Tough times feeding families

Hunger conference to address increased need in region

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Brenda DiCarlo, manager of the food bank in Hughesville, said there are 80 percent more people who need help obtaining food to feed their families than this time last year. It's a dilemma that is expected to grow as the recession worsens, she said.

"The need is huge," she said. "Every month our numbers are increasing."

The food bank is consistently low in nonperishable food items because of the demand, DiCarlo said, adding that the nonprofit organization provides food for more than 30 pantries, group homes and shelters in the tri-county area.

"The need is so high; we never have enough," she said. "Once the food comes in it goes right back out."

The Southern Maryland Hunger Conference is being sponsored by the food bank, the St. Mary's County Fair Association and the Hands of God Mobile Street Ministry in Calvert County, DiCarlo said.

The conference will feature speakers from a variety of agencies, including the Maryland Department of Human Resources, University of Maryland Cooperative Extension Service, Hunger Solutions and Farmers and Hunters for the Hungry, DiCarlo said.

Churches and nonprofit organizations that operate food pantries and kitchens in Southern Maryland or people who are interested in establishing such a service are invited to attend the conference, DiCarlo said, adding that she got the idea to hold the conference after a similar event was held in Baltimore in the fall.

"Very few providers in Southern Maryland knew about it," she said. "This conference is going to provide a lot of good information on how to ease the pain of hunger in the community. It's going to be a day for information and networking."

Cooperative Extension Service representatives will be on hand to conduct demonstrations on safe food handling and discuss gardening, DiCarlo said.

John Richards, president of the St. Mary's Fair Association, said the association is providing the space for the conference free of charge and a light lunch will also be provided. Richards and his wife, Ann, are volunteers at a soup kitchen at St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Leonardtown.

"This conference is a chance for everybody to get together and talk about the issue; it's a great idea," John Richards said.

"Brenda is a one-man band," he said. "She does everything from driving the truck to writing the grants. We're just trying to give her a little help."

"I don't know what I would do without them; they've been a huge help," DiCarlo said. "Those two are big in my heart."

Prince Frederick resident Catherine Tyler-King is a cancer survivor who established the Hands of God Mobile Street Ministry in 1992. The ministry's 20-plus volunteers bring donated food to senior citizens in Calvert County.

The conference is a great way to bring together everyone who wants to feed the hungry, Tyler-King said.

"With the economy the way it is today this conference is very much needed," she said. "It's very timely."

nmcconaty@somdnews.com