A Community Of Compassion

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As I write this article, I am looking forward to S(o)uper Bowl Sunday! Thank you to the Good Neighbors Group for organizing the sixth annual event that helps restock shelves in several local pantries — ACAN, My Brother’s Pantry, Anne Arundel Food Bank and SPAN.

Last year, this friendly competition between neighborhoods collected more than 16,000 items. The food from this drive, as well as that dropped off by individuals and groups throughout the year, are what keep our shelves stocked.

As Coretta Scott King said, “The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.”

It is wonderful to see neighborhoods working together. Every day, I am blessed with examples of this community contributing its time, talent and resources for others. Our volunteers are what makes SPAN operate so well. They bring their dedication with them each day, making sure that things are not just done, but done well. We also have volunteers who help with short-term projects, such as members of Severna Park United Methodist Church, who recently gave the inside of our building a much-needed fresh coat of paint. Many children in this community also contribute by collecting food, creating beautiful and inspirational cards, and putting together birthday bags to help families celebrate a child.

Just as the donations of food add up to fill our shelves, financial donations allow us to help qualified individuals and families through an emergency: a court-ordered eviction, utility turnoff or the need for a medical prescription. Going through the checks that come in, I am reminded how many ways the community chooses to help.

There are several groups that make contributing to SPAN part of their regular gatherings — Chartwell Garden Club, World Wings International, Daughters of the British Empire, many local neighborhoods and a Thursday Night Bunco group. Many local businesses and organizations are wonderful supporters of SPAN. A recent donation in honor of a friend made me smile. I love thinking about people who contribute by inspiring others.

At SPAN, we have seen the need for emergency financial assistance increase dramatically in the last year. The amount of financial assistance we have helped with in the last six months is already as much as the 12 months before that. For people struggling or going through a crisis, such as health issues or a job loss, it has been difficult with the convergence of the lifting of the last of the pandemic supports and higher prices. As many similar organizations are seeing, the need is currently great and will continue that way for a while longer before stabilizing.

As the need continues to increase, I am blessed to know that the compassion of this community is immense. SPAN, and others in this line of work, see a rough road ahead, but I am hopeful knowing that this community is here to help. This community is great because of all the compassionate actions — advocacy, donations of time, food, money and the acts of kindness such as taking time to listen, lending a helping hand and offering a kind word.

SPAN (Serving People Across Neighborhoods) is an independent nonprofit food pantry and emergency services provider that has been helping local families with eviction prevention, utility turnoffs, medical/prescription bills, and food since 1990. SPAN serves 14 zip codes in Anne Arundel County. SPAN is located behind Our Shepherd Lutheran Church at 400 Benfield Road in Severna Park. Hours are Monday through Thursday from 10:00am-1:30pm. For more information, call 410-647-0889, email spanhelps@yahoo.com or visit www.spanhelps.org. Financial donations may be made through the website. Food donations may be dropped off 24/7 using the storage bin behind SPAN’s building. Please “like” SPAN on Facebook.

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