Inside Stories GREENBELT Bun Cafe, p.8 Time Bank, p.11 News ReviewAn Independent Newspaper VOL. 83, No. 11 15 Crescent Rd., Suite 100, Greenbelt, MD 20770-1887 FEBRUARY 6, 2020 Help-By-Phone Food Pantry Dishing the Dirt on Greenbelt’s Gets Reprieve into September by Lesley Kash First Mud Cloth Workshop by Brogan Gerhart Este artículo está disponible relieved that during the past three en español en nuestra página months we have received canned web www.greenbeltnewsreview. goods and $40,000 in checks, On Sunday, February 2, com. which, when added to what we over 40 people filtered in Help-By-Phone food pantry had on hand, are enough to keep and out of the Community has dodged the bullet for now, our pantries open into Septem- Center to create a work of having received private donations ber,” said Board President Mar- art using nothing but sticks sufficient to keep the organization sha Voigt. and fermented mud. Art- operating through the summer. Help-By-Phone board mem- ist in Residence Karen Ar- As of last November, the pantry bers reached that decision at rington led the traditional faced the likelihood of clos- their January meeting while also mud cloth workshop where ing its doors due to insufficient addressing the need to update participants used six differ- private donations and unreliable technologies and strategies for ent colors of mud to stencil grant support from the federal communications and fundraising in everything from bananas government. This, after five de- efforts. Board Vice-President Jim to caterpillars or create their cades of Help-By-Phone’s feed- Lang is developing a website own unique design. “It’s ing, clothing and sheltering the explaining Help-By-Phone’s mis- not really like painting,” poor in Prince George’s County. sion and inviting donations and Greenbelter Lois Rosado Fortunately, subsequent private volunteers. said, as she pressed a mud- donations have given the pantry Board members are also plan- covered stick against the breathing room to prepare for a ning social media strategies for fabric canvas to give her butterfly wings. “You really challenging future. See PANTRY, page 4 “We are greatly blessed and have to press and pull the mud to get it to stay.” But getting the mud on the fabric, being careful not to mix the mud in its jar, is not the only step in this Bogolanfini tradition of Mali. After the first coat is applied, Arrington said that drying, rinsing, reapplying and repeating are absolutely PHOTO BY BROGAN GERHART BROGAN BY PHOTO essential to the process. Kyndall Minor, left, 7, and Emelia Loo, 6, showcase their beautiful mud Hair dryers were cloth designs. plugged in at stations around the room for people to not dry, and then apply washes a different kind of marmalade. dry their work after each coat, of that would alter the colors of “It’s very fun!” Sally Gilbert, a which there were two or three. the cloth the piece was made on. resident of University Park, said. Rinsing stations were also avail- Because all of the washes were “The most difficult part about it made using a variety of fruits, able for attendees to first wash See MUD CLOTH, page 12 away any excess mud that did each rinsing station smelled like PHOTO BY LESLEY KASH LESLEY BY PHOTO Help-By-Phone Pantry volunteers Marsha Voigt and Ron Dobson survey food donations from Greenbelt Community Church. Community Foundation Awards WMATA May Eliminate B30 Grants to Two Local Projects Bus, Postpone Work on Platform by Stephanie Calhoun The Greenbelt Community to the Greenbelt community. residents will be welcome and by Matthew Arbach Foundation (GCF) has announced The $5,000 grant from GCF the monthly workshops will offer On January 22, representa- these cuts, among others, are now that two local organizations have will allow S.I.T.Y. Stars Acad- not only take-home gifts such as tives of the Washington Met- being considered as WMATA been awarded grants in its latest emy to launch the Get Greenbelt a free jump rope but will feature ropolitan Area Transit Author- prepares the Fiscal Year 2021 funding cycle. Chesapeake Edu- Moving program (GGM). The the S.I.T.Y. Stars Jump Rope ity (WMATA) were invited to budget. cation, Arts and Research Society objective of GGM is to encour- team. They have performed on a worksession of the Greenbelt In the next couple months, (CHEARS) and S.I.T.Y. Stars age families to get fit and have Nickelodeon Television for a City Council to address sev- WMATA will be convening pub- Academy have received grants in fun together as they attend free See GRANTS, page 7 eral pressing issues, principally lic hearings in all its jurisdictions support of projects that contribute workshops throughout town. All the proposed