The recent conversion of local Food Lions to Weis Markets resulted in over 300,000 pounds of food and product donated to End Hunger In Calvert County.
During the store changeovers, the Huntingtown food charity coordinated the efforts of seven tractor-trailer loads to pick up and deliver the 300,000 pounds to its 12,000-square-foot warehouse in Prince Frederick.
The trucks were stuffed with frozen meats, cheese and dairy products, paper products, hygiene products, baby supplies, cookware, pet supplies and more.
Once the trucks arrived at the End Hunger warehouse, volunteers from Bayside Auto Group, Girls Scout troops and individuals from the community sorted and packed it to distribute to End Hunger’s 44 partner organizations.
“It was easy to say yes, this is who End Hunger In Calvert County is,” the Rev. Robert Hahn, CEO of End Hunger, said in a news release. “We have been saying for over eight years that hunger in Calvert County is not a food problem; it is a distribution problem.”
Because of the abundance and short shelf life of some products, End Hunger worked with food pantries and hunger relief programs statewide to provide product to neighboring jurisdictions.
“People are eating across the state of Maryland because over eight years ago Calvert County said yes to the idea that hunger in our community can be eliminated,” Hahn said. “This is a huge testament to the heart of our community. You can no longer deny that hunger in our community is real and that together we have moved the needle.”
For more information about End Hunger, go to endhungercalvert.org.