We found 7 food pantries listed for St. Mary's County, Maryland. Call before you go to confirm hours and what to bring. You can also see Food banks in St. Mary's County, Maryland.
Salvation Army Food Pantry Locations
We have located 1 Salvation Army Food Pantry locations in St. Mary's, Maryland. You can also check your eligibility.
The Salvation Army - St. Mary's County Service Unit
Phone: (301) 769-2788
Address: 21506 Colton Point Rd, Abell, MD 20606. Get Directions
Hours: Call for hours
Services provided :
- Emergency Financial Assistance
- Seasonal Services
Appointments :
Call (301) 769-2788 to ask about hours, whether you need an appointment, and what to bring.
Help Residents of Counties:
- St. Mary's
Church Food Pantry Locations
We have located 3 Church Food Pantry locations in St. Mary's, Maryland. You can also check your eligibility.
The Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen at St. Paul’s Church
Phone: (301) 475-7200
Address: 25550 Point Lookout Rd, Leonardtown, MD 20650. Get Directions
Hours: Call for hours
A hot meal and a warm smile. That’s what is offered to our community every Tuesday and Thursday from the soup kitchen at the St. Paul's Campus in Leonardtown. Teams of volunteers prepare and serve hot meals and distribute bags of staples to anyone that needs them. Meals are served every Tuesday and Thursday from 11:00 to 12:30, and groceries are distributed on Thursdays.
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
Call (301) 475-7200 to ask about hours, whether you need an appointment, and what to bring.
Help Residents of Cities:
- Leonardtown
Help Residents of Counties:
- St. Mary's
Trinity Lutheran Church Food Pantry
Phone: (301) 863-9512
Address: 46707 Shangri-La Dr, Lexington Park, MD 20653. Get Directions
Hours: Call for hours
Open every Wednesday 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m., and provides food for members in the community in need.
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
Call (301) 863-9512 to ask about hours, whether you need an appointment, and what to bring.
Help Residents of Cities:
- Lexington Park
Help Residents of Counties:
- St. Mary's
Church of the Ascension Food Pantry
Phone: (301) 863-8551
Address: 21641 Great Mills Rd, Lexington Park, MD 20653. Get Directions
Hours: Call for hours
The Church of the Ascension food pantry is a collection of staples distributed to people with emergency food needs in the Lexington Park area. The pantry is located in the Church undercroft and is staffed by volunteers from H.O.P.E. and parishioners of the church. Their responsibility is to fill out the necessary paperwork for their files as well as for government food distribution. The Church of the Ascension is the host for special food drives at Easter and Thanksgiving and asks for volunteers to help collate and deliver the food during these drives. Donations of food for the food pantry can be left in the Narthex as you enter the church on Sunday. Monetary donations to the food pantry are gratefully accepted and can be put in the offering plate on Sunday mornings. The Social Outreach Chairperson uses the money to purchase food for the food pantry.
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
Call (301) 863-8551 to ask about hours, whether you need an appointment, and what to bring.
Help Residents of Cities:
- Lexington Park
Help Residents of Counties:
- St. Mary's
Food Pantry Locations
We have located 3 Food Pantry locations in St. Mary's, Maryland. You can also check your eligibility.
Good Samaritan - Our Daily Bread Food Pantry
Phone: (301) 863-4740
Address: 20850 Langley Rd, Lexington Park, MD 20653. Get Directions
Hours: Call for hours
Our Daily Bread food pantry is an important way for us to be Good Samaritans in our neighborhood. The food pantry provides non perishable food along with a frozen meat product twice weekly to local neighbors who are in need of food assistance. At times we have some fresh produce and bread products to offer as well. It is staffed by 3 or 4 volunteers each Wednesday and Friday to help in the food distribution and administrative work. On Mondays, a trip is required to go to the Southern Maryland Food Bank in Waldorf to pick up food/meat supplies for the week’s distribution.
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
Call (301) 863-4740 to ask about hours, whether you need an appointment, and what to bring.
Help Residents of Cities:
- Lexington Park
Help Residents of Counties:
- St. Mary's
First Friendship Food Pantry
Address: 13723 Point Lookout Rd, Ridge, MD 20680. Get Directions
Hours: Hours not listed
The First Friendship food pantry reaches out to the local community, providing grocery staples to families in need. Deliveries are made to each home once a week.
