My recent opinion pieces have focused on some of College Park's problems—vacant properties, crime, disagreements over development, and so on. This time around, I'd like to do something a little different—focus on something positive and then ask you to join me in making sure it continues.

As you probably know, for it has received some good press in both the Washington Post and the Gazette, College Park Church of the Nazarene hosts the College Park Community Food Bank, which gives away free boxes of food to members of the community who find themselves in need. What you may not know is just how many people the program reaches. The Post reported "the program feeds more than 300 people from as many as 75 families." I've heard the number is considerably higher and is estimated to be 400 or more. These numbers startle me and, when I think about them in the context of the slow economic recovery that the news keeps telling me about, that surprise turns to worry.

Yet, as troublesome as these numbers are, it makes me happy to know that there are people willing to step up and do something about it. According to the Post article, the church began the food bank after "an informal survey of nonprofit organizations in the area revealed the need for a food giveaway."

For me, this is further proof of what I've been saying all along (even when I talk about the city's problems)—College Park is full of good people who care about their neighbors and the community at large.

According to its website, the church gives away free boxes of food to persons in need from the surrounding community every third Saturday of the month from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. The website also notes that, "we give out what we have until we run out so it's best to show up at 10 a.m."

To help make sure the food bank has enough to help as many people as possible, I'd like to launch a food drive and I invite you to help out. Here's what I'm proposing:

1. Collect some non-perishable food items (soup, canned vegetables, beans, rice, pasta etc.) and have them ready to go in a bag or box.

2. Let me know you're donating by sending me an E-mail with your name and address. (I will not share this information with any person or group).

3. Put the bag or box of food on your porch by 9:00 a.m. on the 3rd Saturday of the month (this month, that would be December 18th — soon!). I will pick it up and then deliver it to the church.

4. Join the College Park Community Facebook group for reminders about dates for monthly donations.

If you'd like to volunteer, or help in other ways, visit the College Park Community Food Bank website at www.collegeparkfoodbank.com.

Smith is a resident of North College Park and treasurer of the North College Park Citizens Association.