End Hunger In Calvert County will host its fourth annual FoodStock distribution event from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 8. That morning, nearly 100,000 pounds of food will be sorted and distributed, free of charge, to nearly 800 local families as well as the organization’s partner food pantries, a press release states. People will receive a combination of fresh produce provided by Farming 4 Hunger and nonperishable food items from the Maryland Food Bank.
“Most people don’t realize that hunger is not a food issue,” Jacqueline Miller, president of End Hunger In Calvert County, said in the press release. “There’s plenty of food. In Calvert County hunger is a distribution and access issue. FoodStock is our county’s united effort to fix that problem. On August 8th, anyone who shows up to FoodStock will leave with nonperishable food items and fresh produce. It’s that simple.”
Calvert County is the 13th wealthiest county in the United States, yet more than 10 percent of the population uses local food pantries, according to the release. On average, End Hunger’s partner pantries serve more than 900 families every week. A complete list of partner food pantries can be found at endhungercalvert.org.
“This is our fourth FoodStock and every year cars begin lining up at [6 a.m.], two and half hours before the event begins,”
Miller said in the release. “FoodStock is [a] reminder to our community that hunger in Calvert County is real, the people it effects are real, and our ability to solve it is real.”
During the week leading up to FoodStock, volunteer teams from Beach Boys Pizza — Papa John’s, S.J. Johnson Inc., Plan B Technology, Bay Wine and Spirits and Dunkirk Walmart will sort and pack food boxes that will later be distributed.
FoodStock takes place at the End Hunger Warehouse at 141 Schooner Lane, Prince Frederick, located in the Calvert Industrial Park. For more information about FoodStock or End Hunger In Calvert County, go to endhungercalvert.org, or call 410-257-5672.