BALTIMORE, Md. – Members of the Coppin State athletics department volunteered at the Maryland Food Bank Tuesday morning. Working in the warehouse, they assisted with making and stacking 1,400 boxes that will be filled with food and distributed in time for the Thanksgiving holiday.

This effort was in support of Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s “Maryland Unites: Day of Service” initiative. Coppin State University and the University System of Maryland (USM) encouraged employees to offer their time and talents to benefit the citizens of Maryland through community service.

Despite its status as one of the wealthiest states in the nation, Maryland communities are deeply impacted by food insecurity. While the homeless remain the most visible faces of hunger, the need for food assistance is rising among children, seniors, and working families so this was an opportunity for Coppin State to make a difference and provide a service for a worthy cause.

“It’s always a blessing to be able to donate our time and make a difference in the lives of others especially for an important issue as hunger,” Coppin State Deputy Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator Alecia Shields-Gadson said. “This experience was so impactful to me that I am looking forward to returning in the near future.”

The Maryland Food Bank is the heart of Maryland’s food assistance structure, providing food to a network of more than 900 soup kitchens, pantries, shelters and other community-based organizations across the state. The Maryland Food Bank is a nonprofit hunger-relief organization, leading the movement to end hunger throughout Maryland.

For more than 35 years, the Maryland Food Bank has partnered with communities across the state to distribute food to individuals and families in need. Through carefully crafted programs, the food bank aims to meet the immediate needs of Marylanders while simultaneously working to find long-term ways to reduce hunger statewide. Currently distributing more than 100,000 meals per day—nearly 37 million meals annually—the Maryland Food Bank will continue to expand its efforts until hunger ends.

“To know that I made a difference in the fight against hunger was a special feeling to me,” Coppin State Director of Athletic Communications Rob Knox said. “It was a nice time being able to interact and work with colleagues from different parts of the Coppin State campus community that I normally wouldn’t see on a regular basis. One of the cool things about the day is I got used to working with a forklift.”