Lt. Governor Brown Helps Launch 26th Annual Harvest for the Hungry Food Drive
BALTIMORE, Md. (March 2, 2012) – Today, Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown joined leadership from the United Way of Central Maryland and Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, as well as Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz, Howard County Executive Kenneth Ulman, and several other community partners, at the Franciscan Center of Baltimore for a press conference to launch the 26th Annual Harvest for the Hungry statewide food drive.
The Harvest for the Hungry statewide food drive encourages Marylanders to donate healthy food from March 3rd through 10th in order to help their neighbors in need have access to nutritious food for a healthy life. Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, along with the United States Postal Service, Safeway, Girl Scouts of Central Maryland, WBAL-TV and The Baltimore Sun Media Group will once again lead the effort, along with participation from the State of Maryland and local governments. And for the first time this year, the United Way of Central Maryland’s Access to Healthy Food Initiative has joined the effort to add a healthy twist.
“Governor O’Malley and I are committed to eliminating childhood hunger and providing access to healthy food to those in need,” said Lt. Governor Brown. “Healthy children make the best students, students who will make up a strong workforce and become tomorrow’s finest leaders. No one in our State should experience hunger in school or at home, and Healthy Harvest for the Hungry is a way for all Marylanders to get involved and make a contribution towards ending hunger.”
Maryland residents can participate in Healthy Harvest for the Hungry in three different ways:
- Leave donated healthy food items by your mailbox. Your postal carrier will pick them up.
- Drop off food donations at one of 20 local Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage offices.
- Purchase $10 discounted bags of healthy food at any Safeway store and leave it in the donation box there.
- For more information and a list of suggested healthy food items to donate, please visit www.uwcm.org/harvest.
Eliminating childhood hunger in Maryland is one of the O’Malley-Brown Administration’s 15 strategic goals. Since 2007, average daily participation in the National School Lunch Program has increased by 23 percent and average daily participation in the School Breakfast Program has increased by 27 percent. To continue this progress, the Governor’s FY 2013 budget proposal includes a $2 million investment in the Maryland Food Bank, as well as $3.4 million for the Maryland Meals for Achievement school breakfast program, a 20% increase that will help enable 46 more eligible schools to participate and provide in-classroom breakfast to 20,000 more children.
