Food Council Impact Highlights: March 2021

Thank you to our partners and supporters for their continued contributions to our work. Read on for more information about our achievements in March 2021!

Community Engagement and Network Building:

During the month of March, the Food Council hosted 7 meetings attended by nearly 350 community members, including four working group meetings, two Food Security Community Calls, two virtual trainings for Food Assistance Providers and anti-hunger advocates, and advocacy discussions with local elected officials. In total, the Food Council participated in over 70 community engagements this March, connecting with over 1,000 local residents, businesses, nonprofits, and government leaders. 

Communications Highlights: 

• In celebration of Women’s History Month, the Food Council highlighted woman-owned, MoCo Made businesses that are growing and producing food and beverage products right here in our community, with the release of the new Woman-Owned MoCo Made Business Guide. This guide includes a diverse assortment of locally made and grown products, including baked goods, craft beverages, and farm fresh delights–dozens of options to support women every time you shop. Check out our blog to learn more about each business, and how you can support them by eating, drinking, and buying local food!  
• Our communications team shared over 150 social media posts (on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) related to food assistance resources and distribution events, and our website received nearly 5,500 visits to pages pertaining to food security resources. 
• In an effort to continue building the capacity of local food system partners, we shared 8 grant opportunities and 4 job openings with approximately 1,700 of our partner organizations.  

Food Security Highlights:

• The Food Recovery and Access Working Group continues to meet on a biweekly basis, during our Food Security Community Calls. 
  • During the Food Security Community Call on 3/8, we were joined by speakers from the Center for Law & Social Policies, Protecting Immigrant Families Coalition, Unite Us, Identity Inc., Montgomery County DHHS, and Catholic Charities. Presentations featured up-to-date information on immigration issues and advocacy opportunities. The Food Security Community Call on 3/22  featured County updates from Montgomery County’s Aging & Disability Services, and information about the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) offered by the Community Action Agency, within Montgomery County Office of Community Affairs. We also discussed progress updates on the Montgomery County Food Security Plan, and discussed possible actions that can be taken this Spring to implement recommendations in the Plan. 
    • During the month of March, over 200 participants joined our Food Security Calls. Those interested in joining the Food Security Community Calls can register in advance here. 
  • Food Security Community Advisory Board (FSCAB) member and anti-hunger advocacy Gianiree Camila Pinares testified in support of the HB891, the Higher Education-Hunger Free Campus Grant bill, before the Maryland General Assembly House Appropriations Committee.  In her words, “It is about empowering our younger generation to accomplish their goals, and higher education, to be able to provide a better future for their families.”
    • You can watch her full testimony, here (starting at 3 minutes, 11 seconds).   

• On 3/25, we hosted “Safe Operation Procedures for Emergency Food Distributions” in partnership with the Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. This virtual training provided information for food assistance providers, food security volunteers and staff members, to foster awareness of how County-sponsored food distribution operations are viewed within the emergency incident management methodology, and strategies to safely and effectively manage food assistance operations. Participants learned critical safety procedures and COVID-19 protocols, to keep themselves and their staff and volunteers safe. Sooky McFadden, Gaithersburg CARES Hub Coordinator at Seneca Creek Community Church, shared reflections and best practices from the team at Seneca Creek. Thank you to everyone who participated!
• On 3/30, we collaborated with the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) to provide, “Montgomery County on the Move: An Overview of Transportation Equity Programs in Montgomery County.” The presentation included information about programs that can support residents that experience transportation challenges related to physical disabilities, financial barriers, or limited transportation choices. MCDOT provided an overview of options to help individuals bridge the “first/last mile,” to help them get to and from a destination. Participants also received resources and marketing materials related to various MCDOT programs that can be shared with clients, colleagues, and fellow residents. 
  • For those who could not attend, please view the recordings for both training sessions here. 

Working Group and Committee Meeting Highlights: Over 300 community partners joined us for our working group meetings this month. 

• The Environmental Impact Working Group (EIWG) meeting on 3/2 was attended by 27 community stakeholders, and was part II of our Food Waste Recovery and Composting Education Series. This meeting featured presentations from Susan Wexler at Community Food Rescue, Cat Kahn from HarvestShare, and DEP representatives, and focused on food waste reduction, recovery and rescue programs and opportunities in the County. 
  • Those interested in joining the next Environmental Impact Working Group meeting on 5/4 can sign up to receive information here.
• The Food Economy Working Group (FEWG) meeting on 3/17 was attended by 19 community members, including nine MoCo Made businesses. The first portion of the meeting was dedicated to networking for MoCo Made partners, and the latter half highlighted three BIPOC and Woman-Owned businesses: Tsiona Foods, Gypsy Diva Fresh, and Passion to Seed Gardening. 
  • Those interested in joining the next Food Economy Working Group meeting on 4/21 can sign up to receive information here. 
• The Food Education Working Group (FEdWG) meeting was held on 3/23. During the meeting, attendees discussed the education needed around Culturally Appropriate Foods (CAFs) among community-based organizations, food retail partners, gardeners, and farmers. This discussion was led again by Tessa Mork, Director of Food and Nutrition Programs at the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington. The discussion will continue at the May FEdWG meeting, with a focus on identifying barriers that County residents encounter in accessing food education resources. The March meeting also featured a presentation by Hannah Sholder and Kate Medina of The Charles Koiner Center for Urban Farming. The presentation was a deep dive into Montgomery County’s urban agriculture tax credit in the context of Koiner Farm’s usage of the tax credit, and the other land preservation tools they use to protect land from urban development. 30 participants attended the March meeting.
  • Those interested in joining the next Food Education Working Group meeting on 4/27 can sign up for updates on this Working Group here. 
• The Benefits Outreach and Enrollment Workgroup convenes conversations among organizations that work on outreach and/or enrollment, in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) such as Maryland Hunger Solutions, City of Takoma Park, Catholic Charities, and the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services. The 3/23 meeting included a Q&A with the Office of Eligibility and Support Services (OESS) on SNAP redeterminations. Additionally, the group discussed policy and member updates, and planned for upcoming meetings. 

Policy and Advocacy Highlights: 

• Members of the Policy Committee met with Councilmember Freidson to discuss the progress of the Food Security Task Force, local economy recovery efforts, food waste reduction and composting.  
• Members of the Policy Committee shared the Licensing Subcommittee’s draft recommendations with Councilmember Katz’s office and with the Department of Health and Human Services. 
• The Policy Committee developed and submitted testimony for the County Budget hearings, focusing on the need for the County to continue supporting the nonprofit sector and Food Security Task Force efforts, as well as the local food economy and sustainability initiatives.  
• At the State level, the Policy Committee submitted letters of support for HB0891, the Higher Education Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program, HB0322, to expand low-impact landscaping and gardening, and HB0831, the Maryland Food Resiliency Council. 
• At the Federal level, the Policy Committee signed on to a letter of support from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition for expanding funding for the Office of Urban Agriculture, and also submitted comments to the USDA related to the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) operations in 2020.  

Thanks to all of our partners for continuing to support our efforts! Check back next month for another update. Please contact [email protected] with any questions.