I hope everyone is enjoying the summer, it does seem to be flying by…
We recently heard from the Maryland Food Bank (MFB) as it begins its fiscal year 2024 and they report that high grocery prices continue to plague local families. Despite reports of inflation easing food prices continue to remain high, adding pressure to limited household budgets and resulting in an increased need for food assistance among Maryland families.
According to the MFB’s most recent analysis, of June data from the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, an estimated 45 percent of Maryland adults said their children were sometimes or often not eating enough because food was not affordable, while 36 percent of Maryland households had difficulty paying for usual household expenses.
“Marylanders are struggling to make ends meet this summer due to a combination of factors, including high grocery costs, the reduction in SNAP benefits, and with kids out of school, a lack of access to free or reduced-price meals,” MFB president and CEO Carmen Del Guercio said. “With limited financial resources, they are often left with no option but to skip meals or choose cheaper, less healthy foods, compromising their well-being.”
Times have been tough especially for those on fixed incomes. According to new ALICE Essentials Index, released last month by United Ways of Maryland, concluded that household essentials in Maryland have increased an average of 3.1 percent every year since 2007. The report also found that a healthy, practical diet for a family of four now costs approximately $1,368 per month in Maryland, although estimates differ by household type and location.
High grocery prices have put a strain on the food bank’s budget as well, with the cost of its most popular products up 16 percent versus two years ago. Even so, the organization is intensifying its efforts to distribute more healthy foods in FY24, proactively managing its menu to ensure a variety of fresh food options from Maryland-based food producers are accessible to MFB community partners.
“We recognize that access to nutritious food has been an ongoing challenge for many of the vulnerable populations we serve, which is why we’re so focused on providing our community partners with high quality, locally-sourced produce, meat, milk, eggs, and even seafood that offer our neighbors the nutrition they need,” Del Guercio explained. “The cost associated with this is significant but manageable, thanks to the Local Food Purchase Agreement in partnership with the USDA, the State of Maryland and the Maryland Department of Agriculture. We think it’s worth it because when people eat better, they live better lives.”
In other MFB news, check out the photo on this page of Food World – kudos to the Perdue Foundation for its recent gift to MFB, which will go toward its Mobile Market Program in addition to supporting its FoodWorks Culinary Training Program and its School Pantry Program serving Wicomico County Public Schools. The event highlighted the recent gift and the decades-long partnership between the fourth-generation, family-owned U.S. food and agriculture company and the statewide anti-hunger organization. The food bank currently has three Mobile Markets that travel across Maryland, with one dedicated to the Eastern Shore and two that serve counties in the northern, southern and western regions of the state.
I hope everyone has already marked your calendars for this year’s Children’s Cancer Foundation Gala, scheduled for November 4 at Martin’s Crosswinds in Greenbelt. In advance of the big event, CCF has announced the recipients of its 2023 Research Awards. The 2023 CCF Research Awards, combined with funding for local programs for children fighting cancer, total $1 million.
The 11 pediatric oncology researchers, each conducting work in the Baltimore-Washington region, will be presented with their grants at gala. They are: Chris Albanese, PhD, Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center; Curt I. Civin, MD, University of Maryland School of Medicine; Charles Eberhart, MD, PhD, Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center; Gary Kupfer, MD, Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center; Yiouli P. Ktena, MD, Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center; CCF Giant Food NextGen Awardee Nicolas Llosa, MD, Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center; Chase McCann, PhD, Children’s National Hospital; Anandani Nellan, MD, PhD, National Cancer Institute; Patience Odeniyide, MD, Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center; Haneen Shalabi, DO, National Cancer Institute; Aykut Üren, MD, Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center; Yiouli Ktena, MD, of Johns Hopkins, will receive the CCF Giant Food NextGen Award, created for a promising young pediatric cancer researcher to fund both their research and their professional advancement in the field. Dr. Ktena will be the 11th recipient of this joint effort between CCF and Giant Food.
The CCF Research Awards are selected by an independent panel of prominent pediatric cancer researchers from outside the Maryland, DC, and N. Virginia area. Additionally, CCF will present five non-research awards to local programs at the following: The Children’s Inn at NIH, The Claire Marie Foundation, Nigel’s Neighborhood, Horizon Day Camp and the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Since its founding in 1983, CCF has awarded researchers, programs and facilities with more than $43M.
Mark those calendars! And, if you would like to help, consider being a sponsor this year. For more information, email [email protected], or go to the ad on page 7 of this issue and click on the QR code at the bottom of the page to download the sponsorship form.
That’s it for this month – let me know if you hear anything interesting by emailing me at [email protected].