While we, the Prince George’s County Food Equity, applaud the aggressive approach taken by Governor Hogan and County Executive Alsobrooks to protect public health and limit the spread of COVID-19, we are deeply concerned that this crisis will deepen existing health and economic disparities. We fear the most hardship will fall on the shoulders of those who are already struggling to make financial ends meet and maintain their health.
We will continue to work closely with our local, state, and federal partners to advocate for increased access to healthy food for all residents. You can see a full list of the ways FEC is helping here. We have also compiled resources to help local families who are impacted by the school and government closures related to COVID-19. Please stay well and feel free to reach out to us if you need help finding food resources for yourself, your family, or your community. We will continue to post breaking news and updates through our social media accounts. Please follow us at @pgcfec on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
You can view our additional information about our COVID-19 response on our blog post, HERE.
(SPANISH LANGUAGE VERSION, graciously translated by volunteers)
Resources for Impacted Families and Residents
Updated April 27th at 9:15 am
Do you see something missing? Please submit additional resources for this page through this form.
SNAP Assistance:
Call Maryland Hunger Solutions at 866-821-5552 for assistance and questions related to SNAP applications. They can assist with completing and submitting SNAP applications over the phone, submit any changes to your active SNAP case, answer questions about your benefits, and direct you to additional food resources.
Food Assistance:
All Residents:
- FREE FOOD DISTRIBUTION: CATHOLIC CHARITIES, SUSAN DENISON MONA CENTER, 5859 Allentown Way, Camp Springs. Tuesday, April 28, 4:00 PM. Everyone will receive a big box of food including non-perishable items, fresh produce, and 2 – 3 protein items. People will also receive a hot meal, ready to take home. DRIVE-THRU ONLY. Staff will place both boxes in the trunk of each vehicle.
- The Town of Riverdale Park established a Farmers Market Dollar Program for any town resident who declares “a need for assistance.” There is no means testing, however households that participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will be limited to $15 per week, while households that do not participate in SNAP can receive up to $25 in food assistance per week. The Market Dollar Program gives coupons to residents redeemable at the Riverdale Park Farmers Market. The program is set to expire Dec. 31, 2020.
- St. Stephen’s Baptist Church, through a partnership with District 8 Council Member, Monique Anderson-Walker, will provide groceries, including produce, to our residents during the pandemic. Every Tuesday, starting Tuesday, March 17, 2020 – 1:00-3:00 pm, food will be distributed in the parking lot of St. Stephen’s Baptist Church. Stay in your cars, as the food will be brought to you in your car. District 8 is committed to doing all that we can for our residents. Should you have questions, please contact D-8 Constituent Services Director, Carla Cash at 240.435.0317. St. Stephen's Baptist Church is located at 5757 Temple Hill Rd, Camp Springs, MD.
- Fountain Community Enrichment will provide food from Capital Area Food Bank on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm; Tues & Thurs are by appointment. They are located at 15853 Commerce Ct. Upper Marlboro, MD 20774. You can make an appointment by calling (301) 335-5038 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
- Thrive Market is offering stipends of up to $150.00 for families experiencing financial or health hardships related to COVID-19.
- Giant Food nutritionists are providing online nutrition education. Additional details are available here.
- Good Food Markets is open at 2006 Rhode Island Ave NE, 1/2 mile from Mt Rainier, and is distributing free food Thur 10:00 am-2:00 pm, seniors only from 10:00-11:00 am.
- Beginning April 9th and continuing for 10 weeks, Pizzeria Paradiso and Art Works Now will distribute 1,000 pizzas per week accompanied by 1,000 MANDALA coloring sheets to communities in need. They are targeting the Prince George’s County Gateway Arts District and the communities that are served by Pizzeria Paradiso Hyattsville and Art Works Now. The pizza and art activity will be distributed FREE. They will launch their 10,000 Pizzas project on April 9th at 11:30 am at the Art Works Now building, with the lighting of Pizzeria Paradiso’s mobile pizza oven. They will serve 200 individual pizzas from the oven from 11:30 to 1:30 to community kids, families, and older adults. Pizza Paradiso is located at 4800 Rhode Island Ave, Hyattsville, MD 20781.
- Employ Prince George's is launching the Prince George’s County COVID-19 Hourly Employee Assistance Fund. The fund is available for hourly workers who earned less than $19 an hour and have been laid off, giving Prince George’s County residents access to an Employ Prince George’s cash card of up to $200. Various retailers, grocers and restaurants in Prince George’s County will be offering discounts for those making purchases with these Employ Prince George’s cash cards. Employ Prince George’s will begin taking applications the week of April 6th at www.employpg.org.
