Montgomery County residents donated 1,857 pounds of food during the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League’s annual Feed the Hungry Food Drive on July 18, helping replenish shelves at Manna Food Center as demand for food assistance continues to climb.
Players from the Bethesda Big Train, Gaithersburg Giants, Olney Cropdusters, and Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts collected donations at Giant Food stores across Montgomery County. The effort comes as Manna reports a significant increase in the number of families seeking assistance this summer, with more than 11,000 families receiving help each month compared to approximately 6,600 families during the same period last year. According to Manna, rising living costs, persistent inflation, and changes to federal nutrition programs such as SNAP have contributed to the growing need.
“The Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League, Giant Food, and Manna Food Center prove that when a community comes together, no one has to face hunger alone,” said Craig Rice, CEO of Manna Food Center. “We thank all of the players and volunteers, and everyone who stopped by participating Giant stores today and donated a few items, helping turn small acts of generosity into meals and hope for our neighbors.”
The annual food drive has supported Manna Food Center since 2010. Over the past 16 years, players, coaches, staff, and interns from the league’s Montgomery County teams have collected more than 33 tons of food to help neighbors experiencing food insecurity.
