On December 5th, the Community Advisory Board met for our annual Community Advisory Board Dinner. After catching up and enjoying a catered dinner from Dawson’s Market, courtesy of Wellstar Health, we discussed the future of the board. The Montgomery County Food Council received a grant to reimagine the Community Advisory Board. As part of that process, the current board gave insight into how the board has been useful for their advocacy in the past and how they think the Montgomery County Food Council can better support them in the future.
We are lucky to have five of the original board members on the current board Matilda Adu, Mary Simons, Rhona Reiss, Charmaine Howard, and Michelle Rogers. These members provided insight into how training in testifying and advocacy provided by the Montgomery County Food Council made the work more accessible. They also felt that targeted support helped them reach their goals.
New members William Clements and Hazel Robinson added to the conversation to include what areas of focus they were interested in for the new year which are: SNAP Advocacy, food transportation and access, and general advocacy work. The Members of the Community Advisory Board feel that this board has a unique impact over similar boards because it gives members the freedom to choose what they focus on based on their interests. This makes building a coalition and community easier because everyone is passionate about what they are advocating for. Additionally, board members are compensated for their time spent advocating on behalf of the council.
