Random Acts Of Kindness Day: Help Feed Neighbors In Harford

Havre de Grace MD

16 February, 2021

8:51 PM

Description

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — Random Acts of Kindness Day, set this year for Wednesday, Feb. 17, sees an amplified importance in 2021 as people in Harford County and throughout the world continue to struggle with the coronavirus pandemic that is now more than 11 months old. Among the ways to make a difference on Random Acts of Kindness Day this year is to make sure your neighbors in Harford County have enough to eat. For more than 31,000 people in Harford County, food budgets are stretched thin from job losses, business closures and other economic havoc wrought by the pandemic. That's according to a projection by Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger relief organization, which notes that as many as 50 million Americans faced food insecurity at 2020's end. You can help with a tax-deductible contribution to Feeding America, which says the economic fallout of the pandemic has sent millions of Americans to food banks for the first time. For every $1 you give, Feeding America is able to provide 10 meals through its network of 200 food banks that serve and supply 60,000 food pantries, kitchens and meal programs. If you're among those struggling to find enough food — or if you want to volunteer — here are some resources here in Harford County: Bel Air UMC Emergency Pantry, 21 Linwood Ave., Bel Air, MD 21014. Drive-thru program from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on the third Saturday of every month. Make sure the trunk is empty. Soup kitchen operates from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. every Wednesday.Centre United Methodist Church, 2409 Rocks Rd, Forest Hill, MD 21050. Food pantry is open 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays.Harford Community Action Agency, 1321-B Woodbridge Station Way, Edgewood, MD 21040. Those who meet 200 percent poverty guidelines can pick up once a month from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday and Wednesday; and 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday.Oak Grove Baptist Church, 2106 Churchville Rd., Bel Air, MD 21015. Open 9 to 11 a.m. every third Saturday. Stay in your car.Salvation Army, 300 Seneca Ave Havre de Grace, MD 21078. Call 410-939-3535 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Mondays, leaving a message with a name, county, number of people in the family and reason for food need. The Salvation Army will call back with an appointment.Saint Johns Cupboard, 114 N Union Ave, Havre de Grace, MD 21078. Open every Friday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 1200 E Churchville Rd., Bel Air, MD 21014. Open Thursdays 6 to 7:30 p.m. and Fridays 10:30 a.m. to noon. For assistance at other times, call the church office at 410-838-3178 or e-mail [email protected]. Participants must show photo identification and are eligible for help once every 30 days.Tabitha's House, 112-D Connolly Rd., Fallston, MD 21047. Call 410-877-9730 to schedule an appointment in advance; open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Once clients arrive, they are asked to remain in their vehicles, and food will be brought to them.Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1100 Philadelphia Rd., Joppa, MD 21085. Open 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays; 3:30 to 5 p.m. Thursdays; and 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturdays. Random Acts of Kindness Day traces back to 1995 and the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, a small nonprofit based in Denver. It was then adopted in New Zealand in 2004, according to DaysOfTheYear.com, and has since been celebrated all over the world as a way to help others in simple ways. It is held on Feb. 17 every year regardless of what day of the week it falls on, the National Day Calendar shows. Courtesy of Shutterstock/Patch/Feeding America. Patch has partnered with Feeding America to help raise awareness on behalf of the millions of Americans facing hunger. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimated that by the end of 2020, more than 50 million Americans will not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you. — By Patch editors Tim Moran and Elizabeth Janney