The StoreHouse Food Bank Searching for New Home
The StoreHouse, a Lanham-based food bank operated by The Mel Johnson and her closest family and friends, is being asked to relocate from Forbes Boulevard, and July 16 is their last day on site.
Now, Johnson is in the process of moving more than 10 refrigerators, food and office equipment, as she and her team work toward a new location to help Prince Georgians in need of reliable, healthy meals.
“We don’t have a place right now, and we have to be out by next week,” said Johnson. “We are Maryland’s first and only Black-run food bank. I serve families that come and receive food by client choice or pre-packed, churches and many other organizations also come and get food from us.”
The StoreHouse currently serves over 1,600 residents monthly and offers fresh and nutritious food at no cost. The work is all self-funded, a point of pride for Johnson, who serves over 27,000 families, sometimes driving all the way to Pennsylvania to get the freshest produce.
As a trauma and stroke survivor, she believes emphasizing health starts with a proper diet.
“We serve in love. We want to make people feel whole again,” she told The Informer.
Since the pandemic, food insecurity has worsened and grocery prices have increased greatly. She went from feeding roughly 100 families a month to nearly 2,000, and she placed a greater focus on taking food to those who can’t travel to her office.
While Johnson is encouraged by government support for large nonprofits, she would like to see more support for locally-operated nonprofits and outreach groups.
“Where are the resources for us,” she said. “When we need that support, where are those who attended our gala?”
She encourages individuals who are interested in their mission to donate or volunteer. To find a list of event dates for the StoreHouse, visit themeljohnson.org.
Public Safety Updates
A month into his new crime fighting strategy, Prince George’s Police Chief Malik Aziz reported that carjackings and armed violent crime had decreased in the county.
He reported a 9% decrease in overall crime, emphasized the importance of community outreach and engagement, and announced that the Prince George’s County Police Department is forming a new Gun Crimes unit.
“We’re already a month into our crime fighting strategies, and we have an overall total crime reduction. Crime is down in Prince George’s County,” said Aziz. “We hear people and they don’t hear the police chief say what the numbers are. So total crime is down in Prince George’s County.”
The police chief also said he is also working to recruit roughly 350 new officers to meet the department’s needs.
The area is also working to incentivize public safety work.
The Prince George’s County Council passed a resolution in early July to create a pilot program with Prince George’s Community College, Bowie State University, and the University of Maryland for officers to receive tuition and credit benefits. In addition, last year, the council voted to give a $2,500 property tax credit to all first responders who live in Prince George’s. There is also a $10,000 signing bonus for entry level positions and a $15,000 signing bonus for experienced officers.
Despite reported improvements in crime, Prince George’s Councilmember Ingrid Harrison (D- District 4) posted a statement on July 11 warning residents to be vigilant after using banks and ATMs.
“Following the recent spree of armed robberies in our County, I want to assure residents that the entire public safety community is working together to address this issue. We are seeing robbers target people leaving their bank or ATM with victims being followed to their vehicles or even their homes. While this is a regionwide crime trend, unfortunately we’ve seen multiple recent cases in and around Bowie,” she said.
Harrison said she was working with local authorities to keep residents safe.
“I have spoken to Bowie Police Chief Dwayne Preston who assured me that his department is working collaboratively with all regional partners to safeguard the areas we’ve seen targeted,” the council member continued. “Police are also working with the State’s Attorney’s office to ensure those committing these robberies are held accountable.”
The District 6 council member will be hosting a Community Matters meeting featuring Chief Preston on Wednesday, July 31, at 7 p.m. at the Bowie Center for the Performing Arts on Annapolis Road.
Rep. Ivey Attends Take Back the Park
Congressman Glenn Ivey (D- Md.) was one of the attendees at a Take Back The Park commemoration held in Greenbelt’s Schrom Hills Park to honor the young victims injured during the April mass shooting at an unofficial “Senior Skip Day” celebration.
“In the last Congress we passed a bipartisan bill for gun violence reduction: a step in the right direction and the first in 30 years, but we can go further. The most recent step is the creation of the Office of Gun Violence Reduction, who we’ve reached out to. They’re pushing out funding for violence prevention across the country,” Rep. Ivey told The Informer. “One of the guys leading it, Greg Jackson, is from Prince George’s. They’re doing a lot to move us in the right direction. Violent crime has dropped across the country, especially in Baltimore and Boston, in the past two years. Part of the team coordinating in Boston are from the University of Maryland.”
The Maryland congressman, who formerly served as state’s attorney, shared how he is working with state leaders to improve public safety.
“Everything has to be coordinated, especially with police and groups that do anti violence work. The County Executive has a group that does violence interruption and prevention, that we are helping to provide additional funding for. We are also helping to secure funding for Landover’s University of Maryland hospital to better respond to victims of gun violence and to a community group associated with the State’s Attorney’s office,” Ivey explained.
With federal funding and the hard work of local community groups, Maryland leaders are working toward a stronger, safer state for all residents.
“Just under $2,000,000 is coming to help efforts like theirs at the local level. Community groups are also playing a pivotal role and getting active, including Moms Demand Action. This is expanding the number of impacted families who are involved.”