Thank you to our partners and supporters for their continued contributions to our work. Read on for more information about our achievements in May 2021!
Community Engagement and Network Building:
During the month of May, the Food Council hosted 10 meetings attended by nearly 300 community members, including four working group meetings, two Food Security Community Calls, three virtual trainings, and advocacy discussions with local elected officials. In total, the Food Council participated in over 60 community engagements this May, connecting with over 600 local residents, businesses, nonprofits, and government leaders.
Communications Highlights:
- We are still accepting nominations for our “Food System Spotlights.” We invite you to share your appreciation for the people and organizations (including nonprofits, faith communities, for-profit businesses, food assistance providers, and individuals) engaged in food system initiatives in our community. To nominate yourself or other partners, please click here.
- Our communications team shared over 120 social media posts (on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) related to food assistance resources and distribution events, and our website received nearly 1,200 visits to pages pertaining to food security resources.
- In an effort to continue building the capacity of local food system partners, we shared 5 local food system job openings with approximately 1,700 of our partner organizations.
Food Security Highlights:
- The Food Recovery and Access Working Group (FRAWG) continues to meet on a biweekly basis, during our Food Security Community Calls with the food assistance community and anti-hunger advocates throughout the County.
- On May 3rd, our Community Call celebrated the beginning of Older Americans Month by featuring guest speakers from agencies and organizations that support older adults: Montgomery County Aging and Disability Services Division, Maryland Hunger Solutions, American Muslim Senior Society and Vitenamese American Services. Please find the meeting notes from 5/3 linked here.
- The Honorable John Sarbanes, US Representative for Maryland’s Third District, joined us for our May 17th meeting and provided insights about the power of advocacy in shaping federal policy, noting that the focus on food security in recent legislation is as a direct result of advocacy from community organizations. Crystal FitzSimons of the Food Research and Action Center presented updates on the American Rescue Plan. The Food Council facilitated optional breakout groups to discuss strategies to address food access barriers, methods of increasing collaboration and information sharing among Food Assistance Providers, and strategies for connecting with residents who may be experiencing social isolation and/or may have limited access to the internet.
- During the month of May, over 180 participants joined our Food Security Calls. Those interested in joining the Food Security Community Calls can register in advance here.
- Virtual Trainings:
- The Food Council and Nonprofit Montgomery presented a webinar on an Introduction to Food Assistance Resources in Montgomery County on May 19th, with remarks from Maryland State Delegate Lorig Charkoudian about state-wide efforts to reduce food insecurity. This training provided an overview of food insecurity in the County and the County’s COVID-19 food assistance response. It also covered the network of resources developed by the Food Council and partners, such as the Online Food Assistance Resource Directory and the County’s Food Assistance webpage. 33 individuals participated.
- On May 25th, the Food Council and the Montgomery County Volunteer Center presented a new virtual training, “Virtual Training: Creating A Thriving Volunteer Team: Best Practices for Effective Recruitment, Management, and Retention in a Food Assistance Organization.” The discussion included tools for improving recruitment, tips for creating more efficient volunteer teams and techniques for motivating and supporting volunteers. 27 individuals participated.
- In partnership with Maryland Hunger Solutions, the Food Council hosted “SNAP 201: How Federal and State Policy Changes Affect SNAP Recipients.” This training provided 33 attendees with updates on recent policy changes and the impact of those changes at the local level.
- Watch the recorded sessions here!
Working Group and Committee Meeting Highlights:
- The Environmental Impact Working Group (EIWG) meeting on 5/4 was attended by 24 community members, and was the fourth installment of our “Food Waste Reduction and Composting Education Series.” This installment focused on commercial composting, and featured guest speakers, Delegate Lorig Charkoudian, Ben Parry, Compost Crew, Jennifer Kunze, Clean water Action, and Eileen Kao and staff from Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
- The next Environmental Impact Working Group meeting will take place on 8/3. Please click here for more information.
- The Food Economy Working Group (FEWG) on 5/19 was attended by 15 community members. The first portion of the meeting included a presentation of the MoCo Made Program Baseline Survey (which was distributed to all returning MoCo Made businesses), and was followed by our annual Working Group conversation on the MoCo Made program. The second portion of the meeting was dedicated to MoCo Made Producers sharing the impact of COVID-19 on food and beverage businesses in the County. Working Group members were able to share how COVID-19 has affected their business approach, how they have adapted, and the lessons they have learned.
- Those interested in joining the next Food Economy Working Group meeting on 6/19 can sign up to receive information here.
- The Food Education Working Group (FEdWG) on 5/25 was attended by 18 participants. During the meeting, attendees discussed the barriers that Montgomery County residents encounter in accessing food education resources. This discussion was led by Tessa Mork, Director of Food and Nutrition Programs at the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington. The May meeting also featured a presentation on the Food Council’s Licensing Subcommittee by Mike Houston, General Manager at the Takoma Park Silver Spring Co-op,, and included a discussion of County licensing requirements related to Temporary Food Permits, Farmers’ Markets, Sampling and Food Demos. There was also an opportunity to meet Vanessa Pierre, Founder of Homestead Hustle & Healing, and learn about the MoCo Grows event she is organizing and championing all summer long.
- Those interested in joining the next Food Education Working Group meeting on 6/22 can sign up for updates on this Working Group here.
- The Gardening Subcommittee: A virtual field trip of the Washington Youth Garden (WYG) took place on 5/26. During the field trip, Brianne Studer, Director of Programs, gave an overview of the programs the WYG leads, including Garden Science, their School Garden Partnership program, their Green Ambassadors Program, and SPROUT, the WYG’s field trip program. Afterwards, Xavier Bure Quijano, Garden Manager, and Emilia Kawashima, Garden Coordinator, conducted a virtual field trip of the Garden, which included showcasing the produce the demonstration garden is currently producing.
- 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 5/25 meeting included an overview of policy updates, group discussion on current challenges and concerns related to benefits outreach, enrollment, and redeterminations, and data collection strategies.
Policy and Advocacy Highlights:
- The Food Council has been engaging with the Department of Planning to ensure food system issues are established as a priority area of focus in planning efforts in the County. Food Council staff have met regularly with Planning staff, facilitated a meeting between Planning staff from Montgomery County and Baltimore City, to connect best practices from other jurisdictions to local efforts, contributed to the development of a Grassroots Advocacy program connected to community engagement efforts in Fairland, and the Policy Committee is developing written testimony on Thrive 2050 for the upcoming County Council hearing.
- Food Council Policy Committee Chair Wendy Bazil continues to participate on behalf of MCFC on Manna Food Center’s Advocacy Task Force.
- Heather Bruskin continued to provide advisory support to MEMA and state leadership on the development of the new Maryland Food System Resiliency Council.
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.