HUNTINGTOWN, MD - End Hunger In Calvert County is on track to complete its new Food Pantry distribution center by year's end, enabling the nonprofit organization to increase food distribution to meet rising community needs. This comes at a critical time with cost-of-living expenses escalating and additional emergency SNAP benefits, implemented during the pandemic, coming to an end.
The new three-story, 34,000-square-foot Warehouse in Huntingtown, replacing the former warehouse in Prince Frederick, will distribute food and household items to the 71 food pantries and feeding organizations that End Hunger partners with. It will also serve as a Regional Distribution Center for The Maryland Food Bank in Southern Maryland. More about End Hunger's mission can be found at www.endhungercalvert.org.
Construction on the Warehouse began in 2019 and experienced delays due to the pandemic and shortages in construction materials. However, the project continued with the support of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, backed by multiple awards amounting to $2,498,000 in federal funds. Out of the total, $1,133,000 was earmarked through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. These federal funds cover 27% of the project's cost, with the remaining 73% financed from non-governmental sources.
In addition to the first-floor Food Pantry, the Warehouse's second floor will host End Hunger's Culinary Program. This innovative initiative introduces culinary and workplace readiness skills to neurodivergent individuals aged 16 and above, preparing them for food service and catering jobs. The US Department of Education supports the program, accounting for 75% of the project with $300,000 in earmark funding from the Appropriations Act; the remaining 25% comes from non-governmental sources.
The third floor of the Warehouse will function as a resource center for other nonprofits, offering collaborative meeting spaces and an outdoor terrace for events catered by the Culinary Program.
Site work at the Warehouse is in progress, focusing on finishing the parking lot and landscaping. Following the completion of the first floor, construction will begin for the second and third floors. The new facility is designed to have a greater capacity to meet Southern Maryland's needs.
End Hunger In Calvert County, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, has ensured no Southern Maryland family goes hungry. In 2022, EHCC served 25,000 people, supported 71 partner feeding organizations, and distributed almost 2 million pounds of food. Donations to support the organization's mission can be made at https://endhungercalvert.org/donate.
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