About the Donald Bentley Food Pantry

Our Mission & History

The Donald Bentley Food Pantry (DBFP) opened in 1990 to feed families in need in East Baltimore, and to honor the memory of a brilliant young man, passionate about social justice, who fell victim to our city’s murder epidemic. Since opening our doors, dedicated volunteers have provided over 1,000,000 free meals to food-insecure Baltimoreans. As we have for the past 35 years, our doors open, year-round, on Saturday mornings from 9 AM to noon, offering Pantry patrons a balanced selection of grocery items, including meat, milk, fruit, vegetables, and bread. We operate out of a recently-renovated garage, located at 624 Gutman Ave, east of Greenmount Avenue, just below 25th Street. Our building, provided and maintained at no cost to us by a generous local business owner, is warm and inviting, featuring photos of our pantry’s namesake, Donald Bentley, along with pictures of beloved long-time volunteers. Music fills the air, primarily featuring classic Soul and Motown hits, creating a joyful feeling of familiarity that unifies patrons and volunteers alike.

Our Leadership Team 

• Josh Julius, Director & Co-founder

• Valerie Murray, Co-chair of Board of Directors

• Bessie Oster, Co-chair of Board of Directors 

• Marilyn Julius, Secretary

• Lynne Kahn, Treasurer 

Our Partners

• First Baptist Church of Baltimore

• First Fruit Farms

• Gilman School

• Maryland Food Bank

• P. Flanigan & Sons

The Donald Bentley Food Pantry is registered as a 503(c)3 and our Tax Exempt number is EIN 83-2060714