Severna Park People And Other Locals: Ye Are The Salt Of The Earth

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told his followers, who were mostly fishermen and other unassuming people, “Ye are the salt of the earth.” This expression is usually used to describe anyone who is basically, fundamentally good.

This column is dedicated to those people who support SPAN, whom we consider the salt of the earth. We have all seen the news, and are aware that times are tough everywhere. The pandemic has taken jobs, lives, and our ability to visit loved ones. We all pray for life to get back to normal, but some families in our community are having trouble. Utility shutoffs and eviction looms in the near future. Some of these families are forced to choose between keeping their heat on or buying their child a coat.

Those who work at SPAN get inundated with gratitude from our client families, but the truth is that our community donors deserve all the thanks. While some other local pantries are short on food and financing, SPAN’s contributors have stepped up to fill our pantry and bank account so we can continue to stay open and meet whatever needs arise.

We want to thank all of our member churches for their faithful support with their financial pledges. We want to thank the local businesses, like Clement Hardware, Diehl’s Produce, BB&T Bank, Severna Park Racquetball & Fitness Club, Heartlands, Spring Arbor, Annapolis Pediatrics, Pedal Power Kids, Severna Park Giant, Chartwell Tennis Club, Barranco & Sons, Severna Park Lanes, Jing Ying School of Kung Fu & Tai Chi, Talbot Realty, Landmark Roofing, Leave Dinner to Lettie, and so many more, for their generous donations.

Civic groups and neighborhoods constantly take care of us, like the For Ellie Foundation; Cub Scout Pack 688; Archbishop Spalding High School (Brice Persico’s Pack-a-Pickup food drive); Severna Park Middle School (the Crawford kids); Severna Park High School; the Friends of Kinder Farm Park; the Severna Park Community Center; the Colchester, Lakeland, Berrywood, Kensington, and Pond View neighborhoods; plus the “New Year Full Pantry Project’s” Reverse Advent Collection.

Then there are the donations that really warm our hearts, like the group of Sabrina Park kids, organized by Brittany Williams, who donated $45.92 that they raised from a lemonade stand, Keri DeLuca’s kids and friends who donated $150 that they raised from baking and selling homemade dog treats to neighbors, and SPAN volunteer Lori Pagnanelli, who hand-made Christmas ornaments for our clients, and Lori’s husband, Ken, who built desks for kids who had none.

I would be remiss if I didn’t give a shout-out to the finest volunteers in the land. SPAN volunteers work tirelessly every day, sometimes even on weekends, sorting and packing food, helping our clients, and even doing construction products on the SPAN house to improve it. We are blessed!

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you, and happy new year!

SPAN (Serving People Across Neighborhoods) is an independent nonprofit food pantry and emergency services provider that has been helping local families with eviction prevention, utility turnoffs, medical/prescription bills, and food since 1990. SPAN serves 14 zip codes in Anne Arundel County. SPAN is located behind Our Shepherd Lutheran Church at 400 Benfield Road in Severna Park. Hours are Monday through Thursday from 10:00am-12:45pm. For more information, call 410-647-0889, email spanhelps@yahoo.com or visit www.spanhelps.org. Financial donations may be made through the website. Food donations may be dropped off 24/7 using the storage bin behind SPAN’s building. Please “like” SPAN on Facebook!