Largo, Maryland (Friday, April 24, 2020) – The Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB) is seeing more and more people in need. The Food Bank typically helps as many as 400,000 persons across the DMV. That number is now doubled to nearly 800,000. But more money is on the way to help tackle the need.
Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks announced today the County’s plan to address food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic, including more than $1.2 million in donations to the Capital Area Food Bank to support Prince Georgians and a continued partnership with World Central Kitchen and local businesses to provide hot meals and grocery deliveries to residents experiencing food insecurity. These efforts will support residents who have had a loss of income due to COVID-19, particularly the 47,000 residents who are now unemployed.
“As the COVID-19 crisis continues and unemployment rises, no one should have to worry about their food supply or where their next meal will come from,” said Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. “We will continue working with local businesses, non-profits, churches and other community partners to address the issue of food insecurity and ensure nobody goes hungry during these unprecedented times.”
The Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB) has put together a 90-day plan to serve the needs of the region during this pandemic and is ready to begin implementing that plan in Prince George’s County due to several generous donations in the last week. The CAFB has received $500,000 from Bank of America, $100,000 from the County Council, $100,000 from Dan Snyder and the Washington Redskins, and $20,000 from the Prince George’s County Chapter of The Links, Inc. In addition, County Executive Alsobrooks directed $500,000 from Prince George’s County Government to the CAFB. All of these donations will go directly to feeding Prince George’s County residents in need.
“The County Council is an active partner in the County’s COVID-19 response, and we value the participation of our County’s nonprofit partners in meeting the needs of residents, particularly those impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. As part of its annual budget process, the Council provides funding to support nonprofits in this critical work,” said Prince George’s County Council Chairman Todd Turner. “To date, 17 of these organizations have been supported by a total $500,000 in Council grants, including $100,000 each to two longtime nonprofit partners, the Capital Area Food Bank and Food & Friends, addressing food distribution needs during this crisis. Additionally, Council Members have worked alongside our community partners and volunteers across the County, to provide food to a growing community of Prince Georgians in need.”
The Prince George’s County Government has also been partnering with World Central Kitchen, the non-profit of chef Jose Andrés, since March 20 to provide meals at sites across the County. Since the partnership began, World Central Kitchen and the County have collaborated with local restaurants, like Sardis, to provide over 10-thousand meals to residents in communities across the County. This includes weekly food deliveries at Ebenezer AME, The Sanctuary at Kingdom Square and Community of Hope AME. Next week we will begin to serve Beltsville and Hyattsville, with plans to further expand throughout the County during this pandemic.
In addition to these partnerships, the County is working with a number of local businesses, non-profits and churches. Sardis has provided over 2,000 meals to residents in Mount Rainier and College Park, and they have started a grocery delivery program for some of our neediest residents in Hyattsville. Through churches and non-profits, the County has around 35 community food programs operating to distribute food to those in need. The County maintains a map of these food distribution sites that is updated weekly on its website, mypgc.us.
