Press Release

December 14, 2009
CARDIN, MIKULSKI PRAISE SENATE PASSAGE OF $492,000 FOR MARYLAND FOOD BANK

 

 

 

WASHINGTON –
U.S. Senators Benjamin L. Cardin and
Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-MD) today praised Senate passage of an omnibus appropriations measure that includes $492,000 in funding to the Maryland Food Bank. The funding will enable the Food Bank to meet its highest-priority capital needs, including the purchase of three refrigerated trucks, upgrades to office spaces and the installation of a new roof at the Maryland Food Bank's 87,000-square foot distribution center in Baltimore.  The President is expected to sign the appropriations measure.
 
The Maryland Food Bank, an affiliate of 

Feeding America
, was founded in 1979 to coordinate the procurement and distribution of food donations from manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and government agencies to organizations providing free food to the state's hungry. It
provides nearly 14 million pounds of food annually to 1,000 Network Partners — including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, low-income day care centers, after-school programs, senior centers, rehabilitation centers, and other feeding programs.
“In these tough economic times, every day thousands of Marylanders make tough choices between buying food and meeting other needs such as paying rent, heat and medical bills,” said
Senator Cardin, a member of the Senate Budget Committee. “I am strongly committed to supporting the mission of Maryland Food Bank, and I will work to ensure it has the resources needed to continue its work.”

“Maryland’s hungry come from all walks and all stripes. They are a 5-year-old girl whose father left home with the income, or a 17-year-old boy who can’t find a job. They are seniors, families, and the working poor. They are our neighbors,”
Senator Mikulski said. “Every day, the Maryland Food Bank opens their doors and helps relieve their hunger. I will continue to fight to put funds in the federal checkbook to support their work.”
 
The Maryland Food Bank operates from two facilities: one in Baltimore, serving Central Maryland, and one in Salisbury, serving the Eastern Shore. The Baltimore operation supplies six Regional Distribution Organizations with food.
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