With Your Help, SPAN Has Touched Many Lives

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Almost 35 years ago, on April 2, 1990, SPAN opened its doors to local area families in crisis. SPAN was formed because of the concern on the part of the ministers in the Severna Park area regarding the growing demand for emergency help, the need to identify the people seeking help, and a process to help those people in a dignified and efficient manner. When the original six churches came together to start SPAN, they consolidated the process for those needing assistance.

We are a very small organization, so summarizing our data from the beginning is difficult, however, in the last 15 years, SPAN has helped more than 60,000 people with food and/or emergency financial assistance. In these last 15 years, SPAN has helped with close to $2 million in emergency financial assistance for people facing court-ordered evictions or utility turnoffs, and those needing help with medical expenses. Expanding that data to SPAN’s start, together we have helped more than 100,000 people! That’s not just a number; that represents real people helped.

“James” is a single dad raising two young children. He started coming to SPAN when his wife, who was the main breadwinner in the family, left. He had trouble paying for day care and the bills, especially the rent. As he was trying to find a better paying job and keep things going with the children, he got behind with the utility bill and had a turnoff notice. The financial help and food, as he got re-established, was important.

Just as James was going through a crisis, many of our clients are living paycheck to paycheck and then faced with an emergency such as a health crisis or loss of job hits. We have clients battling cancer or other chronic health issues that make it harder to work. Some of them are also supporting other family members. For some, the food assistance is extremely helpful as they struggle with prolonged job searches and high prices.

Occasionally over the years, we hear back from people SPAN helped. “Lisa” came in recently with a donation for SPAN and told us she wanted to give something back since SPAN was the short-term assistance that had made a major difference in her life, helping her to stay on track and not fall further behind. She said SPAN’s financial help allowed her to stay in her apartment when she had an unexpected health crisis and was temporarily unable to work. The help from SPAN allowed her to continue going to school, paying her other bills and moving forward.

But the more than 100,000 people impacted by SPAN’s help are only part of the story – many more lives have been touched. The individuals in this community who have made that work possible over the years have had impactful SPAN experiences also. I was struck by the assurance in the young teen who commented that helping with SPAN food drives was something the teen’s family always did.

We have many families with multiple generations involved in helping SPAN - spending time sorting food together, inspiring relatives to donate financially; grandparents including shopping and donating food in their activities with their grandchildren; or as a family, sponsoring another family in our Holiday Caring program. For some, SPAN’s Turkey Trot was the first 5K race they ever completed! And many are connected to SPAN through their church. Our 13 member churches provide so much ongoing support and are also essential for our special events. This year, thanks to the generosity of many individuals, groups and especially our member churches, 500 children were sponsored with Christmas gifts, significantly more than in the past.

To celebrate the many years of this community working together to help our neighbors, SPAN is having a big birthday party on Saturday, April 5. The celebration will have food trucks, music, and games and will be a wonderful opportunity to mark what we have accomplished together. So many lives have been impacted, both those helped and those helping. We would love to hear your stories and see your photos. Were you part of a SPAN golf tournament? Did you contribute with your scout group, neighborhood or church? Email us or post on Instagram or Facebook using #SPAN35 to be entered for raffle prizes and mark your calendars to join us to celebrate!

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 15 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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