SPAN’s Holiday Caring Program Brightens Thanksgiving, Christmas For Area Families In Need

In Severna Park, a humble house tucked behind Our Shepherd Lutheran Church serves as a depot of help and hope for area residents in need. For nearly 35 years, SPAN – Serving People Across Neighborhoods – has carried out its mission of providing “food and/or financial assistance to qualified individuals and families to help them get through critical or emergency situations.”

Through the generosity of the community, the nondenominational ministry also helps to provide Thanksgiving and Christmas meals as well as Christmas gifts for children for many of the families SPAN serves through its annual Holiday Caring program.

Maia Grabau, SPAN’s director of operations, shared that last holiday season SPAN was able to bless about 375 children with gifts and over 150 families with meals. This year, the nonprofit hopes to assist the same number of families and children, and the Holiday Caring program is already in full swing.

Grabau noted that as the costs of housing, utilities and other necessities continue to increase, so too does the need for help. “This last year, we assisted about 870 families with emergency financial assistance and about 650 with food, and those numbers are definitely higher than the previous couple of years,” she said, noting that SPAN helped roughly 4,000 people total last year.

While many Holiday Caring families in need of meals and gifts contact SPAN directly, others come through the local schools. Tara Luecking, one of two school counselors at Broadneck Elementary, shared that SPAN has helped some of her school families in need in recent years.

“SPAN has a deadline for their applications for assistance in October. This is so helpful for our families, to reassure that they will be taken care of, well in advance, so they do not have to worry or stress during the holidays!” Luecking said. “As school counselors, we appreciate having (SPAN) as a valuable resource for our community and our families are grateful for their generosity.”

Recipients of the community’s outpouring of kindness at the holidays include many single moms, some large families, and even foster children in the care of people like Tirrell, who was introduced to SPAN two years ago.

“SPAN has been a tremendous part of my life since 2022 when my own child died 11 days before Christmas,” Tirrell, a teacher assistant with Anne Arundel County Public Schools, said, explaining that her son died suddenly at the age of 19. “It was a sad, hard year for me. SPAN brightened my life by allowing me to distribute among needy children the Target gift cards that were intended for my son.”

Following her son’s passing, Tirrell became a foster care provider, and to date, 17 children have found refuge at her home. SPAN has come alongside her commitment to caring for children by providing monthly food assistance. Last year, SPAN helped make the holidays special as well.

“Ms. Maia called just before Thanksgiving asking if I could use a turkey for Thanksgiving. When I happily said ‘yes,’ she went on to ask if we could use help for Christmas,” Tirrell recalled. “I cried because I had not thought that far down the road. Holiday (Caring) came through with all kinds of girls’ clothes and toys.”

Another Holiday Caring participant, Carmen, shared that her large family, including her brothers and cousins, has benefitted from the program as well. She discovered SPAN’s holiday assistance during the pandemic, and she is thankful to receive the gifts they likely couldn’t otherwise afford. “For the kids, they feel happy,” she said. “For us, we feel very grateful.”

A single mother of five children, Ashley, has been a grateful recipient of SPAN’s assistance and the Holiday Caring program for several years. But even more than the physical aid, she is especially thankful for the personal care she has received from the people at SPAN.

Amid job loss and a medical diagnosis, Ashley said SPAN was there. “There’s nothing like someone who is a part of a church organization that actually genuinely cares, and wants to help, and cares about your children – you feel the love at this place,” she said.

“If it wasn’t for them, I don’t know what I would have done,” she emphasized, sharing that the women at SPAN motivated her not to give up when things were bleak. Instead, they have helped Ashley feel special and cared for, reaching out to her when they have gluten-free items and checking on her periodically.

The Holiday Caring program is possible because of the many generous individuals, businesses, churches, scout troops, Bible study groups, and others in the community who give of their time and resources to bless people they may never meet with needed food and treasured gifts at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Holiday meals typically include nonperishable side and dessert ingredients as well as a grocery gift card for a turkey or ham and other fresh items. Solo donations of grocery gift cards are encouraged as well. For Christmas gifts, SPAN provides donors with a family’s ID number and gift requests for each child. SPAN recommends spending about $50 per child on gifts. Again, separate donations of Target and Walmart gift cards are appreciated, too.

For those interested in providing a meal and/or gifts, Grabau stated they can email her directly at spanhelps@yahoo.com or fill out the Google form linked at www.spanhelps.org/news. The collection date for Thanksgiving meals is November 11, and Christmas gifts and meals can be dropped off on December 8.

“For some of these families, it’s very huge,” Grabau said of the impact of Holiday Caring. “It feels good to know you’re helping people … who are really trying.”