Hunger does not take a vacation for the working poor in the District of Columbia, that is why we are launching the 4th Annual Summer in the City campaign.
Each year, the John S. Mulholland Family Foundation collects canned goods from more than 25 local churches and delivers them most Monday mornings from Memorial Day to mid-September to one of our four pantries in the neediest Washington neighborhoods.
This year we are pleased to have the support of Blessed Sacrament Parish and School, St. Stephen Martyr, Epiphany Georgetown, Annunciation, St. Thomas Apostle, Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian, St. Gabriel, St. Augustine, Our Lady of Victory, and Holy Rosary — all in the District.
Also, St. Peter’s Parish and School, Olney; St. Nicholas, Laurel; St. Mary, Barnesville; St. Francis Assisi, Derwood; Our Lady of Mercy, Potomac; St. John Neumann, Gaithersburg; St. Jerome, Hyattsville; St. Paul, Damascus; St. Bartholomew, Bethesda; Holy Cross, Garrett Park; Holy Redeemer, Kensington; and St. John Vianney, Prince Frederick.
In Silver Spring, Our Lady of Grace, St. Michael, and St. Bernadette. In Rockville, St. Mary, St. Elizabeth, St. Patrick and St. Raphael. Finally, the three high school and middle school Summer Service Work Camps at Resurrection, Burtonsville and their partners, the Greg Gannon Canned Food Drive.
Last year, we collected and delivered more than 77,000 cans of food and we hope to match and exceed that figure this year. Of course, this effort involves thousands of parishioners who donate the food, scores of volunteers — by the church volunteers where the drives are conducted, by the foundation volunteers who pick up and deliver the items, and by the volunteers at each of the pantries who sort and pack the groceries for our clients.
This is the largest food drive in the Washington region each summer and we thank everyone who is helping at some level, including our partner, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington.
Hunger does not take a vacation in the District of Columbia. The more than 750 families we serve each month are counting on us to be there for them this summer. And we promise we will.