CATONSVILLE, Md. — One in every 3 households in Catonsville is food insecure, meaning residents don't earn enough to meet their basic needs, according to Catonsville Emergency Assistance, a local nonprofit. The organization says a new expansion will help it better tackle that problem.
CEA, headquartered on Bloomsbury Avenue, serves over 700 neighbors a year. But tight space and limited privacy have proven to be obstacles.
On Thursday morning, the organization broke ground on a nearly $1 million expansion: a new one-story food distribution center designed for better efficiency, a private intake area and an easier experience for volunteers.
Caitlin Kirby, executive director of Catonsville Emergency Assistance, said the new space will make a meaningful difference.
"[The building] is going to increase the availability of food to those in our community that are suffering from food insecurity," Kirby told a crowd on Thursday.
About two-thirds of the project's goal is already funded through a combination of private donations and public money. Literature distributed by organization at the event said it still needs more than $300,000 to fully fund the project.
Sam Moxley, a former Baltimore County Councilman and current president of CEA, said the need is only growing, pointing to the organization's new program providing food bags for students on long weekends.
"I'd like to tell you that our numbers are dwindling," Moxley noted, "but unfortunately, with the economy and everything else going on, we continue to see an increase in numbers."
While the groundbreaking took place Thursday, the organization anticipates the new center will be serving people by early next year.
"This is a dream come true for our organization," Kirby added.
CEA provides neighbors emergency food, utility and rent assistance, with a presence in the community for several decades.
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