Groups Step Up to Help Library Food Program
A Better St. Mary’s and the St. Mary’s Department of Social Services have partnered to help fund a summer meal program for children at the Lexington Park Library.
In St. Mary’s County, the Social Services Advisory Board is called “A Better St. Mary’s.” The group is part of the Maryland Association of Social Services Boards Foundation, which is comprised entirely of volunteers who serve on local boards in all 23 counties in the state.
The advisory board, along with the social services department, are each providing $1,000 in funding. The library had announced last month that there was no money this year for its daily, in-person meal program, which has served nearly 800 meals to hungry children each summer.
The library has asked the community to help them provide as many hearty snacks and warm meals as possible for kids at the library Monday through Friday through August 21.
A Better St. Mary’s wanted to provide financial assistance to support DSS’s mission to support at-risk families, children, and vulnerable adults.
“We assist families with rental or utilities arrearages, allowing them to remain in their homes. Additionally, we provide support in the form of medical supplies and emergency repairs for the elderly, which allows them to remain in their homes. Helping the library feed hungry children is very much in our mission,” reads a news release from A Better St. Mary’s.
“No child should go without access to nutritious food when a community has the resources to help,” said A Better St. Mary’s Board Chair Tony Lawrence. “We are proud to support the in-person meal program and its mission of providing healthy meals to youth throughout our community. Our commitment is to ensure that children and families have access to the support they need, while creating meaningful and lasting impacts that strengthen the well-being of St. Mary’s County.”
Michael Blackwell, director of St Mary’s County Library, said “We are delighted by this support from A Better St. Mary’s and St. Mary’s County Department of Social Services. We provide informative and entertaining programming throughout the summer, but children need more than books to thrive. With this support, we can help nourish the whole child.”
Board members will be at the library at noon June 18 to deliver some food items.
Support for the mission of A Better St. Mary’s for this and other initiatives may be offered at www.massbfoundation.org. Please add a note to say that the donation is for St. Mary’s County.
To support the library’s program directly, go to https://www.stmalib.org/about-us/donate-to-the-library/summer-snacks/ for a list of desired items or to donate.
