December produce from local vendor Shenny (Keany subsidiary)

January 2026 Update: Remembering Tommy Raskin

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Dear Takoma Park and Silver Spring families and friends,

Every January, Tommy’s Pantry takes a moment to plan something special to honor our namesake Tommy Raskin. In tandem with this sixth remembrance of Tommy’s birthday, Tommy’s Pantry will include birthday cake kits with each of our 360 February wellness boxes. This new way to honor Tommy’s extraordinary life and light is thanks to a Community Impact grant and volunteers from an Amazon Web Services customer solutions team based in Arlington, VA. Thank you Amazon volunteers!

January is also a time to reflect back on Tommy’s Pantry achievements from 2025. Here are a couple highlights. Most notably, Tommy’s Pantry saw a 5% increase in capacity over the past year, largely manifested by the distribution of 259 more boxes of household shelf-stable food supplies over the course of the year. 

Special thanks to our generous supporters whose support is a testament to our namesake Tommy Raskin and the work done by the Pantry in his honor. Many thanks also to Montgomery County, the City of Takoma Park, and Capital Area Food Bank for awarding Tommy’s Pantry with the grant funding to purchase additional food supplies in 2025. Beyond shelf-stable foods, grant awards and funding from our loyal donors also enabled us to partner with a reliable local supplier of generous monthly boxes of fresh produce, a service that has remained uninterrupted since August of 2025.

Please keep showing up to volunteer and donate when you can, so that each month we can continue to serve local households with 350 shelf-stable food boxes, 350 produce boxes, and 360 wellness boxes. Thank you so much for your ongoing support – onward to bigger and better things in 2026!

Sincerely,

Wendy Kent, President

Upcoming/Ongoing Events

  • Toiletries Drive in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: From January 5th through January 23rd, we will be collecting toothpaste (4-oz or larger), men’s and women’s deodorant (full-size), and maxi pads (24-ct or larger packs please) for local households in need in honor of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Donate virtually via: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/I7P0QJ2992AF?ref_=wl_share (choose “Mark Hines”, our In-Kind Donation Drive Coordinator, from your shipping address options). Please check the News page of our website for updates about this community drive celebrating dignity and solidarity. Thank you so much for your participation! 
  • Mahjong for Meal Supplies: On Saturday February 21st, from 6:30-9:30pm, local organization Mahj4Good (@mahj4good on Instagram) will host an American mahjong event at Tommy’s Pantry (upstairs in the Parish Hall). All money raised will be donated directly to Tommy’s Pantry to purchase food supplies. Both instruction ($60) and open play ($30) tickets are available at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScMTKXE-ZffcX_iX9ibGVKoNiykqFbQdD5Cv7zoMHIZJwi4YQ/viewform. We hope you can join us for this fun, brain-building event to raise funds for Tommy’s Pantry.

Fundraising Corner

  • Thank you for your Year End Donations!: Thanks to our many generous donors, our year-end drive was a success. It’s not too late to contribute. Please visit our website (tommyspantry.org) to donate.
  • Tommy’s Pantry is 100% volunteer run. Your financial support is crucial to keeping food and wellness boxes flowing into the hands of those in need: https://tommyspantry.org/donate/ 

