"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.." - Matthew 25:35

Local vacation bible schools practiced what they preached, as many local schools collected food and distributed it to SPAN during their week-long sessions.

Particularly noteworthy were the contributions of Our Shepherd Lutheran Church's VBS, who dedicated a different goal to each day of the week. Monday was breakfast day, etc. We are so grateful for all your gifts!

On Monday, August 20, we saw a wonderful display of local businesses collaborating to help local children in need as the start of school approaches. The brainchild of Theresa Kurtz - Realtor at Re/Max One, the plan was simple: to provide free haircuts and backpacks full of school supplies to some kids who would have a tough time affording it on their own. Fabu' Salon & Spa, under the thoughtful leadership of Jean-Marie, Stylist at Fabu' Salon & Spa, decided to donate a Monday - a day they are usually closed - to providing free haircuts to 48 children, whose names SPAN provided. Eight stylists donated their time! They also collected backpacks and school supplies for 100. The remainder of the backpacks went to students at the Cisco Center.

Those who helped, by either collecting school supplies, donating cash, or both were: The Cottage, Severna Park Family Chiropractic, Garry's Grill & Catering, Bulldog Bikes and Floats, Shauna Lodowski Talbot, Lee Talbot - State Farm Insurance Agent, and many others!

We were allowed to sit ringside at Fabu as these kids were treated like royalty, with drinks, cupcakes, balloons, candy, and a lot of pampering. It was heartwarming! Following are some of the photos we captured...

Thank you to Andrea Granquist Eichenlaub and SPRFC for highlighting SPAN in their Shop Local event last week. They collected and donated an entire carload of food to us for our neighbors in need!

What a tremendous turnout there was at the Shop Local Fun Festival on August 18! Thanks to the Greater Severna Park & Arnold Chamber of Commerce and all on the committee who worked so hard to make it happen. SPAN raised over $150 in cash, plus collected six bags stuffed with food and some school supplies. We got a $100 donation from Kwon's Tae Kwon Do! We also were given three cases of fruit by 1430 WNAV, courtesy of Green Valley Marketplace. Most importantly, we were able to spread the word about SPAN to people who had not heard of us. Thanks for giving us an interview, WNAV, and thanks, organizers, for allowing us to make a short speech at the event!

We all have angels in our everyday lives, and one of them just blessed SPAN with a wonderful gift. This anonymous donor gave SPAN $5,000, and asked us to use the money for special needs that do not fall under our regular parameters. This is the same anonymous donor that gave us another $5,000 grant last fall, with which we were able to help a grieving father pay for his daughter's funeral, a landscaper get his truck fixed so he could continue to work, and a breast-cancer patient pay for unexpected expenses. Thank you, dear donor, you are much appreciated! 

Hats off to Theresa Kurtz - Realtor at Re/Max One for organizing an amazing back-to-school event to benefit those in need in our community! Fabu' Salon & Spa will be giving free haircuts and backpacks full of school supplies to our clients on August 20. SPAN will serve as a drop-off point for school supplies. You can bring them by during our office hours (M-Th 10-2) or 24/7 in our bin behind our building. Other drop-off points are Fabu', The Cottage, Severna Park Chiropractic, and Garry's Grill. For those who drop off at Fabu' Salon, you will receive a coupon for 25% off your next retail purchase.

The Curtis family of Carrollton Manor has three dedicated Scouts: Kellen Curtis is with Boy Scout Troop 857, Cian Curtis is with Boy Scout Troop 855, and Shannon Curtis is with Girl Scout Troop 10178. They wanted a project where they could do some good for their community, so they decided to do a Carrollton Manor food drive. We couldn't believe how much food they collected! They dropped off more than 30 bags and boxes filled with food, toiletries, and baby supplies, plus $47 in cash! Thank you for your generosity!

