11 TV Hill: Maryland Food Bank, Orioles form partnership to help ease consumer financial strain
FROM GAS TO GROCERIES THESE DAYS, JUST ABOUT EVERYONE IS FEELING THE FINANCIAL STRAIN OF INFLATION AND THE WAR IN IRAN AND ORGANIZATIONS HERE IN MARYLAND ARE DOING THEIR PART TO HELP KIND OF EASE SOME OF THAT PAIN. HERE TO TALK ABOUT THAT EFFORT IS ELISE KRAKOW. SHE IS THE CHIEF PHILANTHROPY OFFICER FOR MARYLAND FOOD BANK. GOOD TO SEE YOU. I LOVE WHAT YOU’RE DOING RIGHT NOW. YOU’RE PARTNERING WITH THE ORIOLES TO MAKE SURE THAT FOLKS GET FED. TELL ME ALL ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP AND WHAT YOU’RE UP TO. WE’VE ACTUALLY BEEN DOING THIS FOR 39 YEARS WITH THE ORIOLES. AND SO THIS YEAR IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. IT’S GOING TO BE A MONTH LONG CAMPAIGN. A LOT OF IT WILL BE ONLINE, BUT WE HAVE BEEN IN THE PARK LAST MONDAY AND THEN AGAIN ON MAY 24TH TO HELP RAISE AWARENESS AND FUNDS. WHAT DO PEOPLE HAVE TO DO? HOW DO WE HOW DO WE GIVE? SO YOU CAN GO ONLINE AND MAKE A DONATION AT FOOD BANK SLASH ORIOLES. AND THAT GIFT WILL BE MATCHED UP TO $50,000 BY GIANT FOOD, WHO HAS STEPPED IN THIS YEAR TO REALLY HELP PROMOTE AND RAISE AWARENESS. BUT YOU CAN ALSO GO TO THE PARK ON MAY 24TH. AND IF YOU MAKE A CONTRIBUTION, THERE MAY BE A BOBBLEHEAD, THERE MAY BE A LIMITED NUMBER OF BOBBLEHEADS. AND WHO CAN WE SAY WHO THIS BOBBLEHEAD IS? ARE WE ALLOWED? WHAT I’M TOLD IS PASEO. OKAY, HAVE A GREAT YEAR. NOT BAD AT ALL. YES, YES, WE WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT STATS AND IT’S KIND OF AMAZING. SOME PEOPLE MAY NOT REALIZE IN MARYLAND AND I GUESS NATIONWIDE JUST HOW MANY PEOPLE DEAL WITH FOOD INSECURITY. WALK ME THROUGH JUST HOW BIG OF AN ISSUE THAT IS. WHAT WE ESTIMATE IS THAT 1 IN 3 MARYLANDERS ARE CONSIDERED FOOD INSECURE. AND ESSENTIALLY WHAT PEOPLE THINK SOMETIMES IS WHAT DOES THESE ARE FOLKS WHO ARE MAKING REALLY HARD TRADE OFFS EVERY DAY. AND SO WHEN YOU CAN RECEIVE FOOD ASSISTANCE, IT REALLY CAN HELP REDUCE THAT STRESS IN YOUR I MEAN, WE WALK THROUGH YOUR WAREHOUSE THERE, YOU CAN SEE THE GIVING SPIRIT OF PEOPLE, WHETHER THEY’RE GIVING FOOD OR GIVING THEIR TIME. IT’S ALWAYS ACTIVE. AND YOU NEED TO KEEP THE AISLES FILLED. I GUESS WE’VE SEEN AN INCREASE IN NEED BECAUSE SO MANY CHANGES GOING ON. AND SO WITH SNAP CHANGES THAT OCCURRED IN THE FALL, PEOPLE ARE NOW HAVING TO TURN TO TURN TO CHARITABLE FOOD ASSISTANCE FOR THAT EXTRA SUPPORT. AND SO FROM VOLUNTEERING TO DONATING TO RAISING YOUR VOICE, ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE GOING TO HELP US HELP OUR NEIGHBORS AS PEOPLE GIVE MONEY, GIVE US AN IDEA WHERE THAT MONEY GOES, HOW THEY END UP HELPING PEOPLE. SO WE DO PURCHASE A LOT OF FOOD. AND SO ABOUT HALF OF OUR FOOD IS PURCHASED. AND WITH FOOD COSTS GOING UP, ALONG WITH THE