On March 12, 2018, the Food Council, together with representatives from the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services and CountyStat, the County Statistician’s Office, presented a Year One Update on the Food Security Plan to members of the Health and Human Services Committee of the County Council. Please click here to view a recording of this County Council session, and click here for a summary of the Year One Update.
On May 1, 2018, the Food Council and CountyStat presented the Year One Update to the public and also launched FoodStat, a publicly available, interactive food security data tool that will, for the first time, synthesize all relevant data available in order to identify food access barriers and resources in our communities, determine priority zones of highest unmet need and potential service delivery gaps, and facilitate collaboration, program efficiencies and capacity building. Click here to access a FoodStat tutorial.
The next update will be shared in Winter 2019.
Highlights from Year One of the Food Security Plan:
- Standardizing data to be collected by food assistance providers to better understand the scope of food assistance resources, more effectively measure the impact of the services provided, and more accurately assess food insecurity in our County;
- Expanding existing County programs, such as the Weekend Bag Program, Senior Nutrition Program, and Food, Fun, and Fitness;
- Collaborating on a transportation analysis with the Montgomery County Department of Transportation and CountyStat to develop recommendations to reduce infrastructure barriers and improve food insecure residents’ access to food;
- Identifying food insecurity high priority zones so that food assistance providers and other organizations can identify regions of Montgomery County that are most in need of improved food access;
- Creating the Food Assistance Resource Directory, a resource that aims to more effectively connect people who seek food assistance services with those who provide them, as well as create stronger connectivity between the organizations providing food assistance resources in our County;
- Supporting provider to provider training and capacity building to the County’s smaller food assistance providers by creating best practices resources and providing mentoring support on staffing strategies, recruiting/managing volunteers, advocacy, and fundraising.
Above: County Executive Leggett encourages attendees of the FoodStat Launch to continue working to reduce food insecurity in Montgomery County.
Resources from the Year One Update of the Food Security Plan:
- Click here for a summary handout of the Year One Update of the Food Security Plan
- Click here for a detailed review of the implementation strategies and activities that have been accomplished to date.
- Click here to view the presentation slides from the Year One Update and FoodStat Launch on May 1, 2018.
Media coverage of the FoodStat Launch and Year One Update:
Fewer People Hungry in Montgomery County (Local DMV)
Food Insecurity In Montgomery County Declining (My MC Media)
New Web Tool Launched to Help Fight Hunger (Local DMV)
Interactive Website Illuminates Food Insecurity Across Montgomery County (Bethesda Magazine)