Howard County Executive Calvin Ball Launches Impactful ‘Pocket Pantry’ Partnership

ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Calvin Ball recently joined the Community Action Council of Howard County (CAC) and local non-profit partners at the Rachell L. Gray (RLG) Community Foundation, Inc., to announce the launch of a new Community Refrigerator Program, dubbed ‘Pocket Pantries.’

Made possible through a partnership between the County’s Office of Agriculture, CAC and community-based non-profits, three Pocket Pantry locations now offer residents in need free perishable and non-perishable food items, 24/7, no questions asked. Photos from the event can be found on Howard County Government’s Flickr website.

According to a 2024 study, roughly one in five Howard County residents experienced food insecurity. In the midst of the longest federal government shutdown in history, the uncertainty of SNAP benefits, and compounded by the rising costs from the grocery store to housing and energy, the ‘Pocket Pantry’ program will help residents of all backgrounds struggling to put food on their tables.

Through this program, CAC partnered with three local non-profits: Columbia Community Care, RLG Community Foundation, Inc., and Glenelg United Methodist Church, to stock and manage the Pocket Pantries at the following locations:

1. Long Reach Village Center, 8775 Cloudleap Court, Columbia (sponsored by Columbia Community Care)
2. Elkridge Christian Community Church, 6327 Meadowridge Road, Elkridge (sponsored by RLG Community Foundation, Inc.)
3. Heritage Realty Services, 15950 North Avenue, Lisbon (sponsored by Glenelg United Methodist Church)

The County’s Office of Agriculture and the CAC will also assist the three local non-profit sponsors with providing food to stock the fridges, as needed.

“I am proud that the Office of Agriculture and the Roving Radish Program were able to collaborate with great organizations like the Community Action Council of Howard County, the County’s Department of Community Resources and Services, Rachell L. Gray Community Foundation, Inc., Columbia Community Cares, and Glenelg United Methodist Church to create the Pocket Pantry. This is another step in the right direction to ensure all our residents have access to food,” said James Zoller, Administrator, Office of Agriculture.

The goal of the ’Pocket Pantry’ Program is to contribute to family and community wellness by reducing food waste, increasing food access, building community, promoting dignity and choice, and encouraging community sustainability. 

Here’s what others are saying about the ‘Pocket Pantry’ Program:

• Erika Chavarria, Founder, Columbia Community Care – “Columbia Community Care is thrilled to team up with the Howard County Food Bank, Roving Radish, DCRS, the RLG Community Foundation, and Glenelg United Methodist Church to launch and sustain community refrigerators that will remain stocked with nutritious food for families in need. This collaboration is another powerful step toward ending hunger in our county and demonstrates what’s possible when organizations come together with a shared commitment to ensuring that every neighbor, friend, and family has what they need to thrive.”
• Roslyn Jones, CEO, RLG Community Foundation, Inc. – “This opportunity represents more than just a partnership, it embodies a shared commitment to compassion, equity, and access for those in need. Together, we are not only feeding people, we are strengthening the fabric of our community.”
• Lisette Dorsey, Food Ministry Volunteer, Glenelg United Methodist Church – “Adopting a community refrigerator in Lisbon directly reflects the mission of the Feeding Ministry of Glenelg United Methodist Church, providing food to whoever needs it in our area. By maintaining and supporting this shared resource, we extend our ministry beyond the walls of the church and into the heart of the community.”

In addition to sponsoring a Pocket Pantry, Columbia Community Care, RLG Community Foundation, Inc., and Glenelg United Methodist Church also offer several programs to help residents in need address food insecurity in the community. 

• Open every Saturday from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Wilde Lake, Long Reach, Oakland Mills Columbia Community Care’s food pantries are open to any person who requests help, no questions asked. In addition, its grocery delivery service reaches those who are unable to visit its in-person distribution events.
• In addition to its Monthly Food Pantry and Youth Summer Meal Program, RLG Community Foundation, Inc. provides free produce distribution and holiday meals for Thanksgiving and Christmas. 
• Glenelg United Methodist Church’s Feeding Ministries sponsors:
  • Park-It-Market – Provides food outreach to families who are food insecure; visit Lisbon Elementary School once a month.
  • In-Church Food Pantry – On the 3rd Saturday of each month food insecure families come to GUMC to food shop.
  • Food Bags – Volunteers fill bags of food each month or as needed to support in-school pantry and family needs. 
  • Grassroots Meals – Each month, church family provide meals for 60 people who have sought help at the Grassroots Crisis Intervention.

Since taking office, Ball’s administration has worked aggressively to expand access to healthy food to residents around the community, especially amid the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history and the recent suspension Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. This includes:

• The County hosted a food collection drive on Saturday, November 1st, which resulted in more than 5,000 pounds of non-perishable food donations donated by roughly 1,600 county residents and County employees. This food has and will continue to be distributed over the coming weeks through community-based partners to help the 21,000 Howard County residents eligible for SNAP benefits, as well as others that are struggling to put food on their tables.
• Through its Howard County Food Bank, the CAC has extended its food assistance programs to include federal employees – who make up roughly 11 percent of county residents, impacted by this protracted government shutdown.
• Ball recently helped break ground on CAC’s new Route One Corridor Campus. The Campus features CAC’s new flagship Food Bank facility, which is nearly double the size of its Columbia counterpart, offers a client choice shopping experience found at local grocery stores, and features an excess food storage area.
• Through the County’s innovative Roving Radish meal kit and produce sales, the Office of Agriculture is bringing healthy, locally sourced food to the community. Since 2019, the Roving Radish has distributed 56,974 ready-to-cook meal kits, of which 21,668 were subsidized for people in financial need. In the last year alone, the Roving Radish served 710 students and their families through a new partnership with Howard County Public School System, where students in need received gift cards to purchase fresh produce and protein from the Roving Radish Mobile Marketplace and Marketplace at Long Reach Village Center.
• The County’s Department of Community Resources and Services’: 
  • "Let’s Do Lunch” meal program provides seniors with a free hot meal and connection to community at the department’s 50+ centers; 
  • Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program allows income-eligible 60+ year olds to access free local produce at Howard County’s weekly farmers markets; and
  • Through a partnership with Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland, delivers prepared meals to those in need.