Volunteer Update

  • To join us in alleviating food insecurity in our community, please visit the Tommy’s Pantry Volunteer Sign Up Genius page at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0544AFA722A5F5CF8-59549755-tommys#/. If you accidentally click the old link, you will see instructions to go to the new page. Please sign up to help us with our mission! Students can earn SSL hours. Ages 11 and up, please accompany your 11-year-old if it’s their first time volunteering.
  • Volunteer shoutout to our recent groups/individuals: Thanks to Joe Newman and Solid Ground, SLAM (Spread Love Around Me) Club at Marshall High School, and Harrison Jo and family for bringing outstanding group energy to recent distribution and packing shifts! Thank you for all your help! Also, a big thank you to all those who responded to our call to try something new! We’re looking forward to welcoming several much-needed packing supervisors and traffic volunteers over the next few weeks! 
  • New dates and times to volunteer are posted on the 3rd Saturdays of each month. If dates you are interested in are full, please check our Volunteer Sign-Up for a chance to fill in for cancellations.
  • Spanish language skills urgently needed for our weekend distributions! If you or someone you know is conversational in Spanish, we’d love to connect. Please email tommyspantry@gmail.com. Not sure you have enough experience to be useful? When in doubt, reach out! Shoot us an email and we’ll work together to find a good fit for your skill level.
  • Extra help needed! If you have professional skills you’re willing to share or are interested in training to become a Tommy’s Pantry packing or distribution supervisor, please let us know via our online Resource Center.
  • Group volunteer sessions are offered through the end of the school year, and are booked 1-2 months in advance. Please email tommyspantry@gmail.com about winter group opportunities.

Our On-Site Little Free Pantry Needs Some Love

  • Our Little Free Pantry at 630 Silver Spring Ave is heavily used and rapidly depleted. Please consider bringing some extra beans, pasta, cereal, soup, sanitary products and/or toiletries, etc. you may have at home to help keep our 24-hour pantry stocked. Thank you! 

Tommy’s Pantry News & Social Media

Receive Assistance with Food & Wellness Items

  • Family health/wellness and cleaning supplies distribution: Join us on the morning of Saturday, February 7th. Boxes are distributed in order of arrival while supplies last. The drive-up distribution location is at the back of Church of the Ascension, across the street from East Silver Spring Elementary (630 Silver Spring Ave, Silver Spring, MD). If you plan to walk up, please email tommyspantry@gmail.com in advance.
  • Shelf-stable food distribution: Food boxes will be offered on the morning of Saturday, February 21st. Boxes are distributed in order of arrival while supplies last. The drive-up distribution location is at the back of Church of the Ascension, across the street from East Silver Spring Elementary (630 Silver Spring Ave, Silver Spring, MD). If you plan to walk up, please email tommyspantry@gmail.com in advance.
  • Know Your Rights: Please visit the Know Your Rights page at tommyspantry.org for multilingual resources regarding your rights and safety planning to protect yourselves and loved ones. 
  • FREE Ride On bus rates: $0 fares are now in effect for all passengers on all Ride On, Ride On extRa, Ride On Flex, and Flash Buses in Montgomery County. For information, visit https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/DOT-transit/fares/ .
  • 50% off WMATA fares: WMATA’s Metro Lift program offers 50% off Metrobus and Metrorail trips for DC, Maryland, and Virginia customers enrolled in SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). For more information in multiple languages, and to enroll, visit https://www.wmata.com/fares/Reduced-Fare-Programs/MetroLift/index.cfm .
  • FREE and Reduced-Price Meals (FARMS) for MoCo students 18 and younger. For the 2025-2026 school year, complete the Free and Reduced Meals (FARMS) form if you have previously, or believe you qualify for free or reduced meals. If your family qualifies for any level of FARMS support, all meals are free. Only 1 application is required per household. Apply online at www.MySchoolApps.com.

Thank you for your continued support of this vital community initiative.

Wendy Kent
Tommy’s Pantry President

Sarah Goupell
Tommy’s Pantry Vice President

Hannah Deutsch
Tommy’s Pantry Treasurer

Sasha Johnson
Tommy’s Pantry Secretary 

Paula Kowalczuk
Tommy’s Pantry Board Member, Chair of Fundraising Committee

Hannah Raskin
Tommy’s Pantry Board Member

Adrienne Tilton
Tommy’s Pantry Board Member

Joe Newman
Tommy’s Pantry Student Board Member

Tommy’s Pantry collaborates with PTA leaders, school counselors, administration and ESOL teachers from each of our schools, Blair school counselors, the City of Takoma Park, and county social workers. With the help of all of these people and organizations, we have quick and direct contact with families who need help. Rest assured that we are reaching far into the community – all across Takoma Park and the folks from the East Silver Spring neighborhood.

Newsletter edited by Madeline Sahagun

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