Packing, Flocking, & Giving: 1,000,000 Meals for Hungry Marylanders

For most non-profits, the end of the calendar year is a flurry of activity: a final chance to educate, to raise awareness, to fundraise, and to build community, and the Maryland Food Bank is no different. But at the holiday season, with all of the associated traditions revolving around food, the work of feeding hungry neighbors takes on an extra level of importance.

This year, you SHOWED UP in a BIG way for three major events in the 29 days between November 3rd and December 3rd: Pack to Give Back, the Ravens Food & Funds Drive, and GivingTuesday!

The sheer volume of passion, dedication, and caring that you, the individuals, corporations, foundations, and companies of Maryland displayed at these events shows just how important the work of ending hunger is to you.

Your efforts resulted in more than 1,000,000 meals (both holiday and year-round) for our neighbors in need, and we hope you can hear us shouting our appreciation from Halethorpe!

Packing Holiday Meals and Hope: Pack to Give Back 2024

For more than a decade, we’ve partnered with local businesses, companies, foundations and corporations to offer moments of joy and celebration to families who may otherwise go without a big holiday meal through Pack to Give Back, Maryland’s premier year-end corporate event sponsorship opportunity. And in that time, dozens of sponsors have given countless Marylanders the opportunity to enjoy a holiday meal, complete with a turkey, stuffing, potatoes, turkey gravy, and cranberry sauce with their families.

And this year’s event returned to the Maryland Food Bank’s main headquarters—our recently expanded warehouse in Halethorpe!

We were honored to have more than 20 sponsors coming together for a good cause and a good time, packing 10,000 holiday meals in one day for statewide distribution to neighbors in need. In total, the Maryland Food Bank distributed 25,000 holiday meal boxes this year, each enough to feed a family of four.

“We have been partnering with the Maryland Food Bank for over eight years because of the perfect alignment—our goal is to nourish children and families here in our community, said Rayma Alexander, Director of Corporate Communications & Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Wills Group.

“I’m here with 20 of my co-workers and we’re ready to roll up our sleeves and help make sure people have the food that they need. 25,000 holiday boxes overall, and that just really illustrates the need. If that’s not compelling enough, I really don’t know what is,” she continued.

Bronze Sponsors

Baltimore Orioles/United Concordia

Baltimore Ravens

Constellation

COPT

Diageo (Guinness)

Ernst & Young Baltimore

Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson

Kelly Benefits

Maroon PR

T. Rowe Price

When asked about why they decided to return in 2024 as a Platinum sponsor, M&T Bank’s Mary Frances Isakov shared, “we know that over two million people across the state—that’s one-third of Maryland residents—face food insecurity, and the demand for the Maryland Food Bank’s services are at an all-time high.”

Flocking Amazing Effort, Hon!: The 2024 Ravens Food & Funds Drive

We’re lucky that Ravens fans feel the same way we do about hunger: NEVERMORE! Each and every year since 1997, the Ravens Foundation have allowed our overlapping fan bases to come together to raise food and funds for hungry Maryland families.

During what turned out to be our state’s first significant snowfall of the year , on Sunday, December 1st, you showed us just how incredible you are!

And while we wish the scoreboard at M&T Bank had shown a different result for the football team, the final tally of donated food and funds will tackle hunger for lots of members of the flock, from Cumberland to Cambridge.

Ruthie Prichard, who is usually found in and around Hagerstown, performing her duties as the Maryland Food Bank’s Regional Program Director for the Western Region, was at the game in Baltimore. “To experience the energy and passion of the fans was amazing—I lost track of the amount of time people yelled ‘we love the Maryland Food Bank’ and hearing ‘I know this is going to a good cause,” definitely helped warm my spirit on a cold night,” she noted.

GivingTuesday (and Hopefully Everyday)

On the heels of Black Friday and Cyber Monday comes GivingTuesday. Started in 2012 at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, GivingTuesday has become a global phenomenon, with millions of people spanning six continents coming together to transform their communities for the better.

But here in Maryland, you decided that too many of our neighbors in need are still burdened with food insecurity, and inflation, so you gave locally.

Anchored by the day-long Maryland Food Bank Telethon hosted by longtime food bank friend WBAL, GivingTuesday efforts raised $562,367—with contributions ranging from $1 from an individual, and $5,000 from another impressive Maryland-based organization, Chesapeake Utilities, right up to a staggering $105,000 from Power Hour sponsors Safeway, Dominos, Bank of America, Belfast Valley Contractors, and Mariner Finance!

“This was my first GivingTuesday at the Maryland Food Bank,” said Will Ballinger, Essential Philantrophy Manager. “Your outpouring of not only financial, but the emotional support—the kind words of thanks that illustrate your confidence and trust in our ability to do this work—is really humbling,” he continued.

We literally could not do this work without you. Thank you for your support, both during the end of the year holiday season, but all year long. And if you want to stay up to date on all of the latest Maryland Food Bank events, check out our calendar