Services provided :
- food pantry
Help Residents of Cities:
- Ridge
Help Residents of Counties:
- St. Mary's
St. Mark Bread of Life Food Pantry
Phone: (301) 994-2090
Address: 45685 Happyland Road Vly, Lee, MD 20692. Get Directions
Hours: Call for hours
The St. Mark Bread of Life Food Pantry was opened in April 2014. The food pantry theme verse is from John 6:35 – And Jesus said unto them, “I am the Bread of Life; he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.†Our MISSION is simple. We are an all-volunteer auxiliary of St. Mark UAME Church collecting and distributing food to those needy families in our community. During the year that we have been open we have given out over 950 bags of groceries to needy families. We solely operate on donations so if you would like to contribute to this worthwhile effort, please bring your donation to our Fellowship Hall on Mondays. We accept all non-perishable food items and are particularly thankful for canned goods, dry beans, pasta, peanut butter, jelly, cereal and oatmeal. We are blessed to be a blessing. OPEN Mondays – Noon – 2:30 PM
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
Call (301) 994-2090 to ask about hours, whether you need an appointment, and what to bring.
Help Residents of Cities:
- Lee
Help Residents of Counties:
- St. Mary's
A number of food banks, soup kitchens for hot meals and free emergency food pantries in St. Mary's, Maryland distribute groceries to individuals or families who are in some form of an emergency situation.
There are also meals, free bags of food, personal toiletries and household goods for low to moderate income families from food pantries near you.
Distribution centers can include churches, non-profit organizations, community action agencies, and many other local charities as well as non-profits.
Salvation Army Food Pantry
The Salvation Army is dedicated to eliminating food insecurity.
The Salvation Army offers free food help through local centers. Contact the branch nearest St. Mary's, Maryland to confirm hours and requirements. The charity organization is involved in feeding millions of families each year, with a large percentage of those assisted being children as well as the elderly.
Church Food Pantry
A number of churches around St. Mary's, Maryland have food pantries for those in their neighborhoods who are in need of food items.
Church pantries often rely on food donations gathered through food drives.
Some churches also deliver food items to older adults who are unable to drive to a nearby community food pantry. Please contact your local church directly.
Catholic Charities Food Pantry
Resources provided by Catholic Charities organizations can include help with food, holiday, and immigration needs.
Families of all religions, backgrounds, and cultures can contact Catholic Charities centers for help.
Catholic Charities locations in and around St. Mary's, Maryland may offer groceries, food boxes, and items to prepare a meal. Hours and walk-in rules vary, so call before you go.
Some of these food pantries work like grocery stores, letting clients choose the items they need from the groceries available on site.
First-time clients may need to fill out a short application with basic household information.
Helping Hands Food Pantry
Some independent food pantries use the Helping Hands name. Any Helping Hands pantries we have listed around St. Mary's, Maryland appear on this page.
Food supplies, hours, and services differ from one pantry to the next, so call before you go.
These pantries often rely on donations and volunteers from their local communities.
Find a local helping hands food pantry open near you.
Mobile Food Pantry
Mobile food pantries bring free food directly to families in need in communities around St. Mary's, Maryland, often during large one-day distributions.
Some mobile pantries hand out pre-packed boxes, while others let you shop market-style.
Mobile food pantries usually visit churches, community centers, schools, shopping centers, and other convenient locations. They usually go to areas where there aren't grocery stores or other food pantries.
Mobile Food Pantry Schedule 2026
Unlike traditional food pantries where you go to them, mobile pantry trucks come to you. Food banks sometimes have an online mobile food pantry schedule.
Mobile food pantries often visit a community once a week or once a month. There may be last-minute cancellations or changes, so recheck the mobile food pantry schedule before you plan to go.
St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry
Some St. Vincent de Paul food pantries around St. Mary's, Maryland may operate much like a grocery store, where people in need can choose their own food.
Services vary by location, so call the pantry near you to ask what is available.
Food Pantry Delivery Program
Some food banks run delivery programs that bring food and other products to partner agencies in more remote areas. Ask a food pantry around St. Mary's, Maryland whether delivery is available near you.
