New Council Members!

We are pleased to announce that nine new members have been selected to join the Food Council. The new members broadly represent the food system both substantively and geographically, and include a farmer, nutritionist, physician, journalist, and representatives of local government, non-profits, and business; their two-year terms began in January 2016.
The new members are:

Viviana Castro-Fox
Family Services Inc, Residential Advocate

Sharon Freurer GruberSharon Feuer Gruber
Co-Founder, Food Works Group

Marcia GreenblumMarcia D. Greenblum
Senior Director of Health and Wellness, International Food Information Council

Lisa Gonzalez
Extension Agent, Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Maryland, Extension

Mark Mills PicMark Mills
Farmer/Owner, Chocolates and Tomatoes Farm

Andrey Ostrovsky PicAndrey Ostrovsky, M.D.
CEO, Care at Hand, Inc

Carole Sugarman, Bethesda Magazine, Food Economy Working GroupCarole Sugarman
Food Writer, Bethesda Magazine

Julie Verratti PicJulie Verratti
Owner/Co-Founder, Denizens Brewing Company

Bart Yablonsky PicBart Yablonsky
Director of Operations, Dawson’s Market

Outgoing Council Members are: Julie MacCartee, Knowledge Management Specialist, USAID Bureau for Food Security, Charis Smith, Food Economy Working Group Co-Chair, and Christabel Sampson, Board Member, Interfaith Works.

Council Chair Daniel Hoffman thanked those that have served on the board and welcomed the new members. “We tremendously appreciate Julie, Charis, and Christabel’s dedication and commitment to the Council, and the valuable contributions made through their volunteer service have left a lasting impact on our community.”

To read more about the New and Returning Council Members, check out our website.

Upcoming Events

Apr 25

Equitable Land Access Working Group Meeting

Join us on Thursday, April 25th, 11am-12pm, for a meeting of the Equitable Land Access Working Group. We will be discussing the potential of farm incubator and community programming in the County, where beginning farmers are given the land, tools, and support they need to flourish. Additionally, we will learn about farmland preservation efforts in the County, and learn about USDA's recent initiatives and opportunities to promote local and regional food systems. We plan to have a lively discussion to learn more, and to connect to and fuel the momentum of these exciting efforts.

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Apr 27

Montgomery County Green Fest

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Apr 30

Local Food Procurement Working Group

Join our local food procurement working group on April 30th at 11am-12:30pm. During this meeting we will hear from local retailers, Troy Sexton, Category Manager at Common Market and Mike Leveille, Fresh Category Manager at Common Market as they share industry insider knowledge on what retailers are looking for in a product when stocking shelves. You do not want to miss this! We will also go over sell sheet examples and share a template for local businesses to make their own. We hope to see you there!

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