Dorchester Co. Groups Working to Help Amid SNAP Cuts
(CAMBRIDGE, Md) – SNAP Cuts are being felt back here on the Eastern Shore, as Dorchester County groups are fighting to feed their community.
One Mission in Cambridge has seen a big increase in the number of people who’ve come through their food pantry, when they’re only open three days a week.
One Mission Executive Director, Krista Pettite tells WMDT, “So we are open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. And each of those days is at least five new people who either haven’t been here for a really long time or who are new to our food pantry. So that will increase our numbers and bump them past 450 a month this month.”
Elsewhere in Cambridge, other groups are banding together to try and create food drives to help those in need.
Blackwater Rising is helping to organize a food drive on November first to benefit a group known as Midshore Meals Til Monday.
“So we reached out to them to figure out what are the most needed foods. And then we partnered with other organizations in the community that have a large group of volunteers that they could mobilize to make sure that we can get the food to Meals on Monday so that they can distribute it to their families,” says Blackwater Rising Executive Director, Kate Gibson.
They need all the helping hands they can get.
Blackwater Rising Board President, David King says, “We’re working with a group here in town who knows how to package this stuff up and get it into the hands of people immediately. We don’t do that. We can mobilize people, and then we work with others to make sure that they get the food into the hands of the proper people.”
And with every group we spoke to both on and off-camera, they’re all encouraging the public to do the same thing: To lend a hand and donate.
“We’re we’re hoping that people will be open to what we are doing. The need will be highlighted and then people will be able to contribute to what we’re doing and to align with us…” says Krista.
Blackwater Rising is holding their donation event Saturday, November 1st from 1 P.M. to 2 P.M. in the parking lot of the Cambridge Aldi at 628 Sunburst Highway.
They are asking people to donate items like boxed cereal, boxed mac and cheese, instant rice, instant potatoes, and packaged deli meats.
One Mission Cambridge is accepting not only non-perishable donations at their pantry at 614 Race Street, or to donate financially, you can call them at 410-901-3959
