Food Bank

The Maryland Food Bank at Christ Church is open on Tuesdays, 4pm - 5:30pm at the rear of Whatley Hall on Church Street

We've come a long way in two years when we stepped out in faith and expanded our small food pantry into a full-fledged Food Bank. The old scout room at the end of Whatley works just fine for this operation and every Tuesday afternoon, volunteers gather around 3:00 PM to pack the bags and boxes of non-perishable food items that are delivered the day before from the regional Maryland Food Bank warehouse in Salisbury. In addition to the usual canned and boxed items, we handle a wide variety of meats, bread products, assorted beverages, sometimes frozen vegetables, and all kinds of interesting things that are surplus to various food manufacturers, distributors or retailers. All of this means that the people who come to our Food Pantry can, and do get a very nice assortment of good food. It's no wonder people are often lined up in advance of the opening time.

You can help with this ministry by 1) signing up to be one of the volunteers on Tuesday; 2) continuing to bring your own non-perishable food items to the church or directly to the Food Pantry, and 3) making cash contributions (which are multiplied many times over with our purchases from the food bank) directly to the church and marked 'Food Pantry.' This program provides opportunities for each of us to put our faith into action, through our own resources and gifts, and especially our time and prayers. The more we get involved in activities such as the Food Bank the more we see the many needs right before our eyes here in Cambridge, and who knows where the Spirit's prompting may take you next. James was not without controversy when he said that faith without works is dead. All I know is that faith in action is a wonderful thing to behold, and I continue to see a lot of that around Christ Church. Blessings!

Fr. Mike +

Recent press articles have discussed the high incidence of obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes among many of the poor who rely on food banks. This has led many charities to revamp their suggested list of food items it encourages people to give, and we're doing the same. While all contributions are welcome and appreciated, the new list provides healthier alternatives. Thanks.

Recommended Food Pantry Donations

• Dry Beans
• Canned Salmon and Chicken
• Low Sodium Canned Beans and Vegetables
• Canned Fruit in its own juices
• Whole Grain Pasta
• Non-fat Dry Milk or Evaporated Milk
• Whole Grain Cereal - not heavily sweetened: examples include plain oatmeal, plain grits, shredded wheat, Kashi Heart to Heart Kashi Go Lean, Cheerios