The 2021 Great Lisbon FARMERS FEED THE HUNGRY Christmas Parade is scheduled for Saturday,
December 11th, at 12 Noon Sharp in our Historic Town of Lisbon, Maryland! Stay tuned for updates!
December 11th, at 12 Noon Sharp in our Historic Town of Lisbon, Maryland! Stay tuned for updates!
COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on Marylanders, driving food insecurity numbers to unprecedented levels. People have looked to the Maryland Food Bank to take action, and since March, we have proved that the food assistance safety net we’ve built over the last 40 years can withstand this crisis, but not without your support."
~ Maryland Food Bank
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Since the inception of The Great Lisbon FARMERS FEED THE HUNGRY Christmas Parade in 2011, the parade has raised over $104,000 dollars for its beneficiaries, the The Howard County Food Bank, Carroll County Food Sunday, Farmers & Hunters Feeding the Hungry, and the Lisbon Volunteer Fire Company. In addition, the generous community surrounding the parade have collected many thousands of pounds of food for our two local food banks.
Presented by The Howard County Farm Bureau, the parade in its traditional in-person format has been preempted by the Pandemic, but the need hasn't. This year the Lisbon Christmas Parade committee decided to continue its mission through a virtual parade, one that has been reimagined and is to air online on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2020 at 12 Noon. We are still raising funds to feed the hungry and with the help of our community, hosting canned food drives. Please read on below to learn more about the impact of the Pandemic and how your contributions make quite a difference. 
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Please help give to those in need by placing your non-perishable canned goods in food drive drop bins at
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What a difference a Pandemic makes to our local economy.
The need is real. It has increased exponentially since the Pandemic began. Please read on
below for some sobering statistics reported in mid-November 2020.
Howard County Food Bank - Community Action Council of Howard County, MD
"Howard County, Maryland, is one of the wealthiest counties nationwide, with the typical household earning more than $115,000 per year. Residents are also among the least likely to face poverty, as just 5.2 percent live below the poverty line. Nationwide, 14.6 percent of Americans live in poverty." - USA Today, January 24, 2019
Individuals receiving food assistance in Fiscal Year 2020 rose by 18,667, an approximate 56.1% increase above Fiscal Year 2019. While there was a substantial increase in need, the amount of food distributed only increased by roughly 21%.
FY19 (July 2018-June 2019)
FY20 (July 2019-June 2020)
In addition, from March through August, 53 pop-up pantries were hosted throughout Howard County in partnership with the Howard County Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) and Howard County Food Bank which served tens of thousands of people.
"Howard County, Maryland, is one of the wealthiest counties nationwide, with the typical household earning more than $115,000 per year. Residents are also among the least likely to face poverty, as just 5.2 percent live below the poverty line. Nationwide, 14.6 percent of Americans live in poverty." - USA Today, January 24, 2019
Individuals receiving food assistance in Fiscal Year 2020 rose by 18,667, an approximate 56.1% increase above Fiscal Year 2019. While there was a substantial increase in need, the amount of food distributed only increased by roughly 21%.
FY19 (July 2018-June 2019)
- 33,275 individuals were served at the Howard County Food Bank
- 1,120,351 pounds of food were distributed
FY20 (July 2019-June 2020)
- 51,942 individuals were served at the Howard County Food Bank
- 1,356,448 pounds of food were distributed
In addition, from March through August, 53 pop-up pantries were hosted throughout Howard County in partnership with the Howard County Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) and Howard County Food Bank which served tens of thousands of people.
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Carroll County Food Sunday
Carroll County, MD has a population of approximately 168,000 people and a median household income of $84,887. In January 2020, the rate of unemployment was 2.9% and rose sharply to 9.4% in April, leveling out to an average of 5.3% during the January through October timeframe.
Carroll County, MD has a population of approximately 168,000 people and a median household income of $84,887. In January 2020, the rate of unemployment was 2.9% and rose sharply to 9.4% in April, leveling out to an average of 5.3% during the January through October timeframe.
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In 2019, Carroll County Food Sunday
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More than 90 cents of every dollar received is used to purchase food
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With COVID 19 in 2020, CCFS was serving about 400 families per week up through October2020. The number of families served was growing, CCFS expected to provide groceries for 550 plus families the week prior to Thanksgiving when they added a 13 pound turkey and the fixings for their Thanksgiving meal to their normal grocery package.
Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry - a Deer Donation Program
Funds raised through the parade pay for processing of deer and other wild game to feed the hungry.
Inspired by a passion for the outdoors and compassion for the needy, Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry (FHFH) is committed to addressing America's hunger problem in a unique and relevant way. Established in 1997, FHFH enables hunters and farmers in states nationwide to provide nutritious meat (deer and wild game) to feed the hungry of their communities.
FHFH in Maryland 2019-2020
The Gift of $4,600 from the 2019 parade to the Farmers & Hunters Feeding the Hungry, helped provide 8,000 servings of meat.
Participation in SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) across Maryland increased 41% between February and August indicating a substantial impact during the COVID-19 pandemic as people have been dealing with reduced work hours, job losses, and more.
Funds raised through the parade pay for processing of deer and other wild game to feed the hungry.
Inspired by a passion for the outdoors and compassion for the needy, Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry (FHFH) is committed to addressing America's hunger problem in a unique and relevant way. Established in 1997, FHFH enables hunters and farmers in states nationwide to provide nutritious meat (deer and wild game) to feed the hungry of their communities.
FHFH in Maryland 2019-2020
- 64,010 pounds of meat processed and distributed
- 256,040 quarter pound servings for the needy
The Gift of $4,600 from the 2019 parade to the Farmers & Hunters Feeding the Hungry, helped provide 8,000 servings of meat.
Participation in SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) across Maryland increased 41% between February and August indicating a substantial impact during the COVID-19 pandemic as people have been dealing with reduced work hours, job losses, and more.
Lisbon Volunteer Fire Company
The Lisbon Volunteer Fire Company services over 58.58 square miles throughout the Western Howard County - Four-County area. The LVFC hosts fundraising events which feed the community in Western Howard County by hosting monthly pancake breakfasts and spaghetti dinners, and an annual holiday chicken and ham dinner.
Funds raised from these events and through the 2020 Lisbon Christmas Parade will be used to build the Lisbon Volunteer Fire Company's new facility. During the pandemic, the fire company has ceased hosting events, making it harder to raise funds to complete the new fire house.
For the past several years, they have been raising funds through a capital improvement fundraising campaign to build a new firehouse.
The new building will meet all current National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards. This includes, but is not limited to, vehicle emission reduction, an EMS decontamination room, negative pressure turnout gear storage, and negative pressure sleeping quarters. Firefighters have a 68% higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer than the general public, and the current station can not accommodate the improvements needed. The fire station will continue to be used as an evacuation shelter for area schools and interstate travelers. The new facility will improve apparatus response times due to larger apparatus doors. The current facility is not large enough to safely support the necessary apparatus to serve our response area. In addition, the social hall in the new building will have seating for 250 people with overflow seating for 50 more and will be used for department trainings as well as an evacuation shelter for area schools. (The current hall seats 168 people)
The Lisbon Volunteer Fire Company services over 58.58 square miles throughout the Western Howard County - Four-County area. The LVFC hosts fundraising events which feed the community in Western Howard County by hosting monthly pancake breakfasts and spaghetti dinners, and an annual holiday chicken and ham dinner.
Funds raised from these events and through the 2020 Lisbon Christmas Parade will be used to build the Lisbon Volunteer Fire Company's new facility. During the pandemic, the fire company has ceased hosting events, making it harder to raise funds to complete the new fire house.
For the past several years, they have been raising funds through a capital improvement fundraising campaign to build a new firehouse.
The new building will meet all current National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards. This includes, but is not limited to, vehicle emission reduction, an EMS decontamination room, negative pressure turnout gear storage, and negative pressure sleeping quarters. Firefighters have a 68% higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer than the general public, and the current station can not accommodate the improvements needed. The fire station will continue to be used as an evacuation shelter for area schools and interstate travelers. The new facility will improve apparatus response times due to larger apparatus doors. The current facility is not large enough to safely support the necessary apparatus to serve our response area. In addition, the social hall in the new building will have seating for 250 people with overflow seating for 50 more and will be used for department trainings as well as an evacuation shelter for area schools. (The current hall seats 168 people)
