As food insecurity grows in Prince George’s County, more folks have turned to food pantries. In Greenbelt, there are four main distribution points for food. First, the City of Greenbelt distributes food on every third Thursday at the Community Center from 1 to 3 p.m. and at Springhill Lake Recreation Center from 3 to 4 p.m. Second, the Restoration Church distributes food every Wednesday from its location at 115 Centerway in Roosevelt Center. Third, St. Hugh’s Catholic Church makes food available from its pantry Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fourth, the Greenbelt Community Church, United Church of Christ, supports the food pantry at Berwyn Presbyterian Church on Greenbelt Road.
The City of Greenbelt food distribution reaches 400 to 600 individuals every month. A large refrigerator truck brings produce and frozen food from the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB) to the GAIL (Greenbelt Assistance In Living) office in the Community Center, part of the Greenbelt CARES social services program. Food is bagged by a crew of 16 to 18 volunteers. (To volunteer, contact Flora Li, fli@greenbeltmd.gov.) Often the long line of cars reaches all the way out to the intersection of Crescent and Southway. The transportation of food to Springhill Lake Community Center is limited by the amount that can fit into the city van. All who live in Greenbelt are eligible to receive food and must fill out a simple form to register. Katherine Farzin, GAIL outreach coordinator, states, “Our program is constantly growing.” (In addition to food support, GAIL also has a program to provide nursing support for newborns, and works with the Greater DC Diaper Bank.)
District 4 County Councilmember Ingrid Watson distributed 250 holiday boxes on November 26 at the Springhill Lake Recreation Center, by preregistration. Another such distribution is planned for December, with preregistration opening on December 1; contact Brendy Garcia at BGarcia@greenbeltmd.gov or 240-424-0302 to get all the information. Forty turkeys were given away on November 16, sponsored by Weber Solutions and the Kat Kares Foundation.
Restoration Church, with around 240 members, relies partly on CAFB and also purchases food from nearby stores. Volunteers collect five to six pallets of food from CAFB with one van and two SUVs, bringing back 3,930 pounds of food in a recent week. Ronke Bolutayo, an attorney by profession, works flextime from the church on Wednesdays to help with the distribution, stating, “It’s about commitment and passion.” The city supports their program with a grant from the CARES office, used to buy dry foods or grocery store gift cards earmarked for Greenbelt residents. Undocumented residents don’t qualify for this form of assistance because they must be a recipient of SNAP, Medicaid or some other form of government assistance, or have a qualifying income. The church writes detailed monthly reports; this October, they served 119 families and 468 individuals. Restoration Church will support Thanksgiving at Franklin Park with gifts and raffle items like toiletries, clothing and small household appliances.
St. Hugh’s Church has offered a food assistance program for at least 20 years, and does not rely on CAFB. St. Hugh’s pantry is bolstered by shoppers who donate bags of food from the Greenbelt Co-op Supermarket. “You can also buy additional items to donate, such as peanut butter, and leave it in the green bin near the dog food donation bin,” coordinator Mary Ann Tretler suggests. In line with the other pantries, Tretler testified to community members’ increasing need for food: “Before the pandemic we would give out 20 to 25 bags in a week. During the pandemic, it was 50 to 60 bags a week. We thought things would ease off, but now we’re up to 60 to 70 bags each week.”
St. Hugh’s provides a variety of food, including canned goods like tuna, chicken and soup, cereal, pasta and sauce, snacks for kids, pancake mix and other non-perishables. St. Hugh’s parishioners buy discounted groceries directly from a nearby grocery store warehouse, and also donate funds directly. American Rescue Plan Act funds supported the food pantry during the pandemic, and will continue to provide some money through 2025 for the purchase of grocery store gift cards. Greenbelt Nursery School and Dora Kennedy French Immersion School are planning food drives in December to support the St. Hugh’s program.
While Greenbelt Community Church first hosted Empty Bowls in 2005, St. Hugh’s hosted the event this year for the first time, raising over $6,000 for their food pantry. For a $30 ticket, diners selected beautiful handmade bowls and their choice of homemade soup, entertained by talented Greenbelt musicians.
Members of Greenbelt Community Church have worked for many years to support a local nonprofit, Help By Phone, which runs three food pantries in Prince George’s County, including the one at Berwyn Presbyterian. Help By Phone was initially founded around 1967 by Lois Jones, and connected to the Community Church through church member Marsha Voigt. The only eligibility requirement for people who need assistance is that they live in Prince George’s County. The church funds its charitable efforts by holding special events, such as a spaghetti dinner, Shrove Tuesday dinner or a Christmas concert, and holds a quarterly collection of goods which they sell by the pound to Value Village, with the proceeds going where most needed. In 2024 so far, the church has donated $3,000 to Help By Phone.