elimination of the to gather public input. Other B30 bus route that connects the items on the table include: bet- Greenbelt Metro Station and ter weekend Metrobus service; BWI Airport and the deferral of improved MetroExtra service; the platform reconstruction at the better weekend Metrorail service; What Goes On Greenbelt Station. Government restored late night Metrorail ser- Monday, February 10 Relations Officer Charlie Scott vice; improved customer service; 8 p.m. City Council Meet- and Bus Operations Specialist weekday early morning Metrorail ing, Municipal Building. Officer Ginger Archibald spoke right-sizing; and reduced overlap- Preceded by a Closed Meet- for WMATA. ping and less productive bus ser- ing at 7 p.m. on Collective In a letter sent from the city vice, of which the B30 proposal Bargaining. to WMATA on January 16, coun- is a part. Ultimately, the Metro Wednesday, February 12 cil called the B30 “an essential board will debate the options and 8 p.m. Closed City Council transportation link for Metrobus make a final decision. meeting on Real Estate, and Metrorail users which should WMATA cited low ridership Municipal Building be maintained.” Furthermore, as the central reason for elimi- (See city ad on page 5 “the platform and other aging nating the B30. According to for Black History Month infrastructure at the Greenbelt Archibald, it averages 264 board- Event.) Station are in need of repair and See WMATA, page 8 REBEKAH SUTFIN BY PHOTO rehabilitation now.” However, S.I.T.Y. Stars perform at Celebration of Spring in May, 2019. Page 2 GREENBELT NEWS REVIEW Thursday, February 6, 2020 Se Habla Español Vaya a nuestra página web Letters to the Editor greenbeltnewsreview.com para ver artículos en español. Thanks We had heard about various We thank everyone who con- struggles the Café has had over tributed for your donations to the the years so were preparing our- Greenbelt Pantry. Everyone who selves for some disappointment. was involved is quite remarkable In fact, the first morning of my indeed. Thank you Father Walter. visit I was brokenhearted to find Thank you Henry Haslinger for the doors locked on a Tuesday your outsize monetary donation. morning. But then I read the no- Thank you Bob Greig and the tice on the door, inviting people 299 Feed the Hungry bag donors. to bring in their own beverages See our website, Wow! and to use the space as a liv- greenbeltnewsreview.com, The Boy Scouts always re- ing room during the day. And in for articles in Spanish. member the pantry. Along the the evening we were happy to way the Reid Temple African see the back room filled to the Methodist Episcopal Church re- brim with music-lovers, and to membered the Pantry. see people bringing their game The community of Greenbelt boards, books and friends to the is a source of great pride. Val- front room. I sat and chatted with entine bouquets for all of you. I various strangers as I watched hope your day is a dazzler. people of all ages interacting Solange Hess face to face. Perusing the bulletin Chair of the Pantry board, I saw the New Deal Café had been mentioned honorably as Movies since 1938 LOOKING FOR TYPISTS one of the best local live music Old Greenbelt Theatre Tuesday afternoon or evening typing using Thanks venues. My heart swelled with 129 Centerway Many thanks to all of you for gratitude and joy at the lively 301-329-2034 MSWord, once or twice a month all you do all year long to help down-to-earth spirit still remain- www.greenbelttheatre.org our community communicate with ing after 25 years. each other – and many thanks for I would love to get in touch Members Always $6.50! Members' Kids Free! all the special help you’ve given with the other committee mem- Contact editor@ me over the years with my ads, bers from yore and see if we Adults $9, Kids $6, greenbeltnewsreview. pictures, articles and letters to the could re-connect. Senior/Student/Military $8 com editors! Happy belated holidays Kim Hansen All shows before 5 PM: and New Year and Happy Valen- [email protected] Adults $7, Kids $5 tine’s Day. OC = Open Captions Katrina Boverman CC = Closed Captions DVS = Descriptive Video Service LOVE NOTES The Real Deal Stroke Awareness SHOWTIMES My husband and I found our- are coming! selves back in Old Greenbelt last Seminar at Doctors February 7th - 13th week. We lived in 51 Court on On Wednesday, February 12 The Auditorium from 1 to 3 p.m. Doctors Com- See ad on page 11 Ridge Road from 1992-1996. At JOJO RABBIT (PG-13) that time Joel (Parker) was do- munity Hospital will have a free ing his first post-doc at Goddard, stroke awareness program at (CC)(DVS)(108 mins) and I was teaching fitness classes the Diyanet Center of America, Fri.