Mobile Food Market
Hunger for Health Initiatives
Blessings in a Backpack
The LindaBen Foundation has added Prince George’s County in addition to Howard County in its partnership with Blessings in a Backpack!
The Blessings in a Backpack program provides essential food every Friday to children who may otherwise go hungry over the weekend. Schools provide food to kids regularly throughout the week, but what happens when they go home on the weekend? That’s where Blessings comes in.
In Prince George’s County, we plan to feed kids at Beacon Heights and Cooper Lane Elementary Schools. In Howard County, we plan to feed kids at Laurel Woods Elementary, Harper’s Choice Middle School, and Longfellow Elementary. There are a significant number of food-insecure students at these schools, those are kids who might not know where their next meal will come from.
In fact, 86% of the students in those Prince George’s County schools require free or reduced lunches, and 839 of the 1,631 students across the three schools in Howard County are food-insecure. That’s 51.4%! Thankfully, through Blessings in a Backpack LindaBen HoCo, you can provide kids the nutrition they need to grow, learn, thrive, and to be a kid.
The organization provides more than 3 million hunger-free weekends to students in more than 1,000 schools, throughout 45 states and the District of Columbia. Blessings in a Backpack is a national organization, but each local program is responsible for raising its own funds, budgeting accordingly, and delivering food to identified children each week.
The Blessings in a Backpack program powered by the LindaBen Foundation in Howard County feeds 75 kids every Friday of the school year. Over the course of one year, we provide more than 2,600 hunger-free weekends to food-insecure kids at Laurel Woods Elementary (LWES), Harper’s Choice Middle School (HCMS), and Longfellow Elementary (LES).
Thank you in advance for supporting our kids. If you have any questions about how we feed kids in our community, please reach out to Annabelle Beavan at abeavan@lindabenfoundation.org. Just $130 feeds a child every weekend for an entire school year! Every donation has a major impact and is always appreciated. Please note all donations are tax-exempt.
Our Mission
Blessings in a Backpack mobilizes communities, individuals, and resources to provide food on the weekends for school-aged children across America who might otherwise go hungry.
Our Vision
Every school-aged child in America has the nourishment needed to learn and grow. As a leader in the movement to end childhood hunger, Blessings in a Backpack strives to ensure children do not go hungry on the weekends by empowering individuals and communities to take action.
Our Impact
Blessings in a Backpack has partnered with Quaker Oats and Ipsos, a leading global market research company, on a national evaluation project that measures program impact on a deeper level than bags and pounds of food distributed. This project involved various Blessings’ stakeholders, such as children and teachers, in the evaluation process. Surveys found that, in addition to no longer feeling weekend hunger pangs, children fed by Blessings experience the following impact on their lives:
- 78% of kids feel cared for by their community.
- 71% of kids feel that Blessings is helping their family.
- 60% of kids have fewer behavioral issues.
- 60% of children report that their school attendance is better.
- 59% find it is easier to learn at school
Our Story – How One Little Apple Started Something Big
In 2005, Missy Hammerstrom was volunteering and eating lunch with the kids at an elementary school in Louisville, Kentucky, when a little girl asked if she could have Missy’s apple. Missy asked why. The girl said she wanted to take the apple home so she would have something to eat over the weekend.
Missy, inspired to prevent childhood hunger on the weekends, teamed up with community leaders to start the first Blessings in a Backpack program at Roosevelt Perry Elementary School in Louisville. The program quickly grew throughout the city and commonwealth of Kentucky.
In December 2008, Blessings in a Backpack opened its first program outside of Kentucky and became a national 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Since then, Blessings in a Backpack has provided 23.5 million hunger-free weekends (bags of food) for more than 838,600 kids nationwide! Factor in dedicated volunteers, partners, and staff, and over 1 million lives have been impacted by our mission… and counting!
Click Here if here and contact us to get involved with Blessings in a Backpack – LindaBen HoCo.
