Local Food Pantry in Desperate Need of Donations

For 78-year-old Jean McHenry, each step is getting a little harder than the next. But despite the pain in her knees, McHenry said there’s one thing she won’t allow while she’s still moving about.

“I hate to see people go hungry,” McHenry said.

After knee-replacement surgeries on each leg, McHenry continues to work for the good of others as manager of the Christian Assistance Food Pantry.

“I’m mostly bionic right now,” she said. “But turning somebody away, it’s always hard.”

It’s not McHenry’s knees that are giving out, it’s the donations.

In May, 126 families required food. In June, it was 159 families, and the number has continued to rise in July and August, months that are usually “slower.” Things are getting so tight at the pantry, McHenry fears that if more donations aren’t made, all those families are going to be in serious trouble.

“We serve families from Severn, Odenton, Gambrills and Fort Meade, but people come from all over,” McHenry said. “If they’re from Glen Burnie, they’re referred to other churches.”

McHenry spent 14 years serving the Christian Assistance Program (CAP) before coming on full time as the Food Pantry Manager a year ago, still an unpaid position. She said that while many people come through their doors at Severn United Methodist Church, not all can benefit from the food pantry.

Because of the program's limited resources, McHenry is forced to deny food to families who don’t reside in designated towns or those who have already received their food for the month.

“We deliver about four or five days worth of food. Then we don’t serve them for four weeks at least,” she said. “We can’t help them all, we can only serve so many.”

In order to receive food from the CAP, an organization that comprises 12 churches, families must present their proof of residence and documentation verifying that they haven’t received food before their next allotted date. When families don’t have the documentation or proof of residence, McHenry has to do what she hates most–saying “no.”

Having to turn people away has always been a problem, but recently, McHenry and her volunteers are at risk of running out of food.

“I get calls from people wondering when they can come back only a week or so after they’ve received food,” McHenry said. “At this rate, we’re going to be out of food very soon.”

Currently, the food pantry is out of cereal, but many other items are to follow if things don’t recover quickly in either the economy or the number of donations. It’s difficult to predict when the demand will be high, said McHenry.

If the food pantry’s doors closed at Severn United Methodist Church, McHenry said she would receive lots of calls from families since she givers her number out to those seeking assistance.

“The Anne Arundel County food bank gives us food once a month. They have been invaluable for us,” McHenry said. “But we just picked up food from there and we’re getting low already.”

Open twice a week on Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., the CAP food pantry at Severn United Methodist Church is always open for donations, McHenry said. People can give with their groceries or with cash.

“I’ll drive out and meet them to [pick up food],” said McHenry. “We just need help.”

“Hey, I’m getting old. People tell me I don’t need to do this much work. But to me, I’m trying to be like Jesus and I can’t do it by myself.”

To give to the CAP food panty or get involved, contact Jean McHenry at mchenrysnorth40@verizon.net or call 410-674-5353.