Almost a year ago now, Beth Tfiloh students and teachers, along with most people in the world, stopped their daily duties-school, work, etc.- and headed home. To no one’s knowledge, we would end up staying home for a long, long, time. However, we are fortunate enough to have these homes to stay at while many homeless people are suffering more than ever during the pandemic.

As my friends and I began adjusting to life during Covid-19, we knew it was time to lend our hands to those in need. The perfect idea came to mind: Bunches of Lunches. A project I have participated in since I was in elementary school, Bunches of Lunches is a community initiative in Baltimore to help feed the homeless and others in need around our city. For years while I attended Krieger Schechter Day School, my classmates and I would drop off bagged lunches in the lobby which would then be distributed to different organizations around the city. Fast forward to this past Spring, I knew Bunches of Lunches would be the perfect project to continue to grow. Not too long after, with the help of friends, teachers, and really the whole community, we began a safe, socially distanced, monthly lunch drop off. Still, we are continuing to make lunches monthly! Since we started ten months ago, we have collected and distributed over 30,000 lunches. I am so proud to say that I could be part of such a meaningful, successful project.

Nonetheless, there’s still more work to do. There is a significant food inequality in our country, and Baltimore is no exception. According to Health Care for the Homeless, in Baltimore

• Nearly 1/2 of residents live below 200% of the federal poverty line
• 1/4 of residents live at or below the federal poverty line
• More than 1/2 of poor residents live in deep poverty, meaning they live at or below 50% of the federal poverty line
• More than 1/3 of children in Baltimore City live in poor households

While these stats are no good, we can still make change. If you’d like to help the community, then please consider donating lunches at our next drop off on March 8^th. You can also check out these resources to learn more and help:

– https://map.feedingamerica.org/county/2017/overall/maryland/county/baltimore-city

–https://jvcbaltimore.org/lunches/

–https://mdfoodbank.org/hunger-in-maryland/