Written by Brian B., edited by Stephanie D.
Highlights:
– Local food pantry has seen a major “need” increase over the past two months.
– Weekly demand for food is challenging the small church congregation operating the food pantry.
– Freedom Consulting Group provided funds for the pantry’s operating costs for one week, feeding 400 families.
At 4:30 pm on a Tuesday afternoon last month, and on a usually quiet street in the Kemp Mill/Wheaton area of Silver Spring, traffic is backed up for a half mile. Many of these cars are waiting to enter a parking lot where they will be able to pick up food from a weekly food distribution at the food pantry. This past June, Freedom Consulting Group (FCG), an IT contractor based here in Columbia, teamed up with the food pantry at Silver Spring Christian Reformed Church (SSCRC) to provide a week’s worth of food to about 400 families in need.
Located in Silver Spring, Maryland, SSCRC has been feeding the local community with a monthly food pantry that serves about 100 families for many years. When COVID-19 hit the area, the church was asked by the Capital Area Food Bank to begin serving food weekly to those in need. At first the demand for food was pretty normal each week, serving about 100 families. But as the need for food increased due to COVID-19 and unemployment, word of the weekly food pantry spread and demand for services grew quickly.
Within two months, the church congregation went from serving about 100 families to over 400 families per week. Jennifer Renkema, the SSCRC Food Pantry Director says, “While the need has been overwhelming, the community support has been equally encouraging. We are able to continue serving the community because of our many volunteers and generous donors like Freedom Consulting Group.”
The cost of feeding such a large number of families weekly is overwhelming for the small congregation of about 150 members, so they have begun to look for help outside the church walls. This is where local businesses can step in to help like Freedom Consulting Group did.
FCG sponsored food and operations for the weekly pantry on June 16th, providing the entire budget to serve 400 families. Each family receives about $20 worth of groceries, which includes canned and shelf stable items. In addition, through a program working with United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), families in need receive a box of fresh produce. With this added, the food provided to each family supplies them with a substantial amount of produce and goods to help meet their needs for a week.
The need can feel overwhelming as car after car pulls off Arcola Avenue and into the SSCRC parking lot. Each car moves into one of three lines that snake across the parking lot to wait for food items. By 6:00 pm, the food pantry has to close the waiting line for another week. The parking lot is full and distribution of food lasts for another half hour as the volunteers finish up.
The employees of FCG can feel proud knowing that for each car that went home the week of June 16th, a family was able to eat enough food for another week. FCG’s support made a big difference in the lives of 400 economically stressed families in Silver Spring. When asked about the donation last month, Dana Gift, Freedom’s CEO stated, “As both a company as well as individuals, we feel honored to be able to help the members of our community during this crisis.”