Haven Ministries Works with Community Partners to Expand Food Distribution in Northern Queen Anne’s County

STEVENSVILLE, MD – Haven Ministries is partnering with The Judy Center/Queen Anne’s County Public Schools and Chesapeake Multicultural Resource Center to expand its food distribution in northern Queen Anne’s County, specifically in the Sudlersville area.

The Judy Center, which is a Maryland Food Bank distribution partner, has been working with the Emergency Operations Committee in Queen Anne’s County during the pandemic to reach high food insecurity areas in the county with centralized food distribution at the Sudlersville Elementary and Middle Schools and Church Hill Elementary School. Haven Ministries was asked to join forces with partnering agencies and organizations in the northern portion of Queen Anne’s County to assist in the streamlining of food distribution services. A pop-up drive-through food pantry at Sudlersville Park in August reached over 125 families with over 17,000 pounds of food.

“This has been a broad-based community effort. It has a lot of moving parts, but Haven Ministries has a smooth system to handle it all,” comments Elizabeth Miller, LCSW-C, Queen Anne’s County Public Schools Program Coordinator. “As we move forward with this location, it will provide for more efficient, effective and equitable food distribution meeting the unmet needs of individuals and families in the northern part of the county.”

According to Krista Pettit, Executive Director of Haven Ministries, the organization is looking to create a more permanent food pantry in Sudlersville in the future to offer individuals greater food options and to minimize food waste.

Haven Ministries is also partnering with Chesapeake Multicultural Resource Center, helping families affected by COVID-19 and who are quarantined to stay at home and recover while food and supplies are delivered to them.

“Haven Ministries has been so generous with our families in Grasonville, Church Hill, Sudlersville, and Queenstown. Every need has been met – including food, diapers, and formula. They have even been supporting families with their utility and rent payments. These families have been so grateful,” states Victoria Gomez Lozano, Hispanic Outreach Coordinator for Chesapeake Multicultural Resource Center.

She adds, “We couldn’t be more thankful for the support they are providing for these families.”

With increased demands for its food pantries and overall services in Queen Anne’s County, Haven Ministries relocated its food pantries from Stevensville and Centreville, along with its Centreville Resource Center, to a new Food Pantry/Resource Center at 206 Del Rhodes Avenue in Queenstown in July. By streamlining its services, the organization is creating a more centralized location to provide services, improving efficiencies for its clients, staff, and volunteers. At the new location, customers can select their own food items once a month and connect to much-needed resources in one location.

The Queenstown Center, including the food pantry and resource center, is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and one day a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Clients must register first by calling 410-827-7194. The Resource Center at the Fisher Manor Housing Development in Grasonville is open on the second Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to noon. The pop-up food pantries in Sudlersville are held monthly. For further information, visit haven-ministries.org.

Love shapes the ministry, love transforms people, and hope prevails at Haven Ministries. Haven Ministries operates a seasonal Homeless Shelter, a Resource Center and Food Pantry at 206 Del Rhodes Avenue in Queenstown, Our Daily Thread Thrift Store in Stevensville, and Hope Warehouse in Queenstown.

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~ Haven Ministries