Your Help Makes A Difference For SPAN

Recently, I went to a couple of graduation parties, and I reconnected with friends I hadn’t seen in several years. What surprised me is though the events were all about celebrating big milestones, I kept thinking of this quote: “Celebrate the little things in life because they are the big things.”

We reminisced about fun memories of bonding on our first Cub Scout camping trip. On Sunday morning, after a rainy weekend, one of the boys came over to get some breakfast and said, “My mother makes pancakes in interesting shapes.” The dad cooking responded, “I do too. I make circles.” A few moments later, the boy’s dad came over and asked, “Can you make my pancakes in shapes?” Everyone had a good laugh. What made the weekend so fun? It certainly wasn’t spending most of the time gathered under a couple of tents, because the rain poured down in sheets almost the entire time. It was because of the people.

Likewise, I notice SPAN volunteers forming friendships and bonding while working together. The little moments are a big part of life – the way we face each day and each other makes a difference. I overheard a volunteer asking one of our clients how she was doing. The response was, “Blessed. Blessed that I am here another day.”

We often have clients who are driven to SPAN by neighbors or volunteers. I love that my job keeps giving me examples of people thinking of others, connecting and looking out for their neighbors.

This time of year is great for SPAN because community members drop off collections from vacation Bible schools, neighborhood beach parties and other summer gatherings. Summer is also wonderful because we have fresh produce to share with our clients from our partnership with Langton Green Community Farm and the Diehl’s Produce roundup program. Thank you all!

Summer is our slowest time for food donations and hunger doesn’t take a vacation. When you grocery shop, add a couple of extra items for your neighbors who are working hard to make their food budget last for the month and who may not be certain of what and how often they will be able to feed their family. Some great items include instant mashed potatoes and pancake mix (which are filling), tuna, peanut butter and jelly (which make great lunches), and nice-to-haves such as coffee, tea, cookies, crackers, nuts and bars.

We continue to help a lot of clients who are facing utility turnoffs. They are on my mind on the summer days when I very much appreciate air conditioning.

SPAN also helps many with eviction prevention and I want to share a new resource, a housing portal for our county, that will be useful to many. It gathers many housing resources in one place and will be helpful to prospective homebuyers, veterans, real estate agents, renters, older adults and organizations that support individuals with housing-related needs. Learn more at www.aacounty.org/housing-resource-portal.

Thank you for all you do to help our neighbors! It is the little things in life that make a big difference – all the smiles, connections and shared acts of kindness make life so much better.

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.