Drive-thru Food Pantries
Drive-thru food pantries are a convenient and efficient way to distribute food to neighbors in need. Many are open to anyone who needs help with food, but rules vary by location, so call ahead if you can.
Who can visit a drive-thru pantry?
Drive-thru pantries are generally open to anyone who needs help getting food. Requirements vary, so check with the pantry before you go.
You may be asked to provide:
- Your zip code, and
- Number of people in your household.
You usually do not need an appointment. Drive-thru pantries are generally first-come, first-served, so plan to arrive early because lines can fill quickly and popular items may run out.
How do drive-thru pantries work?
Volunteers and staff manage the distribution line. Here is how most drive-thru pantries operate:
Staff and volunteers direct visitors to the distribution area.
Visitors pull up in their car and are guided into a clearly marked queue. Staff move cars forward to keep the line moving quickly.
Check-in.
You may be asked about your zip code, household size or income for the pantry's records.
Food is loaded into your car.
Pre-packed bags of food — typically including shelf-stable items like pasta, canned fruit, and peanut butter, as well as fresh produce and meats — are loaded by volunteers directly into your trunk.
Pet Food Pantry
Some pet owners give up their pets because they cannot afford to care for them. Pet food pantries help fill a gap left by assistance programs such as SNAP, which cannot be used to buy pet food.
Pet food pantries may provide free pet food for a limited time to pet owners who cannot afford to feed their pets in St. Mary's, Maryland.
Who is eligible for a pet food pantry?
Rules vary by pantry, but many help people who are:
- All ages, races and marital status
- Unemployed or underemployed
- Retired, living on social security or other limited income
- Physically or mentally disabled
- Experiencing homelessness or housing instability
Tips for Visiting a Food Pantry
Show up early.
This is very important. This means you will be first in line and have a chance to get the items that are sought after and in limited quantities such as fresh produce, dairy and frozen food.
You don't usually need to show up hours ahead of time but coming at least an hour before is usually a good idea.
Remember all documentation.
Some food pantries require documentation to prove who you are, and in some cases, where you live.
This is to make sure people are not coming more than they are allowed or using fake names to do so. Call ahead of time to find out what documentation is needed.
This is often a photo ID and a piece of mail that verifies your address.
Use several food banks.
Using more than one food bank (when available) is smart because you may be able to get something at one that you may not get at another.
For instance, one may have a deal with a local gardener that gives them their extras. This may mean this food bank has more produce.
Eligible for other programs?
Ask your Department of Social Services office if you are eligible for other assistance programs to supplement your household’s food supply.
They can easily tell you if you can apply for WIC (Women, Infants, and Children), USDA Commodities or SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits.
Ask about extras.
If you have special needs for infants or special diets, the pantries may be able to assist you.
Many times, they can help with diapers, baby formula, baby food, personal hygiene products, and even special diet items like gluten free or sugar free foods.
Go on different days of the week.
Depending on the food pantry, they may be open only one or two days a week or they may be open all seven days. When you have a choice, going midweek is often best as it is less crowded.
Be polite to workers.
Nearly everyone at a food bank is a volunteer. Be polite to the workers there as they often deal with highly emotional situations.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
1. What is the difference between a food bank and a food pantry?
Independent community food pantries are self-governing and usually distribute food to their clients on a once-a-month basis. A food bank is the storehouse for millions of pounds of food and other products that go out to the community. A food pantry functions as the arms that reach out to that community directly.
2. What kind of food is at a food pantry?
Food pantries typically provide shelf-stable items such as:
- Peanut butter
- Canned soup
- Canned fruit
- Canned vegetables
- Pasta
- Canned beans
- Canned stew
- Canned fish
3. Who can go to a food pantry?
Rules vary by food pantry. Many ask only that you say you need help, while others may ask for ID, proof of address, income information, or a referral. Call ahead to find out what to bring.
4. What is the difference between a food pantry and a soup kitchen?
A food pantry often provides food packages meant to last a few days to families that have a place to live, but not enough food. These packages are designed to provide nutritionally balanced meals. Soup kitchens serve individuals in need of a hot meal, the only meal of the day for many of them.
5. How does a food pantry work?
Food banks acquire large donations of food from the food industry and distribute it to organizations that feed hungry people. Those organizations then provide this food directly to families in need.