MARYLAND FOOD BANK INC
2200 HALETHORPE FARMS ROAD SW, BALTIMORE, MD 21227 www.mdfoodbank.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: THE MARYLAND FOOD BANK IS A NONPROFIT HUNGER-RELIEF ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO FEEDING PEOPLE, STRENGTHENING COMMUNITIES, AND ENDING HUNGER FOR MORE MARYLANDERS.

BY PARTNERING WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS FROM THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS TO THE EASTERN SHORE, THE MARYLAND FOOD BANK'S STATEWIDE FOOD ASSISTANCE NETWORK DISTRIBUTED THE EQUIVALENT OF 125,000 MEALS EVERY DAY (OVER 45 MILLION MEALS ANNUALLY) IN FY20, MUCH OF WHICH WAS DEPLOYED IN DIRECT RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC DURING THE LAST QUARTER OF THE FISCAL YEAR. (SEE CONTINUATION ON SCHEDULE O)THE MARYLAND FOOD BANK (MFB) STARTED FY 2020 WITH GREAT MOMENTUM AFTER COMING OFF OUR 40TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION AND ENTERING THE SECOND YEAR OF OUR STRATEGIC PLAN. OUR MARKET DRIVEN APPROACH, EVOLVING PROGRAMS, NEWLY STRENGTHENED PARTNERSHIPS, AND EMPHASIS ON ROOT CAUSE SOLUTIONS WERE TAKING HOLD, AND WE COULD SEE THE BENEFITS OF OUR EFFORTS. WE WERE EXCITED AND HOPEFUL.AND THEN COVID-19 STRUCK. THAT'S WHEN OUR FOCUS SHIFTED TO BUILDING A RESPONSE TO THIS UNPRECEDENTED GLOBAL THREAT. THE SPREAD OF COVID-19 CREATED A FAST-MOVING EMERGENCY FOR CHARITABLE FOOD ASSISTANCE ORGANIZATIONS EVERYWHERE, INCLUDING MFB. FORTUNATELY, WE WERE BUILT FOR THIS. OUR STRONG PARTNERSHIPS, STATEWIDE NETWORK, HIGHLY TRAINED AND TALENTED STAFF, AND STELLAR REPUTATION ALLOWED US TO PIVOT AND RESPOND TO THE EXTRAORDINARY NEED CREATED BY THIS PANDEMIC.IN MARYLAND, AS IN OTHER PLACES, THE ONSET OF THE PANDEMIC IN EARLY 2020 CREATED WAVES OF JOB LOSS AND ECONOMIC DISRUPTION, SEVERED ACCESS TO SCHOOL MEALS FOR CHILDREN, AND FORCED SENIORS AND OTHER HIGH-RISK POPULATIONS TO STAY AT HOME. ALMOST OVERNIGHT, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF MARYLANDERS TURNED TO MFB'S CHARITABLE FOOD ASSISTANCE NETWORK TO HELP PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE, MANY FOR THE FIRST TIME. THE FOOD BANK TEAM MOVED SWIFTLY THROUGH THOSE EARLY DAYS OF THE PANDEMIC, FOCUSING ON FINDING FOOD, DISTRIBUTING IT, AND THEN SECURING FUNDING TO PAY FOR A PROGRAMMATIC RESPONSE THAT HAD DOUBLED IN SIZE. COST ESTIMATES, INVENTORY LEVELS, AND PROGRAM STRATEGIES WERE EXAMINED AND BY MID-MARCH, MFB HAD A WORKING PLAN. ESTIMATES SHOWED THAT TO KEEP FOOD FLOWING INTO THE 22 JURISDICTIONS WE SERVE, THE COST FOR 90 DAYS OF ACTIVITIES WOULD TOTAL AN ESTIMATED $12 MILLION DOLLARS.DURING THOSE FIRST 90 DAYS, IT BECAME OBVIOUS THAT 'BUSINESS AS USUAL' WOULD BE COMPLETELY REDEFINED AND WOULD NOW INCLUDE DOUBLE THE AMOUNT OF FOOD DISTRIBUTED, AND OTHER DISRUPTIVE BUT NECESSARY SOLUTIONS. IT WAS ALSO CLEAR THAT THIS STRATEGY WAS GOING TO COST A LOT MORE MONEY, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THE SINGLE MOST CRITICAL CHALLENGE WAS A SHORTAGE OF FOOD. OF ALL THE FOOD TYPICALLY DISTRIBUTED BY THE FOOD BANK, ABOUT ONE THIRD IS PURCHASED AND TWO THIRDS IS DONATED FROM FOOD RETAILERS, MANUFACTURERS, OR ARRIVES IN THE FORM OF GOVERNMENT COMMODITIES. WITH THE COLLAPSE OF LARGE-SCALE