By Chay Masagca
EBC Washington D.C. Bureau
(Eagle News) — Prince George’s County in Maryland recently wrapped up its five-day food drive to feed 500 families in the county. Dubbed as Stuff-A-Truck 2019, the drive kicked off last November 4, 2019, at Wayne K. Curry Building in Largo, Maryland .
An 18-wheeler truck served as a rolling depository of non-perishable food and other items donated by various donors. Smaller trailers were used to collect the donated items from different drop-off locations including sites in Laurel and Clinton, Maryland.
The truck made its final stop at the Sanctuary of Kingdom Square in Upper Marlboro where some local elected officials attended to officially close the event.
The drive aims to feed 500 needy families in the county as identified by the Department of Social Services and other government agencies concerned. It also aims to restock the county’s food banks and food pantries.
“This initiative provides an opportunity for the Prince George’s County community to come together in an effort to provide for vulnerable families,” said Euniesha Davis, Director of the Office of Community Relations of Prince George’s County.
Contributors include the Clerk’s Office of the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County and county employees who heed the call “to do some good” before going to work, dropping-off their donations as they head to their respective jobs.
Business enterprises in the county also gave large donations and served as drop-off points to afford facility at the donors end. The effort to restock the local food warehouse is underway also as preliminaries for the county’s yearly Public Safety Food Basket Program happening next month set to benefit 2,500 families. Beneficiaries of the program include those displaced by disasters such as home fires within the county.
Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks expressed pride and joy on the outcome of the project.
“I am Prince George’s Proud that we filled our entire 18-wheeler truck for this year’s Stuff-A-Truck program,” said Alsobrooks. “Through our collective efforts, we have shown that Prince Georgians take care of our own and are Proud To Give Back. Most importantly, we are ensuring that we take care of all our families in need during the holiday season.”
“Proud ” is the county’s often used watchword.
Stuff-A-Truck started in 2014 under the Transforming Neighborhood Initiative (TNI) of the previous county administration in an effort to uplift the community. The collaboration of the Office of Community Relations extended the effort’s reach and is now county-wide.
The annual food drive takes place early November and serves as the county’s way of helping the residents , especially the disadvantaged, to prepare for Thanksgiving Day , a tradition observed every fourth Thursday of November in United States.
“We are currently working on sorting all of our donations and filling any gaps. Our families will receive their Thanksgiving Basket early next week,” said Davis.
Prince George’s County is still accepting donations for its food basket program.
(Eagle News Service)