- DSS - Open Community Food Programs: Updated Information for the Week Beginning 4-24-20:
Seniors:
- Prince George's County Senior Nutrition Program enrollees have been offered home meal delivery during congregate meals site closures. The meals will be delivered through a partnership with the Department of Public Works and Transportation starting Monday (March 16th) morning. The Department of Family Services has arranged for the 7-frozen meal packs to be delivered to a location and those meals will be picked up and delivered to the doors of senior citizens by the Department of Public Works and Transportation personnel. The packs will be delivered to senior’s residences no later than 5:00 PM. Seniors must be present during the delivery window in order to receive meals. Seniors who would like to enroll in this program can contact Health and Human Services Nutrition Program staff at 301-265-8475.
- Meals on Wheels provides hot meals to seniors. Contact Meals on Wheels of Central MD if you live in the northern part of the County. Residents of the cities of College Park, Greenbelt, Beltsville, Berwyn Heights and Adelphi should contact Meals on Wheels of College Park, MD to enroll. You can reach the Meals on Wheels Program for Takoma Park at (301) 434-1922 and Cheverly at (301) 618-3930.
- DC-based steakhouse Medium Rare will deliver a meal to anyone over 70 in the DMV who is quarantined. Direct Message them on twitter to request a delivery.
- Grocery stores in our County have announced special senior shopping hours to assist our seniors with their shopping needs. Safeway hours are 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Giant hours are 6:00 AM to 7:00 AM daily. Save-A-Lot hours are 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM daily. Whole Foods hours are 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM daily. Costco's hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM.
- This list provides grocery delivery services for each County (complied by Maryland's Department of Aging).
- Good Food Markets is open at 2006 Rhode Island Ave NE, 1/2 mile from Mt Rainier, and is distributing free food Thur 10:00 am-2:00 pm, seniors only from 10:00-11:00 am.
- Rotary International has launched a volunteer initiative to assist elderly and other high-risk individuals in picking up groceries and prescription medication. If you need assistance, call their hotline at 240-781-6586 between 9am and 6pm daily.
Residents with Life-Challenging Illnesses:
- Food and Friends provides meals, groceries and nutrition counseling to people living with life-challenging illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, cancer and poorly-controlled diabetes. They serve the entire county. Apply for support here.
Families with Children:
- Greater Baden WIC-Supplemental Food Program: Supplemental nutrition program for Women, Infants and Children. A federal assistance program also providing nutrition education and services for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, non-breastfeeding postpartum women and to infants and children up to the age of five. Contact (301)324-1873 for additional information.
- Starting Monday, April 6, Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) students can pick up a week’s worth of “grab and go” meals in fewer visits. Meal pick-up will occur twice a week going forward. Students can get meals for two days on Mondays and three days on Wednesdays. Breakfast, lunch and a snack are available at 43 sites. Parents may now pick up meals for students who are unable to come to the site by showing a student ID or report card. Meals are available from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Parents and guardians are not required to accompany students nor are students required to show ID.
- Andrew Jackson Academy, 3500 Regency Parkway, Forestville
- Benjamin Tasker Middle School, 4901 Collington Road, Bowie
- Bradbury Heights Elementary, 1401 Glacier Avenue, Capitol Heights
- Brandywine Elementary, 14101 Brandywine Road, Brandywine
- Buck Lodge Middle School, 2611 Buck Lodge Road, Adelphi
- Calverton Elementary, 3400 Beltsville Road, Beltsville
- Carmody Hills Elementary, 401 Jadeleaf Ave., Capitol Heights
- Carrollton Elementary, 8300 Quintana Street, New Carrollton
- Clinton Grove Elementary, 9420 Temple Hill Road, Clinton
- District Heights Elementary, 2200 County Road, District Heights
- Drew-Freeman Middle School, 2600 Brooks Drive, Suitland
- Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School, 13725 Briarwood Drive, Laurel
- Gladys Noon Spellman Elementary, 3324 64th Avenue, Cheverly
- Glassmanor Elementary, 1011 Marcy Ave., Oxon Hill
- Hillcrest Heights Elementary, 4305 22nd Place, Temple Hills
- Hollywood Elementary, 9811 49th Ave., College Park
- James McHenry Elementary, 8909 McHenry Lane, Lanham
- John Bayne Elementary, 7010 Walker Mill Road, Capitol Heights
- Judge Sylvania Woods Elementary, 3000 Church St., Glenarden
- Kenmoor Middle School, 2500 Kenmoor Drive, Landover
