Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Provides $50K Donation To Md. Food Bank

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- There are estimates that over 360,000 people around Baltimore are food insecure, meaning they don't know where their next meal is coming from.

As Mike Schuh reports, a church picked up on an idea by the governor to help alleviate the problem. This year's "Day To Serve" was on October 10th.

Much of the 5 million pounds of food coming into the Maryland Food Bank arrives in large semis, so it's not unusual to see one at the loading dock.

But a semi that just arrived from Utah? That is a little more rare. But it came from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and was paid for by local church members.

"So this is 40,000 pounds of food, it comes from donations from our members of our church and it's packaged in Salt Lake, there's a distribution center there, and the truck was loaded and packed up and driven out here to provide this donation," says Elder Kevin Calderwood.

In all, between the food and the shipping costs, $50,000 was donated.

And while random things that come in from food drives and collections is always welcome, pallets and pallets of the same product -- like peaches or pasta -- help in a different way.

"Well, we don't have to sort it," says Nancy Smith, of the Maryland Food Bank. "We know what we're getting. This is... highly sought after food. Forty thousand pounds in one that is shrink wrapped of highly sought after food is like gold to us."

Church members collected the money as part of Governor Hogan's Day of Service Initiative. His wife was at the food bank to say thanks. As the youngest of eight children, she remembers when food was scarce in her childhood.

"In countryside, poor, and after Korean War, I know how much food is important for people," says Yumi Hogan. "So this is a tremendous donation."

As large as the donation is, they say it will have all been distributed within a week.

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