July 20 was a hot day all across the DMV, and the Capital Area Food Bank teamed up with a local church to bring both food and drink to the community. Dozens of families and youth from St. Stephen Summer Camp gathered at St. Stephen Baptist Church in Camp Springs, Maryland for food and some summer recreation.
Alexis Lahr, the senior director of Family Government Nutrition Programs, was on hand to assist the event. “It’s so important,” she said about the program.
“During the school year, kids rely on school meals as potentially their only source of nutritious food. That’s where the summer meals program comes in, and we’re here to bridge the gap with healthy and nutritious meals that give them the energy to keep learning throughout the summer and enjoy their vacation.”
St. Stephen is one of the roughly 28 meal sites across the DMV. Any family across the DMV is welcome to join and have a summer meal and a cool day of relaxation.
“I’ve been in this role for about five years, and we’ve operated for many years before,” said Lahr. “Some of our biggest accomplishments have been the events to ensure the community was aware of our outreach after COVID. We saw a sharp increase in need and less people visiting our sites; we wanted them to know our sites were still open and operating for the community. We’ve seen a huge impact, and we plan to distribute 68,000 or more meals across the region just this summer.”
Kayla Sizemore, a Suitland resident, attended the giveaway and worked with the youth. At a nearby table, several students colored images of vegetables after finishing their meals.
“[We’re] just showing the kids what it is to be a leader, and how to help the community,” Sizemore said, taking in the day. “Macaroni and cheese was their favorite food today, and face painting was definitely their favorite activity.”
Elder Gwendolyn Gantt, Community Outreach director for St. Stephen, is no stranger to distributing help to her neighbors.
“I’ve worked with Capital Area Food Bank for about 15 years,” she said.
“We have a plethora of resources at our disposal. One has to be proactive in finding the programs. By word of mouth, we help to spread the word about what we’re doing and what Capital Area Food Bank has to offer.”
The list of Capital Area Food Bank sites is available at capitalareafoodbank.org.