FOOD DONATIONS, MFB FLIPPED ITS MODEL AND BEGAN BUYING FOOD BY THE TRUCKLOAD. BETWEEN MARCH 1 AND JUNE 30, 2020, MFB SPENT MORE THAN $8.1M ON PURCHASED PRODUCT, A 400% INCREASE OVER THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR.DURING THE FIRST TURBULENT WEEKS OF THE PANDEMIC WHEN SCHOOLS, RESTAURANTS, AND BUSINESSES WERE CLOSED, MFB BECAME RELIANT ON THE EFFORTS OF OUR FEARLESS NETWORK OF COMMUNITY PARTNERS. THESE NETWORK PARTNERS, AS WE CALL THEM, DISTRIBUTE FOOD THROUGH APPROXIMATELY 1,450 DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS - FOOD PANTRIES, SOUP KITCHENS, SHELTERS, SCHOOLS, AND OTHERS - ACROSS 21 COUNTIES AND BALTIMORE CITY. THEY ARE ON THE GROUND, GETTING FOOD DIRECTLY INTO THE HANDS OF THOSE WHO NEED IT MOST. NOBODY KNOWS THEIR COMMUNITIES BETTER, AND ITS BECAUSE OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS THAT MFB IS ABLE TO REACH SO MANY HUNGRY MARYLANDERS. WEEKLY CALLS WERE ALSO LAUNCHED IN TANDEM WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES (DHS) OFFICE OF EMERGENCY OPERATIONS TO THESE NETWORK PARTNERS, LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL, NONPROFITS, AND OTHER STATE AGENCIES THAT BEGAN WITH ONE SIMPLE MESSAGE: "AS PART OF THE FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN, YOU ARE ESSENTIAL. PLEASE STAY OPEN AND STAY OPERATIONAL. AND WE WILL HELP YOU TO DISTRIBUTE FOOD SAFELY." THAT FIRST CALL WITH OVER 400 PARTICIPANTS SOON BECAME A BI-WEEKLY WEBINAR, WHERE INFORMATION, TRAININGS, BEST PRACTICES, SAFETY INFORMATION, FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES, AND MORE WERE SHARED WITH HUNDREDS OF LISTENERS STATEWIDE. IN ADDITION, MFB ESTABLISHED CLOSE TO 200 TEMPORARY PARTNERSHIPS IN PLACES WHERE PARTNERS HAD TO CLOSE THEIR DOORS, COMMUNITIES THAT WERE UNDERSERVED, OR IN SOME CASES, AREAS THAT WERE HIT PARTICULARLY HARD AND NEEDED INCREASED SERVICE. THESE PARTNERSHIPS, ALONG WITH MFB'S EXISTING NETWORK, HELPED EXPAND OUR ABILITY TO DISTRIBUTE FOOD QUICKLY IN A SAFE, CONTACTLESS WAY TO THOSE WHO NEEDED IT MOST.MFB PARTNERS HOSTED 1,055 "DRIVE THRU" PANTRY ON THE GO EVENTS FROM MARCH 1 THROUGH JUNE 30, 2020, A 126% INCREASE OVER POTG EVENTS HELD DURING THE SAME TIME LAST YEAR. SINCE MARCH OF 2020, MFB HAS REMAINED COMMITTED TO ENSURING THERE WAS ENOUGH FOOD AVAILABLE FOR OUR DISTRIBUTION PARTNERS USING FUNDING FROM PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SOURCES TO PURCHASE FOOD AND DISTRIBUTE IT AT NO COST ACROSS MARYLAND. THIS CRITICAL RESOURCE HAS MADE THE DIFFERENCE FOR MANY FOOD PANTRIES AND FEEDING PROGRAMS WHO TELL US THAT WITHOUT ACCESS TO FOOD FROM MFB, THEY WOULD HAVE CLOSED THEIR DOORS. WITH THE HELP OF OUR STATEWIDE NETWORK OF COMMUNITY PARTNERS, MORE THAN 19.2M POUNDS OF FOOD WERE DISTRIBUTED FROM MARCH 1 TO JUNE 30, 2020, AN 85% INCREASE OVER LAST YEAR'S DISTRIBUTION RATE DURING THE SAME PERIOD.AT THE SAME TIME, THE QUESTION OF HOW TO EXPAND FOOD ACCESS TO HUNGRY MARYLANDERS EMERGED QUICKLY INSIDE OUR CHARLES T. BAUER COMMUNITY KITCHEN, WHERE MEALS ARE PREPARED DAILY FOR CHILDREN IN AFTER-SCHOOL AND SUMMER PROGRAMS. TYPICALLY, MFB'S MEALS ARE SERVED "FAMILY STYLE," WHICH OFFERS TREMENDOUS BENEFITS BUT IS NOT SAFE ENOUGH DURING A PANDEMIC. THE FOODWORKS