Bel Air Realtors, Neighbors Donate To Food Banks

BEL AIR, MD — A Bel Air Realtor donated more than 60 bags of food to this week to local churches for their food banks. The donation drive was a community effort, with about 20 Realtors from her office donating as well as 25 families who are her neighbors in Majors Choice.

"Since my husband and I are Realtors who serve the local community daily we wanted to do something to help people in need," Kathryn Rash of the Long and Foster Bel Air central office told Patch.

The donations went to St. Margaret Parish and Bel Air United Methodist Church food banks.

"We are collecting nonperishable food items to replenish the local pantries," Nina Heck, director of outreach for St. Margaret, said. "Our parishioners are exceptional when it comes to supporting those in need and since we do not have a food pantry we felt we could help others during this time. So far the outpouring has been tremendous."

St. Margaret of Bel Air gives once a week to Our Daily Bread in Baltimore, where Heck said the need for casseroles has increased to almost 1,000 per day. The parish has also donated hams, turkeys and large quantities of snacks for food boxes that the hot meal program shares with its fellow Catholic Charities-sponsored initiative Christopher Place Employment Academy.

At Bel Air United Methodist, the church gives out food and other groceries the third Friday and third Saturday of each month for about 250 to 350 families in need, in partnership with Luna's House, the Maryland Food Bank and Harford Community Action Agency.

Since the new coronavirus hit, the Maryland Food Bank reports it has seen a 23 percent increase in demand, while only 65 percent of its distribution partners in central Maryland are remaining open.

Kathryn and George Rash along with their daughters Lindsey and Emma helped collect food items from their colleagues and neighbors "to help people who need food due to hardship from COVID-19," Kathryn Rash said in an email to Patch this week. "It is our pleasure to serve the community."

She said she wanted to extend a "thank you" to all those who contributed and let the public know about an effort to give that is coming up.

Another food drive is in the works, Rash said, for May 14 and May 15. If interested in donating food, people may reach her at 410-459-5137.