If you drop a bag of canned goods somewhere in Pasadena under the Harvest for the Hungry name, where does it end up? This week the answer depends on which drive took it. One name covers three separate efforts. One ends this Saturday, one runs down Tick Neck Road this Sunday afternoon, and one fills Twain's Tavern on a Wednesday evening in mid-November. They have different organizers and different deadlines, and they send their food to different places.

The parade on Sunday, November 1, is the only one of the three that says its food stays in Pasadena. That makes it the one to plan your weekend around, and it explains why the route now runs through neighborhoods instead of down Mountain Road.

Three drives, one name

The table below sorts the three drives by deadline, so you can see which is still open when.

The schools' campaign is in its 39th year and closes Saturday, October 31. Through AACPS, you can donate online or bring canned and dried goods to a school, and the district says 100% of proceeds go to the Anne Arundel County Food Bank. If there's a box in your child's school lobby, Friday is the last school day to fill it.

The happy hour on November 18 is the 21st annual and sends its food and money to the same countywide food bank. Both are good causes that reach the whole county.

The parade works on a smaller map. Pasadena Business Association organizers say the food volunteers collect along the route goes directly to local food pantries, so Pasadena families have a full table at Thanksgiving.

Thirty years of a parade that asks for a can

The Pasadena Business Association started the Caring & Sharing Community Harvest Parade in 1996, built on one question it still prints on the event page: what if a parade could feed our neighbors? Admission is free. Instead of a ticket, spectators bring bags of nonperishable food and hand them to runners who travel with the floats, marching bands and fire trucks. The association calls it a "Parade with a Purpose" and treats the first Sunday in November as the unofficial start of the holiday season.

This year's theme is "Red, White, and Blue: Celebrating the American Flag." The judging categories include Best Patriotic Entry, which suits the theme, along with Best Entry Overall, Best Business Display on Float, Most Original & Judges Award, Best Community Entry, Best Youth Group Entry, and Best Musical or Performance Entry.

Last year's parade showed where the food goes. Real Pasadena Maryland reported in October 2025 that the collected food went to Caring Cupboard, community churches and the Northeast High School food pantry, and quoted that year's parade chair, Angela Balsamo: "All the food collected stays in the Pasadena community." Northeast High School students collected nonperishables along the route that year. The association also partnered with the Rotary Club of Lake Shore & Severna Park to combine food collection and get the word out.

Why the route left Mountain Road

The current route dates to 2025. That year organizers took Mountain Road off the parade's path. According to the same Real Pasadena Maryland report, the goal was to avoid closing a commercial corridor on a Sunday afternoon. Balsamo told the outlet, "We didn't want to inconvenience traffic and hurt the businesses on Mountain Road by closing it down," and said she hoped residents would enjoy seeing a parade come down their own streets. The new route is still 2.3 miles, the same distance as in earlier years.

That change matters for a food drive. A parade through residential streets passes people's front yards, which makes it easier to bring a full grocery bag to the curb. The 2026 route, per the Pasadena Business Association's event page, goes like this:

1. Step-off at Tick Neck Park
2. Right onto Edwin Raynor Boulevard
3. Right onto Tick Neck Road
4. Right onto Crystal Palace Lane, past the reviewing stand in front of the pool
5. Right onto Mansion House Crossing, which continues as Notley Road
6. Right onto Duvall Highway, finishing in the Northeast High School front parking lot

The reviewing stand on Crystal Palace Lane is where judges watch the entries, and it's the one viewing spot the 2026 page names. Last year's coverage pointed spectators to two places with room to spread out and park: St. Andrew's Episcopal Church on Tick Neck Road, and Chesterfield Community Pool at 2940 Crystal Palace Drive, which has a playground.

Sunday's timing, from the curb

Step-off is 2:00 p.m. sharp. Participants have to arrive by 12:30 p.m., and any participant vehicle that isn't in the parade parks in the Northeast High School front lot off Duvall Highway. So the Duvall Highway end of the route will be busy well before the first float leaves Tick Neck Park.

The association's advice for spectators is short: bring a lawn chair, bring the kids, and bring a bag of canned goods for the runners. Families with young children should know that only people walking in the parade may hand out candy. Nothing is thrown from moving vehicles.

If your business, school group or nonprofit wants to collect food ahead of time, the association says participants can bring it on parade day or contact them to arrange a pickup. Registration, sponsorship and general questions go to [email protected].

Sunday can be a full day of service. The morning before step-off, Fort Smallwood Park holds a Shoreline Cleanup from 9 to 10 a.m. at 9500 Fort Smallwood Road, with registration linked from the county listing. That leaves plenty of time to get home, pack a grocery bag and walk to Tick Neck Road.

Giving directly to the pantry

Caring Cupboard was among last year's parade recipients. It's a nonprofit that runs several pantry programs from its headquarters at 8513 Fort Smallwood Road. Its board page lists Susan Coakley as president and co-founder. Pasadena businesses have taken notice this fall too. Arundel Bank's September 16 announcement of its 2026 fall food drive names Caring Cupboard at that Fort Smallwood Road address.

If you'd rather give after the parade, check with the pantry first. The Caring Cupboard donation page gives a mailing address and contact details rather than set drop-off hours, and 211 Maryland says its service hours vary. A call to (443) 840-8079 or an email to [email protected] before you load the car makes sure someone is there to take the donation. The pantry's Our Needs page posts a current restocking list.

The rest of November's calendar

The county-level drive returns on Wednesday, November 18, at Twain's Tavern, 8359 Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard. The 21st annual "Thanks for Giving" Happy Hour runs from 5 to 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance or $40 at the door, and guests are asked to bring nonperishable or canned food. The event page says it's open to the public, not only association members, and you buy tickets online by creating an account. Real estate offices compete to bring in the most food by weight. The prize is a champion belt and bragging rights.

Between the parade and that happy hour, a few more dates are on the local calendar:

• Friday, November 6, 8–9 a.m. Bird Watching at Fort Smallwood Park, starting from the swimming-beach parking lot. The listed park entry fee is $8 per vehicle.
• Saturday, November 7. Twain's Tavern's annual Toys for the Dena Run. The listing doesn't give a start time yet.
• Wednesday, November 11, 1–2 p.m. The Pasadena Business Association's Veterans Day Ceremony. Check the association's site for the venue.

The school campaign and the happy hour send food to the countywide food bank, while a can handed to a runner on Crystal Palace Lane this Sunday goes to a pantry on Fort Smallwood Road, a church nearby, or the Northeast High School pantry.

The Sandra K. Libby Group cares about the traditions that hold a community together, and few in Anne Arundel County have run as long as this one. Whenever you want to talk about your Pasadena home, from the parade route to the water, we'll give you a calm, clear look at its value, starting with a complimentary home valuation.