Established in January 1990, the Donald Bentley Food Pantry began as a student effort to celebrate and memorialize a Gilman School classmate who was murdered on Aug. 11, 1989. Nearly 20 years later, the pantry continues to distribute food to the hungry every Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to noon under the stewardship of Bentley family members and a handful of devoted volunteers. While the pantry is often adequately stocked through the USDA Surplus program, donations from local institutions, and the Maryland Food Bank, it is always in need of more helping hands to stack, pack, and dole. Show up one of these Saturdays and give your time to this long-standing testament to Baltimore's indelible spirit of survival. You know you've got nothing better to do.
