End Hunger In Calvert County will host FoodStock 14 on Saturday, August 9th from 8:30AM – 11AM at the End Hunger Warehouse in Prince Frederick.
That morning, over 100,000lbs of food will be sorted and distributed to over 1,000 needy families and local food pantries. They will receive nonperishable food items as well as fresh produce.
“Hunger in Calvert County has never been a food issue,” says Rev. Robert P. Hahn CEO of End Hunger In Calvert County. “We have never run out of food nor have we come close. The problem lies in helping those in need access the right kinds of food. issue. On August 9th, every person will leave with groceries, fresh produce and we will restock the shelves of our local food pantries.”
Calvert County is the 13th wealthiest county in the United States, yet over 10% of our population utilizes food pantries. On average, End Hunger’s Partner Food Pantries serve over 850 families every week.
In addition, FoodStock will be a great display of neighbor helping neighbor as hundreds of volunteers embody the #givewhereyoulive value and serve their own community.
The community is invited to be part of FoodStock by volunteering or making a donation. All donations made will directly support FoodStock efforts. Volunteer opportunities such as sorting and packing food at the End Hunger Warehouse are scheduled the week prior to the event as well as on August 9th from 8:30am – 11am.
To sign up, please volunteer@old.endhungercalvert.org for more information and to get involved.

End Hunger In Calvert County is proud to announce its partnership with Daily Bread Food Pantry, a ministry of Full Gospel Assembly of God Church.
Daily Bread Food Pantry opened in April 2014 and is located in Prince Frederick across the street from the Prince Frederick Firehouse Rescue Squad. The pantry is available to serve families Thursday’s from 9AM-3PM.
“The main reason we opened the food pantry was God called us to do it,” says Betty Merkle Pantry Director for Daily Bread Food Pantry. “I had been praying about it when I retired and decided it was time. Partnering with End Hunger In Calvert County just made sense for us. When we heard about End Hunger, we found that it was an organization that was on our team and that we both were working toward the same goal.”
“It truly is a privilege serving shoulder to shoulder with these wonderful organizations who are working so hard to care for their neighbors,” says Cathy Ring Director of Operations for End Hunger In Calvert County. Today, we partner with 13 food pantries and 6 Heart F.E.L.T. backpack programs to provide them with food support and a wide range of resources. We don’t tell any of our partners how to operate the ministries God has called them to. We simply want to remove obstacles that may impede that calling.”
In 2013, End Hunger In Calvert County distributed over 1 MILLION pounds of food throughout Calvert County and this just this past June, the organization ordered 3,304 turkey’s (1,072 more than last year) and fixings for its Partner Food Pantries to distribute to needy families this holiday season.
“Becoming an affiliated Partner Food Pantry of End Hunger In Calvert County requires two things,” says Jacqueline Miller Director of Awareness for End Hunger In Calvert County. “First, let us list you as a partner food pantry on our website and other resources that get sent around the county and second, come get food and distribute it to families in need. It is truly that simple. There are no membership fees, or payment required. We are here to serve the pantries, not the other way around.”
End Hunger In Calvert County is committed to helping the willing become able and moving people from dependency to self-sufficiency. The organization accomplishes this in two ways. The first is through its Partner Food Pantries, which now includes Daily Bread. Throughout the year End Hunger In Calvert County provides support to its thirteen Partner Food Pantries to help them better and more efficiently serve the families of Calvert County. Because of its relationship with the Maryland Food Bank, End Hunger In Calvert County is able to purchase bulk food at a heavily discounted rate and then store it at the End Hunger Warehouse for pantries to access when they have the need and space. At times, End Hunger In Calvert County is also able to provide equipment, shelving units, and other resources to pantries.
The second way, is through its Culinary Training Program. The nine-week job training program runs four sessions a year that teach unemployed or underemployed Calvert County residents the skills necessary to work in a commercial kitchen. The course is a mixture of in class lectures and hands-on kitchen experience in End Hunger’s commercial kitchen. Graduates of the course complete a two-week internship in a local restaurant, receive National Restaurant ServSafe Certification and free job placement assistance. For more information about the program, visit endhungercalvert.org/works.
In 2013, End Hunger In Calvert County was recognized by the Better Business Bureau as an Accredited Charity for meeting all 20 Standards of Charitable Accountability. As part of their review, the agency found that $0.93 of every dollar donated to the organization supports programming. When people decide to give where they live and donate to End Hunger In Calvert County, they can do so with confidence.

