School Pantry Power: How Belmont Elementary Cares for the Community
Bordered by green spaces to the east and south by Leakin Park and Gwynns Falls, and to the west by Alexander Odum Park, neighbors living in the area surrounding Belmont Elementary of northwest Baltimore are loyal, community-minded, and proud of the neighborhood they call home.
But that somewhat idyllic setting also presents a challenge to many of the local residents – a lack of access to fresh and nutritious foods. And a lack of access is one of the factors that contributes to child hunger. The nearest traditional grocery store is Shoppers Food & Pharmacy at Mondawmin Mall – just about two miles away. That’s a 43-minute walk, or a complicated series of steps on public transportation. Many residents of the neighborhood do not have access to reliable transportation, a barrier that makes it difficult just to get to the grocery store. We visited Belmont Elementary on a Tuesday afternoon in early February to see how food and other services are helping neighbors like Teresa H., David K., Stephanie R., and Jay E., who were kind enough to share some of their experiences at Belmont.
Belmont Elementary is one of nearly 200 statewide partners in the Maryland Food Bank’s school pantry program.
Teresa H.
A neighbor who has been shopping fairly regularly since her grandson was a student at Belmont, Teresa finds relief at Belmont Elementary’s school pantry.
“I think everything here is very good – the meats, vegetables, fruits, and canned goods,” Teresa shared. “I am familiar with the food offered, and like that they do it regular, each Tuesday,” she continued.
An older adult, Teresa intimated that her “golden years” are not quite what she envisioned.
“It’s not real easy to get to the grocery store – I’d have to walk and take a bus, and that’s a chore for someone my age and with my conditions. So, I come to the school, and I like the people here that help me out,” she said.
David K.
While holding his infant stepson and awaiting his turn to choose food in the pantry, another neighbor spoke of different reasons for being at Belmont Elementary at 1pm on a Tuesday.
“It’s hard times right now, I’ve been coming here for like 3 or 4 months, because it’s hard to get, you know, a good job. There’s nothing open that’s nearby!”
When asked about the type of job he’d be most interested in, a bright smile quickly overtook his face as he replied, “culinary training,” and shared how he gets creative, making sure his family would enjoy the meat and other foods he selects from Belmont’s pantry.
And David had advice for other people facing food insecurity. “Don’t be proud! Come on out and see what the pantry has to offer. It’s name brand stuff that you’re gonna’ like!”
“I’m a single mom, trying to raise my kids, and I need a little help. I don’t take nothin’ from the government, and in times of need—like when eggs are almost $20—I come here.”
Stephanie R.
“I’m a single mom, trying to raise my kids, and I need a little help,” she shared. “I don’t take nothin’ from the government, and in times of need—like when eggs are almost $20—I come here.”
When asked why she does not utilize government assistance programs, Stephanie’s frustration was clear.
“When I asked about food stamps, do you know how much they wanted to give me? 15! $15! It’s too much work, for not enough help,” she said.
And as she returned to choosing food from the pantry, Stephanie angrily muttered “the way things are now, if you’re working or doing anything that’s bringing in a little bit of income, it’s harder to find help…”
Stephanie made a point to express that people in her community are trying and are thankful of Belmont’s offerings:
“This is a good thing for families that really ain’t got a lot. They got just enough to pay their bills, but in an economy that is going up and things are going up, it really a blessing to me and I’m pretty sure it’s a blessing to other people, too.”
Jay E.
“I got a lot of kids, and they all need to eat, so when my brother told me about what they do at Belmont, I’m like ‘why not?’,” offered Jay when asked why he decided to visit the school’s pantry on this particular Tuesday.
Jay is trying to manage kidney failure, and at this stage, is unable to work enough to be attractive to employers.
“It’s hard to hear ‘no’ from jobs, because I have kids as little as four and as old as twelve at home, and the older one eats like twice as much!” he shared.
Compared to other experiences he’s had; Jay likes the food (and people) at Belmont.
“Some places just give bags or boxes that are already separated, or just dry stuff and you have to still find meats, it’s like they’re managing us, but here, Miss Helen, the ‘Big Mama,” makes sure we have good stuff, even catfish!”
Joe’s eyes lit up when he found out that the catfish was the blue variety, and that just by eating it, he was playing a role in removing an invasive species from Maryland’s waterways and helping the environment.
“Really? That’s all right! I used to fish and cook a lot, I liked blackened, or Cajun style, but with my kidneys and high blood pressure, that’s too much salt, so I use a lot of herbs now.”
“Some places just give bags or boxes that are already separated, or just dry stuff and you have to still find meats, it’s like they’re managing us, but here, Miss Helen, the ‘Big Mama,’ makes sure we have good stuff, even catfish!”
The Dream Team
Open each Tuesday during the school year, Belmont Elementary’s food pantry is run by a team so passionate, so focused, and so skilled that they have helped the community not only find pathways through the tough challenges of food insecurity, but also be recognized as a 2023 America’s Healthiest Schools Awardee from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a non-profit that recognizes schools supporting holistic health needs.
Helen Keith, Sheila Smith, and Crystal Miles-Ruffin keep Belmont’s pantry stocked and wraparound service offerings available for the families that live near the school.
Once a student at Belmont, Helen, aka Miss Helen, aka Big Mama has been a member of the community for nearly 60 years, offering her a unique perspective on the neighborhood and neighbors.
“We’re just a little below income, but we’re not poor – so why call ourselves that?” Helen said. “We work but are still have food insecurities. It might be a job at McDonalds or Burger King or even Social Security, but we all still deserve the right to eat three meals a day and be classified as a good human being,” she continued.
Sheila Smith, president of the school’s PTO has also been in the area for quite some time and sees food as a way to increase family unity. “My grandparents moved here in 1969, and I have fond memories of all the family being together over a big pot of soup—grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, moms, dads, all together—but today, a lot of parents don’t know how to sit down and make a meal. We can help with that.”
The help offered by the school does not end with food. In fact, food is often the starting point of a conversation between families and Crystal Miles-Ruffin, who is Belmont’s Community Coordinator.
“I’ll start off by asking what the dream is for their family, and then try to figure out the best assistance to connect them with. If they say they need a safe space for their children, I might ask more about their housing situation; if bills are preventing them from doing things, I’ll offer energy assistance resources,” Crystal said.
Belmont Elementary is a one of the Maryland Food Bank’s 780 statewide community partners where local neighbors in need can find food in a convenient, stigma-free environment. 
About The Author
Ben Gross
For more than 30 years, Ben has been helping organizations raise awareness and inspire action by creating compelling narratives. And since 2018, Ben has been the Maryland Food Bank's Staff Writer, elevating the voices of food-insecure neighbors to further the Maryland Food Bank's mission of feeding people, strengthening communities, and ending hunger for more Marylanders.
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