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Catonsville food pantry pleads for county support as donations and purchasing power decline
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Summary
Catonsville Emergency Assistance told county officials it serves about 350 households (roughly 700 people) annually and is seeing donations fall while food costs rise; the pantry asked for support to purchase food to meet continuing need.
Caitlin Kirby, executive director of Catonsville Emergency Assistance, told the town hall she runs a community food pantry that serves about 350 households and roughly 700 people a year and asked the county to help with food purchases as donations drop and food costs rise.
Kirby thanked the county executive's office and Councilman Pat Young for recent support and federal funding that helped the pantry expand. She said many clients are working families who meet ALICE (asset-limited, income-constrained, employed) thresholds yet cannot reliably put food on the table. Kirby said donations dropped from about $134,000 two years ago to $106,000 in the prior year, and that rising food costs are reducing purchasing power.
The pantry’s request was recorded as a public budget priority for county staff to consider; no immediate county funding decision was announced at the town hall.