It takes teamwork for a group of paddlers to guide a Dragon Boat effectively, efficiently and quickly through the Chesapeake Bay. Likewise, it takes a community working together to tackle the sometimes invisible but nonetheless significant problem of hunger in Calvert County.
Thus, the inception of the annual End Hunger Dragon Boat Festival, the second of which was held in North Beach on Saturday, June 21, inspiring the Twitter hashtag #GiveWhereYouLive; inexperienced paddlers to form teams, literally racing to end hunger; and community members as well as local businesses and organizations to turn out and unite to raise money.
“It’s all about your time,” said Jacqueline Miller, director of awareness for End Hunger in Calvert County and a key planner of the event. “You can get a boat full of musclemen out there and if they’re not in sync, the next boat is gonna pass them.”
Throughout the day, teams of about 17 people headed off two at a time on the long, thin vessels, slicing through the bay within sight of the boardwalk as onlookers cheered them on with a street lined with vendors and entertainment behind them.
More than 30 teams participated, said the Rev. Robert Hahn of Chesapeake Church, CEO of End Hunger — about twice as many as last year’s inaugural festival.
Every dollar of each team’s $2,000 registration fee went to End Hunger’s mission, as sponsors underwrote the cost of the event, eliminating the overhead for the organization to cover, Miller said.
For Hahn, the organization crosses political, religious and socioeconomic borders to annihilate hunger and create a “total unity of Calvert County” and fill what he said is a million-pound food gap here, all on a local level.
“It really just symbolizes how the county has adopted the problem of solving hunger in the county,” he said. “So for us, it’s all about ‘give where you live’ and how local businesses and local organizations help a local charity to solve a local problem.”
End Hunger, a partnership among local churches, charities, schools, businesses and government officials who share its mission, uses the funds raised from the Dragon Boat Festival and other events like it to purchase food at deep discounts from Safeway, Giant, Food Lion, Maryland Food Bank and Capital Area Food Bank to help stock Calvert food pantries at no charge, Hahn said.
He maintains that hunger is not an issue that stems from an insufficient amount of food but, rather, from a lack of distribution and awareness.
For this reason, co-captain of Team Toucan Elena Russo said her team decided to strive to raise money beyond just the initial registration fee.
From their booth decked out in tropical decorations, the team auctioned off a big bushel of colossal crabs, offered games for children and more.
“No one should be going without the basic necessities of life,” Russo, of Pasadena, said. “We can get together and have a good time like this, have some friendly competition in the water, dress up in these ridiculous costumes and help raise money to help those people who can’t put food on the table. I mean, what better cause is there?”
Team Toucan’s motto sums up the logic behind its name: “If we can, you too can end hunger in Calvert County.”
While Team Toucan was a returning team, the Missyfits were first-time participants whose captain, Melissa Miller of Chesapeake Beach, said she would “do it again in a second.”
She said she solicited donations from local businesses to cover her team’s registration fee — Mexico Restaurant and the Tiki Bar were contributors — and rounded up some team members about a month before race time.
“It’s something that we all need to work on; we all need to become more socially conscious,” Melissa Miller said. “It’s a difficult world out there, and we all need to work together to make sure everybody is fed, warm and happy.”
According to the festival’s website, its sponsors included American Legion Stallings-Williams Post 206; Audio Plus; Bay Business Group; Chesapeake Beach Resort and Spa; Chesapeake Church; Crow Entertainment; Curtis Homes; Early Bird Home Services LLC; Exelon Generation; Githens and Associates; Gradient Construction; Honda of Bowie; Nissan of Bowie; NRG; Sisk Auto Body; Sneade’s ACE Home Center; S.J. Johnson; Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative; Smoothie King; and the towns of Chesapeake Beach and North Beach.
Although the total amount raised was not yet calculated as of press time, Hahn projected the festival would net between $40,000 and $50,000.
“We try and do the things that no one else is doing so that we kind of stand out because we want the whole county to own the problem, and they do,” he said. “Now they own the solution, which is even better.”
afrazier@somdnews.com

