SALISBURY, Md – Meal kits filled with donated vegetables, carbs, chicken, and more are heading to families in need as soon as this week, thanks to efforts from the Maryland Food Bank.
The organization says they’re adding more events to their holiday lineup to match the needs in the community, taking in donations from Perdue, McCormick, and other companies to to the tune of 50,000 dollars to make it happen.

“We’re seeing a lot of individuals, what we call the working poor, our middle-class families are really struggling to have enough money at the end of the month to put food on the table,” said MD Food Bank VP Partner Logistics & Programs Jennifer Small

“Being able to have access to meals such as what’s being packed here today will provide these families and these individuals with a sense of normalcy over the holiday season that they may otherwise not know where that food’s coming from,” Small said.

Volunteers worked throughout the morning at the MD Food Bank storage facility, packing a total of 5,200 meal kits in just under two hours and sending them on their way to the 8 counties covered by the MD Food Bak, with 2,500 of those kits going out as soon as this week.

Perdue officials say the meal kits were envisioned to be a higher quality and gourmet-tasting option, making the meal not just affordable but enjoyable for families.

“We have the chicken, which is an all-day marinated chicken strip, we got McCormick to provide the old, we have a mixed vegetable pack and rice with a pink Himalayan salt over top,” said Perdue Chef Chris Moyer.

Moyer says the meals will provide multiple servings for the families and can help to get families through to the holiday season, with meals he says he is proud of cooking.

“We’re all in the food business. We’re all chefs. It means something to us to actually prepare something that tastes good and feels good for us to provide to them,” Moyer said.

Those currently looking to find distribution centers near them are asked to visit the Maryland Food Bank Website and type in their Zip to locate a center near them.