FUEL COST, FUEL COSTS THAT YOU RECOMMEND, YOU ALSO REFERENCED THOSE THAT’S GOING UP FOR US. AND SO PEOPLE CAN DONATE A FINANCIAL DONATION, THEY CAN DONATE FOOD, THEY CAN DONATE THEIR TIME, AND THEN THEY CAN HELP US MOVE THAT FOOD OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY TO OUR NEIGHBORS. SO THAT FINANCIAL DONATION, NOT JUST HELPING PEOPLE OUT IN THE STREETS OR AT HOME WHO NEED HELP, BUT HELPING YOU ACTUALLY MAKE THAT DELIVERY. YES. AND SO HOW WE WORK IS WE, WE SOURCE THE FOOD, RIGHT? AND SO WE HAVE ABOUT 760 PARTNERS ACROSS THE STATE WHO ARE THE ONES THAT ARE SERVING NEIGHBORS DIRECTLY. SO WE CAN USE OUR PURCHASING POWER TO REDUCE THE COST AND GET THAT FOOD TO THEM AS WELL. OKAY. TELL ME ABOUT THE JOY OF YOUR JOB. I’VE BEEN THERE AND SEEN VOLUNTEERS, AND WHAT I’VE NOTICED WHEN YOU WALK BY THE VOLUNTEER ROOM THERE, PEOPLE GET READY. NO ONE SAID, NO ONE’S LIKE, OH, I GOT TO GO GET THESE VOLUNTEER HOURS. THERE’S AN EXCITEMENT OF SORTING FOOD OR TO HELP IN THE BACK ROOM. I MEAN, IT’S KIND OF A JOY TO BE THERE. IT REALLY IS JOYFUL. AND THAT REALLY JUST HELPS. IT’S A SPIRIT OF NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS, RIGHT? AND THAT SENSE OF COMMUNITY. AND WE HAVE VOLUNTEERS THAT COME IN EVERY WEEK, SAME SHIFTS, SAME GROUP, AND THEY FORM THEIR OWN COMMUNITY TOO. AND SO IT’S NOT JUST FOR INDIVIDUALS. CORPORATIONS ARE REALLY BIG INTO VOLUNTEERING AS WELL. SO THERE’S SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO GET CONNECTED WITH THE MARYLAND FOOD BANK. GOT ABOUT A MINUTE LEFT. JUST GO BACK. GO BACK TO THE PARTNERSHIP. YOU HAVE A GOAL THERE. THE GOAL IS $100,000, AND THEN TELL ME THAT AND GIVE ME THE DATES AS WELL FOR PEOPLE THAT NEED TO KNOW. ALL RIGHT. YOU CAN MAKE A DONATION THROUGH THE ENTIRE MONTH OF MAY. THAT CAN BE MATCHED DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR, UP TO $50,000 BY GIANT FOOD. GO TO FOODBANK.ORG/ORIOLES OR YOU CAN GO TO THE PARK ON MAY 24TH, AND YOU CAN PERHAPS
11 TV Hill: Maryland Food Bank, Orioles form partnership to help ease consumer financial strain
Updated: 11:00 AM EDT May 17, 2026
From gas to groceries, just about everyone is feeling some of the financial strain of inflation and the war with Iran. Organizations in Maryland are doing their part to ease the pain. Elise Krikau, the chief philanthropy officer for the Maryland Food Bank, tells 11 TV Hill about a monthlong campaign in partnership with the Baltimore Orioles.
BALTIMORE —
From gas to groceries, just about everyone is feeling some of the financial strain of inflation and the war with Iran. Organizations in Maryland are doing their part to ease the pain. Elise Krikau, the chief philanthropy officer for the Maryland Food Bank, tells 11 TV Hill about a monthlong campaign in partnership with the Baltimore Orioles.