A Montgomery County, Maryland, food bank is asking for help feeding tens of thousands of families across the D.C. region for Thanksgiving.
“So What Else,” a Bethesda-based organization, is fighting food insecurity in D.C., Maryland and Virginia through food distribution sites and after-school programs.
Deputy Director May Nash said the need in the area is still growing, partly due to inflation and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s hard to imagine that people that go to school with you, people that live in your neighborhood, for different circumstances, are very much in need,” Nash told WTOP.
The organization has a goal to provide 24,000 households with a Thanksgiving meal and it’s urgently seeking donations. The food bank specifically needs protein, such as turkey, ham or chicken.
For $24, you can sponsor a family and provide their holiday meal.
“Families are really struggling to put a meal on the table,” Nash said. “This Thanksgiving, I think we should think about others and try to give back.”
Deputy Director for Hunger Relief Chris Yonushonis said demand has increased 40% at some of the organization’s distribution sites over the last year. He also said up to 20% of the people asking for help at the sites are there for the first time.
Recently at their Gaithersburg location, he said, “People were driving from Howard County, Fairfax County, Frederick, to come to that distribution, which really shows the need because that’s a long trip to get 40 pounds of food.”
If you can’t donate money or food, you can give your time. So What Else will have extended hours leading up to Thanksgiving for volunteers to help distribute food.
“Someone will call and ask for food and say they don’t want to keep shoplifting to feed their family, or they only have three apples in their house,” Yonushonis said. “We’re getting a lot of stories of desperate needs.”
When families receive their free groceries, he said, “You can see the relief and happiness in their eyes. It’s a good feeling to help people.”
To learn more about So What Else, visit the organization’s website.
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