What a fantastic time we had at the Greater Severna Park & Arnold Chamber of Commerce Fourth of July Parade yesterday! We collected four shopping carts full of food, and $685 in donations from spectators! In addition to our two directors, thanks to SPAN President Ted Florenz and volunteer Barbara Troxel for braving the heat to march with us. Thanks to Benfield Safeway and manager Brian Dowling for loaning us four shopping carts and donating a dozen balloons. Thanks also to the energetic and thoughtful youth from the Chartwell Young Leaders group - led by Marci Flynn - and Kate and Travis Peterson for leading our group with their decorated Jeep! Thanks also to the parents of these fine youth who marched alongside us. Thanks also to the Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church Praise Band, led by Sarah Kent, for introducing the SPAN group and letting folks know about our collection. Following are the youth from Chartwell Young Leaders who helped us in the Parade:

Summer is here at SPAN! And what could be a better way to celebrate its arrival than with fresh squash! Many thanks to Our Shepherd Lutheran Church and to Kenny's Produce in Millersville for donating these amazing specimens, which will surely be appreciated by our clients!

Congratulations to Steve and Linda Zahn for winning our latest online auction! Their basket is filled with goodies generously donated by Severna Park Golf Center, Dawson's Liquors, Garry's Grill & Catering, and more!

SPAN is sad to announce the passing of Board member and long-time volunteer Johanna "Joie" Myers. A service of Witness to the Resurrection for Joie Myers will be held on Monday, June 4, 2018, at 1:00 PM, in the sanctuary of Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church, 611 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd., Severna Park, MD. A reception will follow in Fellowship Hall.

Joie will be missed by her SPAN family, and will be kept in our prayers.

Many thanks to St. Martins-In-The-Field Episcopal Church for their generous donation to SPAN. Pictured are Larry Sells, Pastor Matthew Hanisian and SPAN Board Member Kathy Berge.

Meet Leo and Remy Syms, ages 4 and 2. They just had a combined birthday party for which they asked their guests to bring apples to donate to SPAN instead of birthday gifts. We like the way you think boys! Special thanks also, to their mother, Chelsea, for reinforcing these good values! 

Our first Online Auction was for wine and chocolates, just in time for Mother's Day, generously donated by Goska's Liquors and Coco Couture.

The winning bid was $50, which will be put into SPAN's general fund. Thanks to all who participated. 

If you'd like to donate an item for a future auction, please email us at [email protected].

Welcome to our newest partner church, Hope Springs Community Church of Arnold, and pastor Paul Raddin. We are very happy to have you as part of our family! Check out their website here: http://hopespringscommunitychurch.org/

We had the pleasure of receiving a visit from the lovely and smart Daisies of Troop 1264 from Oak Hill Elementary School. They loaded us up with donations and then took a tour of our SPAN house. Thank you very much to the leaders for facilitating this visit!

Cub Scout Pack 918 from Oak Hill Elementary School participated in the annual Scouting for Food event on March 24, and delivered all the food they collected to SPAN! Thanks to all who helped!

Many Easter meal baskets were donated so SPAN families could have a nice Easter dinner. They included $25 grocery meal cards, basic food, decorative napkins, egg-dying kits, stuffed animals and candy for the kids. Thanks to all of our generous donors and member churches who participated!

Brooklyn Community United Methodist Church of Brooklyn Park is our newest member church. We welcome the congregation, as well as its leader, Pastor Kimberly Brown-Whale. Besides becoming a voting member of SPAN's board, BCUMC members will also be eligible for SPAN's "primary area" benefits for food and financial assistance.

Congratulations to the two "winning" neighborhoods from the S(o)uper Bowl Neighborhood Food Drive: Shipley's Choice, with co-captains Desiree and Brent Mancha; and Park Ridge, with team captain Kristie Kinslow. Thirty-eight Severna Park neighborhoods donated over 8,000 items to SPAN and Asbury Church Assistance Network on Super Bowl day. We consider them all winners! Thanks to all who participated, and thanks also to Julie Shay, director of Good Neighbors Group, for organizing this amazing event! Awards were presented at a fundraising dinner for GNG at Cafe Mezzanotte on February 27.

On February 4, 2018, we experienced the magic that is community. As 38 local neighborhoods collaborated to fill SPAN's and Asbury Church Assistance Network's pantries, we saw the goodness and generosity that makes our little corner of Maryland such a wonderful place to live! Thank you Julie Shay and Good Neighbors Group for organizing the S(o)uper Bowl Neighborhood Food Drive that will feed our neighbors in need for many weeks to come! And thank you to all the neighborhood captains who showed up in the pouring rain for this cause. 

Sharon Tegler visited SPAN during the Holiday Caring distribution event in December, and wrote a wonderful article. Read it here:

http://www.capitalgazette.com/neighborhoods/ac-cm-around-the-park-1214-story.html