The Montgomery County Food Council provides capacity-building support to over 75 food assistance organizations across the County. Through trainings, resource-sharing, and regular convenings, we help organizations exchange knowledge, coordinate efforts, and strengthen their impact. These services foster a more connected and resilient network, better equipped to serve the more than 100,000 Montgomery County residents in need of food assistance.
The Food Council’s Food Security Call, trainings, and other collaborative spaces are designed for learning, information-sharing and network building. Below you will find our calendar of events and resources from past calls. Information will be updated as dates come closer. Please note: Participation at certain events, where indicated, is limited to OFSR grant recipients and Service Consolidation Hubs.
Meeting Date/Time: January 30, 12:00 – 1:30pm
Peer Learning Circles In-person Learning and Networking at the Silver Spring Hub/Clifton Park Baptist Church. Open to OFSR CFA grantees and Hubs ONLY.
Register.
Contact: bitta@mocofoodcouncil.org
Meeting Date/Time: February 26, 1:00 – 3:30pm
Summary: Food Recovery Collaborative / Peer Learning Circles In-person Learning and Networking at the East County Partners Cold Storage Unit Site located at WeAchieve. Open to Food Recovery Collaborative members, OFSR CFA grantees, and Hubs ONLY.
Register.
Contact: bitta@mocofoodcouncil.org
Meeting Time: February 9, 1:00 – 2:30pm
Summary: Food Security Community Call, New Dietary Guidelines. Open to the public.
Register.
Contact: bitta@mocofoodcouncil.org
Tentative Calendar of Events:
April: 4/13 Food Security Community Call
March: Regional Meeting
May: Training
June: Regional Meeting
July: 7/13 Food Security Community Call
August: Training
September: Regional Meeting
October: 10/12 Food Security Community Call
Resources from
Culturally Appropriate
Vendor Resources
Tips on Publishing
Grant Resources
The Food Council’s Food Security Call, trainings, and other collaborative spaces are designed for learning, information-sharing, and network building. Below you will find resources from past calls.
January 2025 Building a Culturally Informed Data-Driven Organization Training
March 2025 Spring Seasonal Boxed Produce Vendor Showcase
April 2025 Best Practices in Data Collection Training
May 2025 Montgomery County Food Resource Landscape
June 2025 Effectiveness in Preparing, Applying, and Managing Grants Training
July 2025 Impact of Federal Budget Cuts on Montgomery County Residents
September 2025 Emergency Preparedness and Food Safety
September 2025 Fundraising 101 Training
September 2025 Working with Foundations Training
October 2025 Capital Area Food Bank Hunger Report
November 2025 Public Benefits and SNAP Updates
Keeping Food Safe to Share—WATCH HERE!
Erase the Doubt About Food Safety—WATCH HERE!
Safe Operation Procedures for Emergency Food Distributions–WATCH HERE!
Creating A Thriving Volunteer Team: Best Practices for Effective Recruitment, Management, and Retention in a Food Assistance Organization–WATCH HERE!
The Culturally Appropriate Food Access in Montgomery County: Gap Analysis and Action Plan Report, was prepared by the Montgomery County Food Council (MCFC) and American University Capstone Team in 2018. The project aimed to conduct a needs assessment on the need for and barriers to culturally appropriate food access for food-insecure foreign-born populations in Montgomery County, Maryland.
The Montgomery County Food Council is excited to share a new resource designed to help food assistance providers identify and source fresh produce from local, DMV-region farms and food businesses and/or DMV-based businesses owned/operated by individuals representing historically underserved communities. The resource includes vendor names, contact information, websites, and specialty produce options to make it easy to identify and connect with those vendors that best meet your needs. Thank you for supporting local, nutritious food in our community!
Sourcing from these vendors supports the priority of a number of Office of Food Systems Resilience grant programs for utilizing food sourcing strategies that entail collaboration with local, DMV-region farms and food businesses and/or DMV-based food retailers, wholesalers, and/or distributors owned/operated by individuals representing historically underserved communities.
Please reach out to Annmarie@mocofoodcouncil.org with any questions.
Remember to keep posting your food distributions to the County Calendar and notify us of any updates needed for your Food Assistance Map Listing.
Click the buttons below for more information.
To support providers to meet the growing community need for food assistance during the federal shutdown and potential SNAP benefit suspension, the County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, together with OFSR, HHS, and MCPD, has developed the Food Assistance Provider Safety and Security Guidelines.
The Montgomery County Food Council supports food assistance providers by offering tools that improve planning, fundraising, and long-term sustainability. We have created a sortable grant database and planning toolkit that helps organizations identify upcoming funding opportunities and plan more strategically throughout the year. We also maintain a centralized resource hub that brings together all food assistance–related trainings we have offered in one place to support stronger grantwriting, fundraising, and grant management, including Effectiveness in Preparing, Applying, and Managing Grants, Fundraising 101, and Working with Foundations.
Jan 27
The SNAP Work Group includes organizations that provide nutrition benefits enrollment assistance to residents, the Montgomery County Office of Eligibility and Support Services, and other groups that serve residents with low-income.
Jan 28
The Maryland Food System Resiliency Council (FSRC) holds a public bi-weekly meeting with the Communication & Coordination Committee to monitor and discuss food systems bills during the 2026 Maryland General Assembly Session.
Jan 29
Join Food Council partners Manna Foods and Shepherd's Table for the Food Justice Coalition.
Jan 30
Peer Learning Circles: In-person Learning and Networking. (Open to OFSR CFA grantees and Hubs ONLY)
Feb 9
This Food Security Community Call will focus on the new dietary guidelines.
Feb 26
Food Recovery Collaborative/Peer Learning Circles In-person Learning and Networking Event. Open to Food Recovery Collaborative members, OFSR CFA grantees, and Hubs ONLY.