Calvert County officially kicks off the summer with the 2nd Annual Dragon Boat Festival on Saturday June 21st from 9AM – 5PM in North Beach MD.
That day, over 3,000 spectators will line the Boardwalk in North Beach to watch as 34 teams compete for the fastest time across the finish line. Local food, craft, and business vendors will also be part of the festival – all supporting one mission: end hunger in Calvert County.
WJLA ABC 7’s Chief Meteorologist Doug Hill, is confirmed to be back MC’ing the festival and calling the races and Frank Dawson from WKIK-FM 102.9 will be broadcasting LIVE from the Dragon Boat Festival!
New this year, End Hunger In Calvert County has partnered with Mully’s Brewery as the exclusive beer vendor for the festival. That day Mully’s will be serving Dragon Brew. If you want to know what that means, you have to attend on Saturday June 21st!
“I can’t think of a better way for Calvert to kick off the summer than with the End Hunger Dragon Boat Festival,” says Jacqueline Miller Director of Awareness for End Hunger In Calvert County. “The beauty of Dragon Boat Festival is that no matter how you participate – on a team, as a spectator, a volunteer, or vendor – for one day, the entire county can come together, discover the power of #givewheryoulive and make a difference for the people in our community.”
Leading up to the festival are team practice nights starting Tuesday June 17 thru Friday June 20. During that week, each team has the opportunity to get into a dragon boat and learn the proper racing techniques as well as meet the Dragon Boat Coaches.
Because the event has nearly doubled from last year, teams will practice in both North Beach and Chesapeake Beach, making this a twin beach festival! That week, both Towns will be running Dragon Boat specials at local restaurants and stores – everyone is encouraged to come on down and take part in the week long festivities.
Last year, the event attracted 20 teams, over 2,500 spectators and raised $32,000 to support the mission of End Hunger In Calvert County. This year, all 34 teams are sold out and the End Hunger In Calvert County Dragon Boat Festival is on track to raise over $60,000 – all of which goes to caring for the hungry in our county and moving them from dependency to self-sufficiency.
Yet, more than raising money, the Dragon Boat teams also hope to raise awareness. Last year alone, End Hunger In Calvert County distributed over 1 million pounds of food. For a list of End Hunger In Calvert County food pantries visit endhungercalvert.org.
In July 2013, End Hunger In Calvert County was recognized by the Better Business Bureau as an Accredited Charity for meeting all 20 Standards of Charitable Accountability. As part of the accreditation process, the Better Business Bureau found that $0.93 of every dollar donated to the organization goes straight into programming. That means that when you support events like the Dragon Boat Festival and give to End Hunger In Calvert County, you can do so with confidence.
At the time of press the sponsors of the 2014 Dragon Boat Festival are:
o American Legion Post 206
o Audio Plus
o Chesapeake Beach Resort and Spa
o Chesapeake Church
o Crow Entertainment
o Curits Homes
o Early Bird Home Services, LLC
o Exelon Generation
o Githens and Associates Insurance Agency
o Gradient Construction
o Honda of Bowie
o Nissan of Bowie
o NRG
o Sisk Auto Body
o S.J. Johnson
o SMECO
o The Town of Chesapeake Beach
o The Town of North Beach
About End Hunger In Calvert County
End Hunger In Calvert County (EHCC) is an association of over 100 business, 25 churches, 11 food pantries and countless volunteers and community leaders united behind the idea that hunger can be defeated in our county. The long-term purposes of EHCC is to able the willing and move those from dependency to self sufficiency. Visit their website endhungercalvert.org for more information.

More than 500 cyclists took over the roads of Calvert County on April 28, coming from all over the East Coast and as far as Texas, to participate in the 4th Annual Bike Ride to End Hunger.
The event raised more than $20,000 to directly support the operations of End Hunger In Calvert County and its affiliated food pantries. In addition, more than 100 volunteers supported the event to make the day possible.
Cyclists had the choice of four course routes 15 miles, 35 miles, 48 miles, and 63 miles. The four trails were deliberately selected to display the natural beauty Calvert County holds. Riders traveled through the woods of Sunderland and Chesapeake Beach, alongside the waters in North Beach, and across the rolling farm hills in Huntingtown.
More than raising money, these cyclists came with a purpose, to raise awareness about the growing hunger issue in Calvert County. As the economy continues to suffer, the number of county families needing assistance grows. Currently, more than 10,000 people use the services of local food pantries; that is a 40-percent increase over the last two years.
“It’s more than a bike ride, its an opportunity for cyclists to do what they love and make a difference while they do it,” says Robin Brungard, director of programs for End Hunger In Calvert County. “Now in our fourth year, our riders participate with understanding that they are a direct part of making a real difference in the lives of Calvert County.”
For a list of End Hunger In Calvert County Food Pantries visit endhungercalvert.org.

Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO) recently received a $3,000 contribution from CoBank to award to End Hunger In Calvert County.
Through its Sharing Success program, CoBank created a $3 million charitable fund to benefit cooperatives and the charitable groups they support. As a CoBank customer, SMECO was eligible to receive funds to be awarded to an organization it supports. SMECO participated in the dragon boat races held in June 2013 at North Beach to benefit End Hunger In Calvert County. Angie Verras, SMECO Accounting and Budgeting Director, applied to CoBank for the matching contribution. According to Verras, “When I found out about CoBank’s Sharing Success program, I thought SMECO should apply on behalf of this worthy organization and that End Hunger would be a perfect candidate for a contribution. SMECO employees work hard to support local charities and our customer-members deserve the opportunity to benefit from CoBank’s generosity.”
End Hunger In Calvert County has been working for six years to feed the working poor. “Last year, we provided one million pounds of food to local residents,” said Reverend Robert Hahn, the CEO of End Hunger In Calvert County. He added, “We have a successful program because we have support from businesses, community leaders, local residents, and volunteers. We appreciate the support that SMECO and other businesses provide.” The organization also works closely with social service agencies, shelters, United Way organizations and others to help adults and children who need assistance. “We’re making a difference in Calvert County because the people who live here are willing to provide support when their neighbors most need it,” Hahn said.

Local Charitable Organization to Coordinate Food Deliveries for Displaced Residents
Beginning Friday, Jan. 31, the local charitable organization End Hunger in Calvert County will coordinate food deliveries for the families recently displaced from Hallowing Point Trailer Park.
Residents are asked not to drop off donations unannounced.
Those who wish to assist with meals can contact Jackie Miller at jmiller@old.endhungercalvert.org or call 410-257-5672 or 410-610-6720.
Inquiries about donations should be directed to the Calvert County Department of Community Resources at 410-535-1600, ext. 8803, or email community.resources@co.cal.md.us.
The Board of County Commissioners again thanks the community for its generous outpouring of support.