INSIDE
Life&Times & &Times
VOL. 17 NO. 5
HYATTSVILLE’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
STAGS IN THE 2020 NFL DRAFT: DeMatha’s Young drafted by the Washington Redskins. P. 4
MAY 2020
SECTION DEBUT: See how local children draw “Springtime in Hyattsville.” P. 9
Food pantries confront ‘overwhelming’ situation By Heather Wright Having difficulty finding flour? Toilet paper? Many of us are learning to do without a few things each week. For others, though, the problem isn’t so much in the finding, as in the affording. And the numbers of people facing food insecurity are climbing. According to the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB), some 120,000 Prince George’s County residents were already grappling with food insecurity before the pandemic hit this area in mid-March. Since then, demand for food in the county has doubled. Local food banks, many in partnership with CAFB, are trying to address the growing need, but against considerable odds. The food pantry at Hyattsville’s
St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church temporarily closed the second week of March because of the pandemic. The pantry required an alternative plan because “the vast number of our volunteers are senior citizens in their 70s and 80s,” said Doug Jones, a pantry volunteer. Recognizing the increasing need for their services, and in the face of a disrupted supply chain, St. Mark’s food pantry reopened April 14 with younger volunteers (some of whom have themselves been furloughed) and a new drive-through model in place. This food pantry, like other pantries that are still in operation, no longer allows clients to do their own shopping. Volunteers now load two standardized bags of groceries into the
On May 5, St. Mark’s food pantry distributed groceries to 207 households before needing to shut down early.
SEE PANTRIES ON 12
LINDSAY MYERS
City returns officers to full-duty status
IN MEMORIAM
Dr. David Driskell: The greatness in our midst By Stuart Eisenberg Not every Hyattsville resident has been the subject of a scholarly biography, been awarded the National Humanities Medal, had an academic
center named in their honor at the University of Maryland, or had their work sought by art collections, including presidential collections, throughout the world. But this is the
SEE DRISKELL ON 13
By Sophie Gorman Oriani
Dr. David Driskell.
COURTESY OF THE
DAVID C. DRISKELL CENTER
In light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, six officers with the Hyattsville City Police Department (HCPD) who have been on administrative leave have returned to full duty. The six officers have been on administrative leave since late
September, pending the investigation of the Sept. 26 shooting of Leonard Shand. Placing officers on administrative leave after an officer-involved shooting is standard procedure. “I made the decision to return the six officers to full-duty to ensure that the Department is SEE HCPD ON 13
CENTER SECTION: MAY 12, 2020 ISSUE OF THE HYATTSVILLE REPORTER — IN ESPANOL TOO! HYATTSVILLE MD PERMIT NO. 1383
Reach every consumer in Hyattsville ... for less! Contact advertising@hyattsvillelife.com or 301-531-5234
Hyattsville Life & Times PO Box 132 Hyattsville, MD 20781
NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID