Y Property Director Victor Smith initially became acquainted with the Y’s food distribution work before he ever earned a paycheck from the Y. He has been a long-time volunteer for the Maryland Food Bank, a wonderful organization that the Y has worked closely with for several years in our collective effort to get food to those in need. Victor explains his fervent commitment to his community this way: "I don't believe we're in this world just to be in it. We all have a duty to be as good to one another as we can." With this in mind, it's no surprise that Victor connected with Margie Talley, a parishioner at Grace Presbyterian Church in Baltimore, where Victor's brother is the Pastor. Margie has been the Food Pantry Coordinator there since 2008 and so she knows more than a little bit about the local community’s needs. Margie joined Victor as a volunteer when we opened our first Y food pantry in April last year, the Michelle Becote-Jackson Fresh Mart Food Pantry at the Y in Druid Hill. Like her friend Victor, Margie is motivated by her concern for others, sharing that she is "so happy for what God allows me to do. I don't want to leave anyone out." A woman of action, in addition to volunteering, Margie also financially supports the Y's distribution efforts. We are deeply grateful for Margie's generosity in every way.
As most readers of this MMU know by now, the Y runs a summer career and college readiness program called New Horizons II. Each summer about 100 teens experiencing homelessness enroll in the program and are supported with life skills training and paid internships to learn new job skills. Two of those New Horizons interns are working this summer to support the Druid Hill Y food pantry by stocking, distributing, and surveying customers about their experience with the pantry.
As Tiffany Reinhart, the Executive Director of the Y in Druid Hill puts it, "food insecurity is a persistent challenge for many people in Maryland, and especially in Baltimore City. In the Druid Hill community, you can walk past ten liquor stores before you find one store to buy fresh fruits, vegetables, and other nutritious foods. At the Michelle Becote-Jackson Fresh Mart food pantry, we try to address this challenge by offering a variety of nutritious foods to supplement a person's overall food budget so their groceries go a little further and they can eat a little healthier as well."
As Tiffany noted, food insecurity exists in communities everywhere. For that very reason, we are establishing food pantries in many more of our Ys across the region. Our second one comes about as a result of a unique partnership with a Pasadena-based organization called Caring Cupboard, and so we are proud to be opening a Y Fresh Mart food pantry at the Y in Pasadena next week, on August 1st. I recently swung by to see the shelves getting stocked by some wonderful volunteers from Caring Cupboard, and I’m so gratified to be able to add this important service to our work at the Y in Pasadena. A big thank you goes out to long-time Y community leadership board member Chuck Yocum, who brought this partnership opportunity to our attention.
I am so gratified by the commitment of all of the Y’s volunteers, associates and partners who are making this work possible. Thanks go to many, including Y associates Shannon Kowol, Tiffany Reinhart, Matt Lewis, and, of course, Margie Talley, as well as our many partners, including McCormick Flavor for Life, Amerigroup, Home Depot, the Maryland Food Bank, and Caring Cupboard.
All the best,
John K. Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland