Howard County Food Bank serving more residents in the midst of the holiday season

Sherry Greenfield, Howard County Times, Columbia, Md.
·3 min read
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Nov. 21—Food brings people together during the holidays, but higher grocery prices and a decrease in emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, payments are creating hardships for many families in Howard County.

In March, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 law passed by Congress returned all SNAP benefits to standard amounts, without the added supplement issued during the pandemic.

Households throughout the state are seeing at least $95 per month less in food stamp payments, according to Tracy Broccolino, president of the Community Action Council of Howard County.

This collision of circumstances has forced county residents from all backgrounds and professions to seek help to feed themselves and their families. Sometimes it's a choice between a car payment or rent or putting food on the table.

Many residents are turning to the county food bank.

In 2022, the food bank would help, on average, 80 families per week, said Carrie Ross, director of Food Bank Services for the Community Action Council.

In September 2022, the food bank helped 1,549 households. This September the number jumped to 2,180.

Ross said the council has seen a 32% increase in households needing help this year, when compared to 2022. Most of those are families with children under the age of 18.

"Two-thirds of the clients we see have some form of college education, or some kind of trade," Broccolino said. "They're working families."

In the past, the average clients were seniors on fixed incomes with no pension to fall back on. Today, single moms make up the bulk of the households coming for help.

The Community Action Council is a nonprofit agency that provides housing, energy assistance, early childhood education, and operates 17 food pantries throughout the county, including the Howard County Food Bank.

The food bank, at 9385 Gerwig Lane, Suite J, in Columbia, is set up like a small grocery store. There are aisles of boxed and canned food, freezers for cold food, breads, pastries, feminine hygiene products, diapers, and baby formula. Clients come through the door, take a grocery cart, and shop for what they need.

The food bank has been at its current location since 2016. It is open for walk-ins from 1-4 p.m. on Tuesdays, 1-7 p.m. on Wednesdays, and 1-4 p.m. on Thursdays. On Saturdays it's by appointment only, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Clients can shop twice each month.

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Meals are also delivered to people who are homebound, or not able to afford transportation to the food bank, Ross said.

To have access to the food bank, clients must live in Howard County, and earn an income that is 150% below the federal poverty guideline for Maryland, which is updated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Currently, the annual income limit for a family of four to receive assistance is $45,000. Residents must apply each July to be eligible for service.

In 2022, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball announced that Howard was named the wealthiest county in Maryland by U.S. News & World Report, using median income rates. With a median income of $129,549, Howard County was the only Maryland jurisdiction to make the list.

But the poverty rate in the county is 6.2% and there are families that are struggling here, Broccolino said.

"We've seen an increase in housing prices, increase in rent," she said. "It's not just food, it's everything. Here in Howard County, you have folks above the federal poverty level who still can't afford to live here. The need is here."