Community-Focused Food Bank Opens In Partnership With Miracle Temple Church

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LOTHIAN, Md. — At Anne Arundel County’s newest food bank, everyone from volunteers to county officials had one focus: offering dignity and connection to their neighbors.

The newest food bank is located at The Miracle Temple Church in Lothian, a congregation with a long history of service and a family-based idea of community. The church is still run by the large extended family of its founder, James N. Dorsey, who are focused on retaining the original message.

The food bank isn’t your typical pre-bagged grocery, put-it-in-your-car-and-go operation. Instead, the South County Community Market is an outdoor farmers market filled with fresh produce, dry goods and more that allows those in need to shop, select what they need for their own household and connect with their neighbors.

The market model also gives shoppers access to people who can provide them with additional resources, which Anne Arundel County Food Bank CEO Leah Paley said is a vital part of meeting their needs and identifying gaps that may otherwise go unnoticed. In South County in particular, there was a high need but not enough providers who could meet it.

According to Minister and The Miracle Temple Church President Justin Wills, the project came together in just a few weeks. A few weeks of hard work and near-constant volunteer engagement.

“Some people will come looking for food, some will come looking for hope, some will come looking for resources,” Minister Wills said in his remarks before the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “And because of the people in this room, they’ll be able to get all three.”

Paley said the market is about feeding people, but also about developing a holistic model that addresses needs in the community.

“You can feed people today, but it doesn’t address all the things that affect them. We really see this as a hub to get people connected to resources, and Miracle Temple was totally aligned with that vision,” Paley said. “This really spoke to us as the community we want to go to. These are the kinds of partnerships we want and the models we want to see.”

“Really only one name came to mind when we were looking for a host for this market,” added Lindsey Alemi, director of community programs and outreach at the food bank. “I don’t think we thought about it for more than a moment. We knew this would be a great fit for Miracle Temple based on their past work.”

Minister Wills, she said, has incredible energy and lots of big ideas, which is matched by the entire congregation. As soon as this project was announced to members of the church, volunteers stepped up to help organize it. The volunteers are what made the market come together so quickly and will continue to operate it each weekend, directly serving their community. Minister Wills added that the food bank made it easy to get the project done, and he had no doubt volunteers from the church and food bank would step up.

Representatives for Sheneka Henson and Steuart Pittman attended the event and spoke on the importance of offering dignity and choice and working to eliminate food insecurity in South County.

Seth Howard, Maryland state delegate serving District 30B, was also in attendance and spoke about his own experiences growing up with food insecurity and praised the farmers market model.

“Fresh, healthy, nutritious food for a community is a right,” Howard said. “What you’re doing is beautiful, and I appreciate it.”

And thanks to the Anne Arundel County Food Bank, The Miracle Temple Church and all the volunteers, South County residents will be able to access that food and the connections that can make a difference.

Tears Allen, one of the many Dorsey grandkids, said her grandfather was always “about the community” and believed that community service helps create generational wealth.

“This is his legacy,” Allen said. “More hands make less work. We live by that.”

“I’m looking forward to families coming here and finding exactly what they need,” Minister Wills said. “The big idea is this continues to grow and becomes a place where the local community gathers and can get connected with each other and resources. This is just the start.”

To learn more about the South County Community Market and its hours, visit the Anne Arundel County Food Bank website or The Miracle Temple Church Facebook page.

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