much they appreciate this system—they get to remain in the comfort of their vehicles but still get to choose items they like from our Greeters” shared Debbie Webber, Community Care Pastor, Chesapeake Cares Food Pantry.

During Holiday Meal distributions, this pantry goes even further, deploying a smaller group of volunteers that follow the Greeters, offering neighbors fruit, crackers, or other snacks to make the time until they receive their selections a little more special, less stressful, and a bit more like a festive holiday trip to the grocery store.

Adding Special Touches to Welcome Neighbors

For six years, Firanza L. has been volunteering at Chesapeake Cares in different roles, but has enjoyed serving snacks the most.

“I decided to be here because I wanted to give back to the community. Six years ago, I started out doing the shopping and packing, but the chance to interact with neighbors is strikingly rewarding,” she said.

Firanza shared one recent and memorable interaction with a neighbor who was visiting the pantry for the first time, a woman who shared that even though both she and her husband have master’s degrees, the combination of elevated food prices and being furloughed from their government jobs was just too much to overcome.

“I felt fortunate to be able to talk to her during a very emotional time and let her know she wasn’t alone. She told me they were in a spot that they never could imagine themselves in, especially at the holidays, and would ‘give back’ as soon as they were able to.”

Volunteer Melissa Bliss, who finds working behind-the-scenes to be the most comfortable for her, smiled widely when asked about things worked at Chesapeake Cares:

“It really is a fascinating system! Greeters wander up and down the line of cars with a tablet in hand, taking food orders from neighbors. The neighbor’s choices are transmitted into the staging and shopping room where volunteers like me pack the bags in numbered laundry baskets, which are then hand-delivered to neighbors’ cars.”

As with many communities, there are some neighbors in the Huntingtown area that face challenges with transportation, and are unable to visit, so Chesapeake Cares brings the choice pantry to them via home delivery.

Recently retired Lucia C. has found her time spent volunteering at the pantry and bringing food to neighbors extremely satisfying.

“After doing a few trips, I started to notice that with some of these people, I’m probably the only person they see, so I always make the extra time to spend with them,” Lucia shared. “I like to find out what’s going on in their lives by asking lots of questions, and I make it a priority to remember certain points so when I see them two weeks later, we can talk like friends do,” she continued.

Neighbors Voice their Support for Choice

Before retiring due to a combination of emphysema and bone deterioration, Cheryl K. worked for the Department of Defense at Fort Belvoir for decades, and never once had to worry about food.

Even though she receives retirement benefits, today’s high cost of living and some new medical challenges for her husband means she visits Chesapeake Cares’ food pantry.

“He’s just had prostate surgery, and for me, it’s hard to walk, and I have to have this oxygen tank and thing in my nose, so I think this place is just fantastic!” said Cheryl.

After meeting with a Greeter and enjoying a snack, Cheryl shared more about her experience while waiting for her selected foods to be delivered to her car.

“Today, I was able to choose eggs, pancake mix, and a few other things that we really like, plus it’s the Thanksgiving meal!” she continued.

Cheryl noted that without the help of Chesapeake Cares, she and her husband would probably just “have a Thanksgiving dinner with my husband and the Lord and that’s it.”

But with the food she received, Cheryl plans to invite more family over, and have a full table, centered around her traditional stuffing.

“I make it from scratch, and no, I am not going to tell you my special secret,” she laughingly said.

Amber A., who had visited Chesapeake Cares “a handful times when things got really bad in the past” got up early, in hopes of making her trip to the Holiday Meal Kit distribution quick.

“Wow, an hour early, and I’m number 18, I didn’t expect that, but it’s worth it, because the later you are, the less items you have to choose from,” Amber said.

Pleased to still see eggs, frozen meat, fresh vegetables, and pancake mix on the menu, Amber really likes the choice system, and sees not only the benefits to her, but the environment.

“Well, it’s nice. So much food goes to waste in this country, so I know the items I choose are useful and won’t get thrown away, and I think that’s how it should be everywhere,”

Much like Cheryl, Amber has a holiday tradition that she was looking forward to.

“I am one of those people who LOVE canned cranberry sauce—but it has to be cold, and that wiggle is just too much!

We’re so thankful for the opportunity to partner with the leaders of our statewide network to help feed hungry Marylanders. Somehow, when the holiday season comes around, they are able to dig deeper and do more—distributing Holiday Meal Kits with extra helpings of human kindness, making the season just a little warmer for their fellow Marylanders.