Giving Tuesday: Save The Date
Save the date for #GivingTuesday on November 29. This year, we are sharing donors’ impact on kids’ lives by extending the season of thanks through Giving Tuesday! Together we give hunger-free weekends. For the time leading up to Giving Tuesday, we will highlight stories and thank you notes that real Blessings kids have shared with us. There is no better way to tell a donor they have made a difference than to hear it directly from the mouth of a Blessings child.
Bloomin’ 4 Good Program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: LindaBen Foundation, Anna Beavan (240-461-9442), abeavan@lindabenfoundation.org
LINDABEN Celebrates Selection as a Giant Food Bloomin’ 4 Good Program Beneficiary
Clarksville, Maryland – LINDABEN has been selected as a beneficiary of the Giant Food Bloomin’ 4 Good Program for the month of December.
The Giant Food Bloomin’ 4 Good Program, which launched in July 2021, is an easy way for shoppers to give back. Every Bloomin’ 4 Good Bouquet with the purple hanging tag sold supports a nonprofit organization local to the Giant Food in which it was purchased.
LindaBen Foundation was selected as the December beneficiary by local store leadership at the Giant Food located at Daybreak Circle, Clarksville, Maryland. LindaBen Foundation will receive a $1 donation for every Bloomin’ 4 Good Bouquet purchased at this Giant Food location in December.
“Flowers can make someone’s day, brighten a room or spread a smile,” said Anna Beavan, Executive Director of LindaBen Foundation. “Now they can give back to our local communities, too. Purchase a Bloomin’ 4 Good Bouquet at River Hill Village Center Giant Food in December to help our organization support ours better.”
LindaBen Foundation is a nonprofit based in Columbia, Maryland. Founded in 2020, LindaBen Foundation has been helping local communities through our Blessings in Backpack, Food Recovery, Community Pantry, Health Disparities-Food Security-Nutrition Advocacy campaigns. Learn more about LindaBen Foundation by visiting www.LindaBenfoundation.org.
For more information about the Giant Food Bloomin’ 4 Good Program, please visit giantfood.2givelocal.com.
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN COLUMBIA, MD…
COUNTY RECEIVES GRANT FOR EQUALITY IN HEALTH
The Howard County Health Department has been given a grant worth $463,369 to combat health disparities in the region.
The money was granted from the US Department of Health and Human Services at the CDC, and from the Maryland Health Department. Cities such as Columbia will benefit from this grant, which will be used to deal with health disparities caused by long-term illnesses.
Howard County’s health indicators are generally strong, although certain inequalities do exist. The funding will go towards helping the residents become healthier or stay healthy. Calvin Ball, Howard County’s Executive, stated:
“We are constantly working to improve the health of our neighbors, family, and friends here in Howard County and this funding is an important tool to keep us moving forward. We look forward to working collaboratively with our partners to ensure the health and wellbeing of our residents.”
The Local Health Department Health Disparities Funding Opportunity gives the county’s health department the chance to fund two different grant categories. The first category is for the identification and recruitment of up to 40 leaders in the community who will be tasked with creating a network of community health workers (CHWs). The second grant category is for funding local organizations that will provide support to the CHWs. Organizations interested in applying for these grants should do so through the county’s website.
CHWs help patients deal with issues such as mental health, diabetes, and heart disease, and may list these areas of expertise on their résumés and business cards.
Published by Minuteman Press, August 5, 2022 (Link)
Capital Area Food Bank & TEFAP
Lindaben has partnered with the Capital Area Food Bank to help The Emergency Assistance Food Program (TEFAF), a federal program that helps supplement the diets of low-income Americans with emergency food assistance at no cost. USDA provides 100% American-grown USDA Foods and administrative funds to states to operate TEFAP.