- Kettering Middle School, 65 Herrington Drive, Upper Marlboro
- Langley Park-McCormick Elementary, 8201 15th Ave., Hyattsville
- Laurel Elementary, 516 Montgomery St., Laurel
- Lewisdale Elementary, 2400 Banning Place, Hyattsville
- Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, 4545 Ammendale Road, Beltsville
- Nicholas Orem Middle School, 6100 Editors Park Drive, Hyattsville
- Oxon Hill Middle School, 9570 Fort Foote Road, Fort Washington
- Port Towns Elementary, 4351 58th Ave., Bladensburg
- Ridgecrest Elementary, 6120 Riggs Road, Hyattsville
- Riverdale Elementary, 5006 Riverdale Road, Riverdale
- Robert Frost Elementary, 6419 85th Ave., New Carrollton
- Samuel Chase Elementary, 5700 Fisher Road, Temple Hills
- Springhill Lake Elementary, 6060 Springhill Drive, Greenbelt
- Stephen Decatur Middle School, 8200 Pinewood Drive, Clinton
- Suitland Elementary, 4650 Towne Park Road, Suitland
- Templeton Elementary, 6001 Carters Lane, Riverdale
- Thomas S. Stone Elementary, 4500 34th Street, Mount Rainier
- Thurgood Marshall Middle School, 4909 Brinkley Road, Temple Hills
- Waldon Woods Elementary, 10301 Thrift Road, Clinton
- Walker Mill Middle School, 800 Karen Blvd., Capitol Heights
- William Paca Elementary, 7801 Sheriff Road, Landover
- William Wirt Middle School, 6200 Tuckerman St., Riverdale Park
- Woodridge Elementary, 5001 Flintridge Drive, Hyattsville
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Little Miner Taco in Savor Food Hall is providing free kids meals to children during the MD school closures. They are located at 3809 Rhode Island Ave, Brentwood, MD 20722.
- More than Java Bistro is providing free kids meals to children during the MD school closures. They are located at 358 Main St., Laurel MD and can be reached at (301) 490-3200
Resources For Residents Interested in Assisting:
- Volunteer:
- The Mount Rainier Community Emergency Response Team is organizing a community emergency food drive to prepare for eventual delivery to individuals under quarantine for the novel coronavirus. According to Mount Rainier CERT President Jack Priestly. Mount Rainier Residents can also donate by leaving food on their porch and calling 301-655-5274 to arrange a pick-up. Read more here.
- If you’re healthy and in a low-risk demographic, volunteer to help distribute food. Many food pantry volunteers in our county are seniors, they will likely need to step back from their duties. You can view a list of food pantries in your area through this search tool from Capital Area Food Bank.
- Greenbelt Mutual Aid group formed to provide a directory and forum for neighbors to ask for and offer help.
- Donate: food and money to local food pantries and hunger relief agencies. Donations, both food and financial, will likely decline due to reduced profit margins of businesses. Meals on Wheels of Central MD and College Park, Food and Friends, and Capital Area Food Bank are fantastic, efficient, and responsive local organizations that need support.
- Connect with seniors and other residents at high-risk of contracting COVID-19 to support them and limit risks associated with social isolation. This must be done carefully with a concerted effort to not put high-risk neighbors’ health at risk. CivilEats shared ideas about using local listservs and NextDoor to launch an elder grocery support network, starting a shared meal program, and helping neighbors by doing outdoor tasks and walking pets.
- Advocate for policies and programs that will make our community more resilient in the face of a future crisis. We shared policies and programs that we’re supporting during our Food Equity Council meeting on March 24th. You can view the notes here.
- Stock smart: If you are concerned about a potential quarantine and planning to stock your pantry consider the following:
- Resist the impulse to hoard food. Consider what you and your family realistically need for two weeks. Keep in mind that families using WIC can only purchase limited food items, cleared grocery store shelves leave them with few options for a healthy meal.
- Avoid food waste. Make a plan for when you will cook and what you will do with your leftovers.
- Shop smart. Use a grocery list that matches the plans you have made. These resources give guidance on shelf-stable and fresh foods that keep well: New York Times: Stocking Your Pantry the Smart Way & Washington Post: Pantry and Freezer Friendly Cooking Advice. This article from the Washington Post gives guidance on minimizing your risk of contracting the novel coronavirus while at the grocery store.
- Buy local. This will be an especially trying time for small, locally-owned businesses and farms. Try to support them with your dollars and promote them through your network.
- Fresh. Local. Fun. PGC. maintains lists of local farmers and local food businesses.
- Maryland Farmers Market Association and its partners put together a searchable map on where to buy local while social distancing.
email: 
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@pgcfec
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