OEM: Food distribution expanding and overdose outreach targeted to hot spots in Wards 5 and 7
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Summary
Annapolis Office of Emergency Management reported weekly Food Friday distributions, neighborhood overdose statistics for 2024, and plans for cooling centers during heat events.
Kevin Simmons, emergency manager for the City of Annapolis, told the committee the city's Food Friday program distributes roughly 300 boxes per week and supports about 890 residents experiencing food insecurity; staffing and location adjustments have been made for the summer.
"We distribute approximately about 300 boxes of food every week to support 890 Annapolitans facing food insecurity," Simmons said, adding the program temporarily moved distribution to Eastport Firehouse during summer programming.
Simmons gave ward-level summaries for substance-use overdoses in 2024. He said Wards 5 and 7 each had two documented overdoses in 2024, figures he described as "tied for the lowest" since the city began systematic recording in 2015. He cautioned those are documented cases and that unreported incidents are possible.
The emergency manager described how the city uses overdoses mapped by location to target outreach. "We log with this heat map in red all the 2023 overdoses... and then we flood those areas with outreach," Simmons said, describing coordinated response with NAM and the health department when spikes occur.
On heat response, Simmons summarized the city's Heat Emergency Action Plan and said cooling centers open for multi-day high-heat events. He said the city opened centers twice this season and planned to open them again when the heat index approached 105 (or earlier for consecutive high‑temperature days). "We have cooling centers... Pitt Moyer, the senior center, and the American Legion," he said, noting the library was temporarily without air conditioning.
Why it matters: The Food Friday program and targeted overdose outreach affect vulnerable residents, including seniors and children in Wards 5 and 7. Simmons provided breakdowns showing Ward 7 has a higher share of the program's recipients this summer; he also said the city is coordinating with local pantries to avoid duplication of effort.
What was not decided: No new funding or formal policy change was adopted at the meeting. Simmons said staff are working to coordinate partners and will continue outreach planning.
Ending: The OEM will continue weekly food distributions, coordinate overdose outreach in hot-spot areas and activate cooling centers during extreme heat; Simmons encouraged participation in strategic outreach and use of public surveys and partnerships with community pantries.
