When they learned no food would be handed out, Sylvia’s heart sank. She stood outside in the summer heat, sweat on her brow, watching each passing minute with growing anxiety. A volunteer gently communicated to her that there would be no groceries that day. At that moment, the bags of fresh produce and staples she’d anticipated carrying home were nowhere to be found , and neither was the security of knowing she could eat dinner that night.

 
Sylvia wasn’t angry at the volunteers; rather, she felt a profound sadness and worry. She had skipped breakfast, planning to stock up at the drive, and now she faced an empty kitchen and an uncertain week ahead.

 
As the small group of seniors slowly dispersed, some leaning on canes and others on the arms of friends, their faces showed the same mix of disappointment and fear.

 
For Sylvia, this wasn’t just about missing a meal, it was about the unsettling question of “How will I get by without this food?” It was a heartbreaking reminder that, without support, our most vulnerable neighbors can go hungry even in our own community.

Sylvia’s experience is not an isolated incident – far from it. Every week, ILIA’s 24/7 Youth Crisis Line rings with calls from people in our community pleading for food assistance food.islamicleadership.org. Mothers and fathers worried about feeding their children, seniors on fixed incomes like Sylvia, and even youth themselves reach out in desperation. The stories change, but the core need remains the same: families are struggling to put food on the table.

Hunger is a silent crisis gripping Baltimore. In our city, an estimated 90,750 residents are food insecure – that’s tens of thousands of our neighbors who aren’t sure where their next meal will come from cbsnews.com. This struggle cuts across age groups, but it hits the youngest and oldest especially hard. City officials report that roughly one in three children in Baltimore lacks consistent access to nutritious food cbsnews.com. 

Imagine a third of the children in our city going to bed hungry or worrying about when they’ll eat next – a staggering reality confirmed by recent surveys. And it’s not just children: nearly 24% of Baltimore’s senior citizens live in areas without easy access to fresh, healthy food nnpa.org. These are neighborhoods known as “Healthy Food Priority Areas” (formerly food deserts), where full-service grocery stores are miles away. For seniors like Sylvia – many of whom don’t drive and already stretch tiny fixed incomes – living in a food desert can mean regularly going without fresh produce or even a proper meal.

The human impact of these statistics is devastating. Hunger among the elderly leads to malnutrition, declining health, and painful choices like whether to pay for medicine or food. Among youth, food insecurity can stunt growth, hinder learning, and steal away the carefree innocence of childhood. Baltimore’s hunger crisis spiked during the pandemic, and although it has improved slightly since the height of COVID-19, it remains dire. City data showed food insecurity surged from about 18% to over 21% of residents during the pandemic’s worst days, with children suffering most cbsnews.com. 

Even now, as we rebuild, too many of our neighbors are still caught in that gap. In fact, about one-third of Baltimore’s population is currently on SNAP benefits (food assistance) just to get by cbsnews.com – roughly 200,000 people in our city relying on emergency support to eat. And across Maryland, the ripple effects are clear: approximately 45,000 senior citizens in our state face hunger on a regular basis mdfoodbank.org. These numbers aren’t just abstract data – they represent real people in our community. They represent seniors like Sylvia, children who depend on school meals, and hardworking families whose budgets just don’t stretch far enough in today’s economy.

When ILIA had to cancel that one Sunday food drive, it wasn’t just a schedule change – it was a lifeline temporarily severed. The phone calls we receive and the faces we see at our distributions underscore a painful truth: for many in Baltimore, food insecurity is a daily reality. And when funding falls short, it’s our neighbors who pay the price.

Baltimore’s Hunger Crisis

• 90,750+ residents in Baltimore are food insecure.

• 1 in 3 children lacks consistent access to nutritious meals.

• Nearly 24% of seniors live in areas without access to fresh, affordable food.

• $55 = the cost of one grocery bag ILIA distributes to a family.

> “Our 24/7 Youth Crisis Line receives weekly calls from families in urgent need of food. Behind every number is a real neighbor with an empty fridge.”

How You Can Help?

Your donation can turn despair into dinner. It can transform heartbreak into hope.

• Sponsor a Family Bag – $55
  Filled with rice, pasta, meat, milk, cereal, and fresh produce, a lifeline for a family. 

Donations are tax-deductible and zakat eligible!

[And give] to the needy who, being wholly wrapped up in God's cause, are unable to go about the earth [in search of livelihood]. He who is unaware [of their condition] might think that they are wealthy because they abstain from asking; but you are unable to recognize them by their special mark: they do not ask people or intimidate them. And whatever good you may spend [on them], verily, God knows it all. (2:273)