MTA Riders Donate to MD Food Bank

What’s better than an iced coffee and a sandwich on a hot summer day? That’s exactly what Dunkin’ Donuts and the Maryland Transit Administration were thinking as they came together early Thursday morning to collect food and funds for the Maryland Food Bank outside the Owings Mills Metro Station.

“We’re looking for either nonperishable goods, monetary donations, whatever you can give,” said Jo Greene, the MTA director of communications and marketing, “and in exchange we’ll offer you a nice iced coffee or a sampling of some of the latest Dunkin’ Donuts products.”

Dunkin’ Donuts and the MTA first partnered in 2008 to benefit the Maryland Food Bank. The food bank, founded in 1979, strives to end hunger in Maryland by serving the entire state. According to the MTA website, the Maryland Food Bank supplies food to more than 50,000 Maryland residents each week.

The event was successful, with hundreds of dollars being collected and more in food supplies, according to Greene.

“We’ve had a wonderful turnout,” said Stacey Carroll, the field marketing manager for Dunkin’ Donuts. “We’ve had a lot of people come up and just drop off a big bag of food or make a monetary donation, and it’s been a great thing.”

The timing for the food drive could not be better, as donations often decrease during the summer months. It is the objective of MTA and Dunkin’ Donuts that, through the generosity of MTA riders, no child will go hungry this summer.

“I always like helping people out,” explained Nathaniel Bibbs, who donated Thursday. “Hopefully, if I make something like this happen, it’ll help me out.”