ACAN Provides So Much With So Few Funds

Diana Taylor, volunteer executive director of Asbury Church Assistance Network’s nonprofit charity, said that individuals who suffer from food insecurity don’t fit in a certain category.

“This is a multicultural problem that impacts people from all segments of society,” Taylor said. “People would be surprised by how many families just in Severna Park alone need our help to eat on a regular basis, and the need for our help throughout Anne Arundel County just keeps increasing.”

Asbury Church Assistance Network, or ACAN, has been in existence since 2004 as a food pantry, but its services have greatly increased this year to meet the growing needs of the community. According to Taylor, the need for perishable food items has grown since the pandemic. ACAN used to feed about 150 families a week, and that number has grown to almost 350 families a week or 3,500 individuals a month.

During ACAN’s Thanksgiving basket service week, the organization served 5,000 people, which was an increase of more than 20 percent from 2021.

“The local police were needed to help direct the flow of traffic,” said Peggy Wilson, the ACAN volunteer in charge of daily operations.

The hours of operation for the pantry itself have expanded from three days (Monday-Wednesday) to six days (Monday-Saturday) per week from 10:00am-noon. The organization has also branched out to provide baby supplies like Pedialyte, formula and diapers for the 100-plus infants it currently serves.

ACAN also provides services now to six senior communities in addition to its previous home delivery service for seniors without transportation.

“The need for services keeps increasing, but the annual funds provided by the state and then funneled out to the county has shrunk from $75 per individual for this year to $25 for 2023,” Taylor said. “ACAN is one of many charities scrambling for this decreased amount of funds, and we don’t even know yet how we will be able to meet the increased demand for Christmas.”

Taylor said that ACAN will need to rely more on community resources to address the continuously expanding need for ACAN’s services to the impoverished.

“Based on government analysis, the population that requests help from ACAN is only the tip of the iceberg,” Taylor said.

ACAN operates with a steady pool of six regularly scheduled volunteers, mostly seniors. Wilson stressed the accomplishments of the crew but said ACAN could benefit from more.

“The need for volunteers who can do heavy lifting to handle pick-ups for supermarket donations and can stand for long periods of time to dispense supplies is greatly needed,” Wilson said.