Neighbors helping neighbors               a registered nonprofit agency since 1991

We are a Proud Community Impact Partner of UWCM! Make an online donation to Food Link of Maryland (Food Link 7231) through the United Way of Central Maryland website!

CATHY'S MESSAGE

Dear Friends,

It seems that Spring has finally arrived! Mother Nature truly tested our sense of humor for a while but now we see new signs of life, buds popping out of the ground, daffodils smiling at us with their sunny faces. It's nice to see green after so much white and gray.

Recently, I had one of THOSE days - the kind that we all have from time to time but makes you shake your head in disbelief. And talk about testing your sense of humor! It was Friday and my husband called to tell me that there was sewage backing up in our basement. And the sump pump wasn't working and oh yeah, apparently there was a huge problem with our heating system. The sewage back-up was from a clog in the line leading from the house; the sump pump had to be replaced and best of all, BG&E informed us that the compressor in our heat pump also needed to be replaced. REALLY?!?! The bottom line is the clog was removed, the sump pump replaced as well as the compressor. Everything works well so a happy ending. But it reminded me, in the midst of all this, how lucky we are to be able to fix what was broken even on such a large scale. There are families in our community who could not afford a plumber or have the means to replace a sump pump. Others would never have been able to fix the heater and would have faced that last bout of severe cold and snow without the means to keep their children warm.

Now that it's spring, we look forward to warmer temperatures but it's still cold at night. Families struggling with everyday survival are trying to figure out how to pay the huge electric bills from the last two months to avoid a shut off. Eating by candlelight can be romantic if it's intentional. When it's all you have for light and heat, it has an entirely different meaning and it's not so romantic. Requests for emergency assistance will rise as families are forced to use all available monies to keep the roof over their heads, pay towards the electric bill, and keep gas in the car to continue to work and will leave nothing for daily life sustaining essentials such as food and diapers and medicine.

Some see the signs of spring as signs of hope - the warm feeling that things will get better. One of the best ways to achieve that is to be able to offer freely the assistance one so desperately needs. With your generous support, the mission of neighbors helping neighbors continues. When we are able to replace the tears and lines of worry with smiles of relief, to ensure a family has food to eat, the baby will have food and necessary hygiene items, the heat and lights will stay on - these are more than signs of hope, they are simple miracles. Please help us continue sharing miracles, big and small, with our neighbors in need.

Wishing you and yours all the beauty of this miraculous time of year -

Cathy L. Bird, Executive Director,
Staff & Board of Food Link

IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Effective immediately, the emergency pantry is ONLY open on Tuesday and Friday.
YOU MUST MAKE AN APPOINTMENT...

Hours of Business:

Food Link Offices will be open on Tuesday - Thursday, 9 -4
and Friday 9 - 3

Produce Program Schedule
We begin our weekly program again Friday, April 3rd.

pancake mix (complete and just add water)
syrup
macaroni and cheese with cheese sauce all ready made
jelly
canned ravioli
tuna helper
chicken helper
canned chicken

FOODLINK EVENTS/NEWS

Between 6 PM on May 5 and 6 PM on May 6, our community will come together for the Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County's GREAT GIVE, and we need YOU to join us. [Read more.]

Hoist a Drink for Food Link! Happy Hour "Funraiser"
Friday, May 1st 6-8pm [read more]

Contact Us

Food Link, Inc.


Annapolis, MD 21401
(main/Paula Gordon)
(main/Cathy Holstrom-Bird)

More Info