TEAM KNEW THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO BEGIN PRODUCING INDIVIDUAL GRAB & GO MEALS, BUT GETTING THERE TOOK LEADERSHIP, TEAMWORK, AND PATIENCE. ALONG THE WAY, THE ROLE OF VOLUNTEERS IN THE FOODWORKS KITCHEN COMPLETELY CHANGED. TODAY, VOLUNTEERS ARE FILLING CRITICAL ROLES, AND WITHOUT THEM, THE PROGRAM SIMPLY COULDN'T OPERATE. ACROSS CENTRAL MARYLAND, 219,088 GRAB & GO MEALS WERE DISTRIBUTED TO KIDS AND THEIR FAMILIES FROM MARCH 1 TO JUNE 30, 2020.EARLY IN THE PANDEMIC, MFB ALSO RECOGNIZED THAT INDIVIDUALS IN NEED OF CHARITABLE FOOD WOULD NO LONGER BE ABLE TO PERUSE THE SHELVES OF A FOOD PANTRY AND CHOOSE THE ITEMS THEY PREFERRED. IN RESPONSE TO SAFETY PROTOCOLS AND RAPIDLY RISING DEMAND, MANY FOOD BANKS INCLUDING MFB QUICKLY RETURNED TO AN OLD IDEA: PRE-BOXING FOOD. IN EARLY APRIL, MFB'S "BACK UP BOX" WAS BORN. AFFECTIONATELY DUBBED "BUB," EACH BACK UP BOX PROVIDES 30-POUNDS OF SHELF-STABLE FOOD THAT CAN SAFELY AND EASILY BE TRANSPORTED, STORED, AND DISTRIBUTED WHERE THE NEED IS GREATEST. WITHIN THREE WEEKS, THE FOOD BANK STOOD UP A NEW "BUB" PRODUCTION FACILITY, STAFFED WITH 30 TEMPORARY WORKERS WHO HAD RECENTLY LOST THEIR JOBS IN LOCAL RESTAURANTS OR THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY. APPROXIMATELY 106,155 BACK UP BOXES WERE DISTRIBUTED ACROSS THE STATE BETWEEN MARCH 1 AND JUNE 30, 2020.IN ADDITION TO MFB'S INCREDIBLY STRONG FOOD ASSISTANCE NETWORK, THE FEDERALLY FUNDED SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (SNAP) IS AN IMPORTANT COMPLEMENTARY PROGRAM FOR FOOD-INSECURE MARYLANDERS.BECAUSE MANY PEOPLE ARE UNSURE OF HOW TO APPLY OR IF THEY EVEN QUALIFY FOR SNAP ASSISTANCE, MFB'S SNAP OUTREACH PROGRAM PROVIDES THE RESOURCES AND INFORMATION NECESSARY TO HELP LOW-INCOME INDIVIDUALS RECEIVE THESE FEDERAL BENEFITS. DUE TO THE INCREASED NEED FOR FOOD ASSISTANCE AS A RESULT OF COVID-19, MFB'S SNAP OUTREACH TEAM EXPANDED THEIR REACH FURTHER THAN EVER TO HELP MARYLANDERS APPLY FOR SNAP BENEFITS. IN FY20, APPROXIMATELY 1,336 SNAP APPLICATIONS WERE SUBMITTED WITH THE HELP OF MFB'S SNAP OUTREACH TEAM.IN THE LAST QUARTER OF FY20, THE FOOD BANK RECEIVED 962% MORE IN PHILANTHROPIC REVENUE THAN IT HAD DURING THE SAME TIMEFRAME THE YEAR BEFORE. AND, AS A RESULT OF STRONG RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE STATE AS WELL AS LOCAL JURISDICTIONS, MFB WAS ALSO THE BENEFICIARY OF FEDERAL RELIEF DOLLARS WITH APPROPRIATE RESTRICTIONS AND TIMELINES TO PROVIDE AN EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD TO THE 22 JURISDICTIONS WE SERVE.WE MOVED QUICKLY TO DEPLOY THOSE RESOURCES, SPENDING OVER $8 MILLION ON FOOD PURCHASES BETWEEN MARCH AND JUNE (A 400% INCREASE), BUT DOING MORE DURING THE INITIAL STAGES WAS SIMPLY NOT AN OPTION. WHILE QUARANTINES AND STAY-AT-HOME ORDERS HELPED MARYLAND TO STAY SAFE, THE FOOD ECONOMY COLLAPSED. RESTAURANTS CLOSED, AND THE FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN BROKE. QUITE SIMPLY, THERE WAS NO FOOD TO BUY. SO, UNLIKE OTHER YEARS, THE FOOD BANK ENDED FY20 WITH A SIGNIFICANT CASH BALANCE.(SEE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BELOW ON PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS.)

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