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Anne Arundel County Food Bank urges council to keep $2.727M in FY27 budget amid rising need
Summary
Leah Haley, CEO of the Anne Arundel County Food Bank, told the council that demand has risen to nearly 52,000 households monthly and asked that the FY27 allocation of $2,727,000 be preserved to maintain fresh and culturally appropriate food distribution.
Leah Haley, chief executive of the Anne Arundel County Food Bank, described rising demand for food assistance and asked the council to maintain the county executive’s FY27 recommended allocation of $2,727,000.
"Our county is affluent, but wealth is clearly unequally distributed among our residents," Haley said, citing that about 33 percent of households are struggling to meet basic monthly expenses and that the food bank served nearly 52,000 households per month—up from about 27,000 in 2019.
Cindy O’Neil and other volunteers and board members echoed Haley’s request, describing the food bank’s distribution network and the role of mobile pantries in reaching neighbors who simultaneously work in the county and still face food insecurity. Speakers also highlighted that the food bank distributed more than 1,000,000 pounds of produce and lean proteins last year.
Haley told the council that preserving the recommended county allocation would help the food bank buy healthier items and sustain mobile pantry services.
The council did not act on the request during the public-comment period; Haley and supporters asked for funding to be retained during budget deliberations.
