Silver Spring’s Safety Net
In the face of progress, churches and neighbors help those left behind
On August 9th, about 180 people waited in line over a period of several hours to receive food from Marvin Mobile Food ministry. PHOTO BY MARY CLARE FISCHER
By Mary Clare Fischer Editorial Intern Step off the Metro at Silver Spring and you step into a world of wealth, progress, revitalization and yes, great poverty. You are at the heart of a sprawling suburb in Montgomery County, Maryland in one of the wealthiest counties in America. There’s the sleek headquarters of Discovery Communications, with its ever-changing light display, fountains, cafes, an art theater with a sparkling marquee. Workers hurry and shoppers stroll. And there are homeless people too, some dragging their belongings behind them. They’ve been seemingly left behind by Silver Spring’s revival. In 1998, the sleepy and dingy business district began to change when Montgomery County signed a contract with a major developer to create the 22-acre downtown Silver Spring town center. Since then, about $1.37 billion in new private investment has arrived in the area. With extensive renovation of the Metro station and the blocks around it, including the formerly failing City Place Mall, traces of the shabby old Silver Spring are hard to find. “Silver Spring has reinvented itself around the Metro station, drawing companies, employees and residents from within the region and across the country, and setting the standard for suburbs-turned cities seeking economic development and smart growth,” the
International Economic Development Council stated in a 2006 case study. But then again, there are still significant problems that need to be solved. The county’s main year-round emergency shelters are located in Rockville, an hour-long bus ride from Silver Spring. Some argue Silver Spring needs more year-round intensive emergency services of its own. Many homeless advocates say that shelters are not the answer and want to shift the emphasis to finding a permanent solution to homelessness, through the development of affordable and supportive housing countywide. Yet walking down the street in Silver Spring, it’s hard not to be reminded of immediate needs. “I will never forget the day my daughter and I were going into CVS, and we met a woman who asked if I could get her some deodorant or something so she would smell sweet,” Shannon Parkin said. “So my 9-year-old daughter and I went in and bought her a bottle of deodorant and a fragrant body spray. The woman who had waited outside was delighted as a child on Christmas morning… Other times the people asking for money on the street really want someone to listen to them, to show they care.” And many of the people of Silver Spring do care. Led by the efforts of churches and nonprofits, they have been busy shoring up a safety net to help their needy neighbors hang on for another day in Silver Spring. Thanks to the Silver Spring United Methodist Cooperative Parish, made
of the Woodside and Marvin Memorial churches, two food pantries have been growing over the past five years: Arleeta’s Pantry and Marvin Food Ministry. Then there is Shepherd’s Table, a program that for 27 years has offered the homeless basic services and necessities from an aid facility near the metro that is known as Progress Place. Community Vision, also located in Progress Place, provides more extensive services to the homeless and runs an emergency winter shelter for men and women. There is also Carroll House, a permanent men’s shelter.
Arleeta’s Pantry “If you tell me you need food, you can have it,” Woodside parishioner Rebecca McGinnis stated simply as she walked through the two-room space known as Arleeta’s Pantry. Shelves of cans line the walls, with a small shopping cart holding non-food items placed toward the back. Pamphlets sit in organized stacks on a table in the corner. A colorful chart divides food into categories with cards that remind viewers to bring in vegetables or fruits. Named for a benevolent woman who wanted to reach out to the community, Arleeta’s was first founded years ago— based off the First Baptist Church’s food pantry, which requires interviews—but was only revitalized recently. “It started out really grand,” said fellow parishioner Linda Jamison. “We were giving a lot to a lot of people, and
we just couldn’t sustain it. The reason why small businesses fail is because they grow too fast, and we really wanted to see what it would feel like to do this again.” Arleeta’s collects food from donors and buys more from Capital Area Food Bank, with whom they’re a partner organization. From 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday mornings, volunteers pack bags for those who wait in the line, which consists mostly of low-income black and Hispanic families. “It’s interesting to see the ebb and flow [of the people who come to the pantry],” McGinnis said. “It’s been a learning experience for all of us as to how to interact with people. Some of them are just so happy and effusive. You know, they’re down in the dirt, but they’re happy. Others are like, ‘I have nine people in my family, and my grandmother’s living with us, and she can’t eat this, and we need extra.’” “You wonder what they do the other times they need food,” Jamison added. Technically, one bag is given to every two people, as the food inside should feed two adults for two days. Furthermore, each family/individual is only supposed to be given food once a month, so Arleeta’s maintains lists of names and optional addresses to keep track of the shoppers. But the pantry’s compassionate attitude means they end up feeding whoever arrives at its door. “I think hunger is a scourge in such a wealthy country, and it’s a hideous thing,” McGinnis said. “It’s just not acceptable.”