AROUND THE PARK AGAIN By Sharon Lee Tegler
November 15 and December 12 will be busy but fulfilling days for SPAN, Inc’s staff and volunteers as donations come rolling in by the baskets, boxes, shopping bags, and wagonloads for the organization’s Holiday Caring Programs. Drop-off day for Thanksgiving food basket donations is just one week away on November 15 to be followed a month later by drop-off day for Christmas Holiday Caring donations.
For SPAN’s new directors Maia Grabau and Michelle Sabean, the drop-off days signify the culmination of months of work recruiting donors and matching them with families in need. Less than a year into their jobs, neither woman knows exactly what to expect.
Sabean, as Director of Development, has been publicizing the need for donors for both programs through SPAN’s member churches and through the organization’s social media sites. With help from her son Scott and three Severna Park High School Thespian Society volunteers, she recruited new donors and raised $250 during the Greater Severna Park and Arnold Chamber’s SHOPTOBERFEST event at Park Plaza on October 30.
Grabau, as Director of Operations, has kept careful track of the donors to each of the programs and the families that will receive the Thanksgiving food baskets or Christmas gifts. She noted that sponsors are still needed for the Thanksgiving food baskets.
“Sponsors can donate either a grocery gift card or put together a food basket based on SPAN’s guidelines,” Grabau said. “A donor form and the guidelines are available on our website at Holidays are Coming! – SPAN’s Holiday Caring Program – SPAN, Inc (spanhelps.org).
She added that donors can bring their contributions to Our Shepherd Lutheran Church at 400 Benfield Boulevard between 10 am and 2 pm on Monday, November 15. The church has once again generously donated space to SPAN to store both the Thanksgiving and Christmas drop-offs.
Once the donations are received, they are matched with the families for which they are intended and distributed to those families on November 17.
Judging from past years, the Christmas Holiday Program donations will be extensive and will take up every bit of the donated space at the church.
Christmas donation drop-off day will take place on December 12. As in previous years, volunteers will pitch in to help donors with wagonloads or armfuls of heavy packages through the church door.
After checking in, donors are led to one of two cavernous rooms within the church where squares are taped off and pre-marked for each family receiving the gifts. Volunteers help situate the donations.
The gifts will be distributed on December 14.
“The gifts are for families that have children under 18 years of age,” Sabean explained. “We get some names from school counselors but most are children of our client families. The families meet with us in October to preregister and go over a sheet listing ages, sizes and ideas about toys or clothing the children might wish for. The donors also agree to provide a basket of prepackaged foods for a holiday meal with a gift certificate for a turkey or ham.”
Recipient families can use the program one time – generally when experiencing a financial emergency due to a job loss or health issue – and are always very grateful. After getting back on their feet, some become donors themselves.
“Maia and I have heard that the donor families are incredibly generous and can’t wait to see for ourselves,” Sabean said.
She made a point of mentioning that, after the holidays, donations drop off so the winter months are challenging for SPAN’s assistance programs and food pantry and contributions are especially appreciated. In fact, SPAN volunteers will be present at the Park Plaza Christmas celebration collecting general donations of money or non-perishable canned or packaged foods.
“We are particularly in need of toiletries and cleaning supplies like laundry detergents,” Sabean said. “Tooth brushes. tooth paste, deodorants and similar items are much requested items.”
Every donation helps as SPAN has seen an increase in clients as the economy has worsened. Calls for assistance picked up in August when the moratorium on evictions and other COVID supports ended and the trend is continuing. SPAN’s operational budget, food pantry, and financial assistance services are sustained primarily through individual, small business and corporate contributions.
Grabau noted that SPAN’s biggest annual fundraiser, the Turkey Trot 5K Race, was cancelled for the past two years due to the pandemic. She and Sabean are eager to relaunch it in 2022 but need to find some volunteers to help them.
“The women who organized the event for five years in a row had to step down so we are looking for a few new volunteers to help organize and run the race,” she said.
The family-friendly Turkey Trot 5K is held at Kinder Farm Park. Though the event takes place in early November, planning must begin in the spring so sponsors can be found and arrangements made for publicity, registration particulars, and items like Turkey Trot shirts for participants and prizes.
Those wishing to volunteer, make a donation or find out more about SPAN may do so by visiting SPAN Serving People Across Neighborhoods (spanhelps.org).
Special events for kids at Severna Park Library
Always on the lookout for book related activities, we’ve spotted two that will definitely appeal to young minds.
Meetings for Severna Park Library’s RAD Readers book club for kids in grades 3 to 5 will be held on Saturday November 13 at 10:30 am and, for homeschoolers, on Wednesday, November 17 at 1 pm. Prio to the meeting, kids will read Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume. The book club will discuss the book, play some games and do a fun activity.
To register a child, visit RAD Readers Book Club: Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing | Anne Arundel County Public Library (librarycalendar.com) or call 410-647-6290.
Another fun activity at the library is the Early Readers Book Club which will meet on Wednesday, December 1 at 4 pm. Children in K-2 can practice their reading skills through group reading, activities and games based on popular beginner reader series. In December, the children will read selections from the “Biscuit” series by Alyssa Satin Capucilli. For information, call 410-647-6290.