Community Pantry Food Distribution and Location Schedule**
** Home Delivery is provided based on emergency need, please contact us for special accommodations:
info@lindabenfoundation.org
3:00 – 5:00 PM
2nd & 4th Tuesdays each Month
Word of Faith Church (Google Maps)
6001 66th Avenue
Riverdale, MD
Food & Diapers Distribution
Open to the Public
11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
4th Wednesday each Month
New Carrollton Municipal (Google Maps)
6016 Princess Garden Pkwy
New Carrollton, MD
Food Distribution
Resources
- TEFAP Assistance and Disclosure Application: English Spanish
- LINDABEN – TEFAP Maryland Self Disclosure Form: Click Here
- USDA Justice for All (poster): Click Here
- Look Beyond the Food Date to Waste Less Food: Click Here
A description of the TEFAP process, program, and non-discrimination statement are below. For additional information on participation, eligibility requirements, and TEFAP distributions, please visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s site.
The TEFAP Process
TEFAP operates through the combined efforts of federal, state, local government and non-governmental agencies to reach the individuals in a community who are the most in need. First, each year, all states are assigned a specified dollar amount of TEFAP food to “purchase” according to the number of their unemployed and low-income populations. Then, State Agencies partner with organizations such as the Capital Area Food Bank and its partners to distribute this food to address the needs of citizens. TEFAP, in addition to the other programs offered by the Capital Area Food Bank, helps alleviate food insecurity by being an additional assurance that individuals will not be hungry regardless of their current financial circumstances.
About the Program
The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) was designed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to help supplement the diets of low-income Americans by providing them with emergency food and nutrition assistance at no cost. TEFAP through our sponsoring agency partner (CAFB) provides LindaBen Foundation Community Pantry with high quality, retail-size frozen and dry food products for distribution directly to our vulnerable local communities.
The TEFAP program allows us to increase the amount of food we source. TEFAP items include a wide variety of shelf-stable products, as well as fresh foods such as milk, eggs, and proteins. The program is a vital part of hunger relief in our region and across the nation.
USDA Non-Discrimination Statement
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410
Fax: (202) 690-7442
Email: program.intake@usda.gov
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
HCPSS Partnership
Ellicott City, Maryland — The Howard County Public School System has partnered with the LindaBen Foundation to support students and their families by providing food and housing assistance.
Under the terms of the agreement, the LindaBen Foundation will collaborate with Hammond Middle School and the HCPSS Office of Pupil Personnel Services to support school families facing food scarcity, economic challenges and housing instability by providing non-perishable food items, housing assistance, Thanksgiving meals and holiday gift cards.
The formal partnership agreement was signed by HCPSS Superintendent Michael J. Martirano, Executive Director Program Innovation and Student Well-Being Caroline Walker, Hammond Middle School Principal Aaron Dale and LindaBen Foundation Founder/President Annabelle S. Beavan.
The LindaBen Foundation was founded in 2020 to be a channel of safe haven for the homeless and underserved by uplifting conditions and providing wraparound services. The Foundation empowers those facing challenges to improve their quality of life by building a community where they feel safe, useful and accepted.
The Howard County Public School System’s Partnerships Office has united schools with more than 1,000 businesses and community organizations to enhance the educational experience of Howard County students. Partnerships benefit schools, businesses and the entire community by leveraging the resources of all participants. Partners may commit human or financial resources or other support.
For the latest HCPSS news and information, visit www.hcpss.org.
No Child Goes Hungry (NCGH) Partnership
Lindaben Foundation is very grateful for support we receive from NCGH for the month of March 2021. It was an amazing and pleasant experience dealing with Rev Rasmussen and team. We were impressed by process they introduce to us using Amazon Wishlist. We hope that there will be more blessings and funding that come in NCGH so more families and small grassroots like ours can receive more help.
Lastly, I’d like to share the article that they published featuring our organization. Once again, Thank you so much!!!
Grab & Go Food Distribution
We are so excited to hold our March 22nd Food Distribution at our partner school -Carrollton Elementary School. Thank you to No Child Goes Hungry, Wegmans (Columbia MD), Costco (Costco, Beltsville MD) and UnitedHealthcare for their generous contributions. We are still accepting in-kind or cash donations.
https://cash.app/$LindaBenFoundation
https://lindabenfoundation.org/Donate