News

The Impact of School-Based Food Assistance Grant Programs in Expanding Food Access for Montgomery County Families

Last spring, eight food assistance providers offered new or expanded food resources at 33 Montgomery County Public School sites. This was made possible through funding from the Office of Food Systems Resilience, allocated via a special appropriation by the County Council, under the FY24 School-Based Food Assistance Grant Program. These programs play a crucial role in ensuring that students and their families have access to nutritious meals outside…

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The Impact of School-Based Food Assistance Grant Programs in Expanding Food Access for Montgomery County Families

Posted on December 18, 2024 by bezatenna

Last spring, eight food assistance providers offered new or expanded food resources at 33 Montgomery County Public School sites. This was made possible through funding from the Office of Food Systems Resilience, allocated via a special appropriation by the County Council, under the FY24 School-Based Food Assistance Grant Program. These programs play a crucial role in ensuring that students and their families have access to nutritious meals outside of the school day–supporting both their health and well-being, and increasing their overall food security. Making food resources available directly at schools helps reduce the barriers many families with children experiencing food…

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Event Friday, October 25th, 1:00pm – 2:50pm

Posted on October 18, 2024 by bezatenna

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Event Friday, October 25th, 1:00pm – 2:50pm Contact: Lorien MacAuley, PhD, Food Economy, Agriculture, and Sustainability Consultant, Montgomery County Food Council (703) 789-7748, lorien@mocofoodcouncil.org Ribbon Cutting for Compost Education Hub and MoCo Microhub What: Ribbon Cutting for MoCo Microhub and new Compost Demonstration Site When: 1:00 PM – 2:50 PM Where: Agricultural History Farm Park, 18410 Muncaster Rd, Derwood, MD 20855 Come tour and explore two new exciting projects at Montgomery County’s Agricultural History Farm Park on Friday, October 25th, 2024 from 1:00 PM to 2:50 PM. The two projects, the Compost Education Hub and the MoCo…

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Food Insecurity in 2024: Addressing the Growing Food Insecurity Crisis in Our Community

Posted on September 26, 2024 by bezatenna

The latest numbers from the Capital Area Food Bank 2024 Hunger Report show that 37% of households in our area experienced food insecurity in the past year. This is a jump of 5 percent from the year before, and the highest rate we’ve ever seen. This dramatic increase reflects the national trend noted in the USDA Household Food Security report, which cites that 13.5% of households now face food insecurity, up from the previous year. As we navigate through this time of unprecedented economic hardship, the growing issue of food insecurity in our community has become impossible to ignore. We’ve…

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Updated Food Assistance Resource Directory and Map (FARD)

Posted on May 31, 2024 by bezatenna

The Montgomery County Food Council is excited to share that we have recently updated our online Food Assistance Resource Directory and Map.  This tool serves as a guide to finding reliable food assistance resources from 90 organizations throughout Montgomery County. Residents and front-line staff can search in a variety of ways to find food assistance resources that best meet their individual needs: Location: each listing contains contact information for the provider and its hours of operation. Participation requirements: such as whether ID or appointments are required, or if walk-ins are accepted.  Food assistance types: such as choice pantries, pre-packed boxes,…

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Introducing the 2023 Montgomery County Food Council Highlights!

Posted on May 8, 2024 by bezatenna

We are thrilled to announce the 2023 Montgomery County Food Council Highlights! This snapshot and summary of our accomplishments and grants in 2023 is now available for our community, stakeholders, and partners to explore. While this isn’t a comprehensive report, it’s designed to shine a spotlight on some of the incredible work being done within our local food system. From innovative projects to impactful grants, these highlights offer a glimpse into the progress we’ve made together. Under the leadership of our new Executive Director, Nanya Chiejine, we’re excited to continue serving as an anchor for the local food landscape. Nanya’s…

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End Childhood Hunger Collaborative Kick-Off Event

Posted on by bezatenna

On April 17th the Montgomery County Food Council, in partnership with the Office of Food Systems Resilience, hosted a kick-off event for the End Childhood Hunger Collaborative.  We were joined by special guests State Delegate Emily Shetty, County Executive Marc Elrich, and Councilmember Gabe Albornoz, as well as 80 guests from the community.  We would like to thank those organizations, including food assistance providers and other community organizations serving children and families experiencing food insecurity, Montgomery County Government, the Department of Health and Human Services, Montgomery County Public Schools, healthcare organizations, local universities, and policy and advocacy organizations, who came…

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Empowering Communities: Getting Involved with the Montgomery County Black Business Council

Posted on February 22, 2024 by bezatenna

Empowering Communities: Getting Involved with the Montgomery County Black Business Council As we celebrate Black History Month, the Montgomery Council is delighted to highlight the Montgomery County Black Business Council. In January, members of the Food Council team had the privilege of meeting with Tony Parchment, board member from the Black Business Council, to explore avenues for collaboration. Together, we delved into the business council’s mission and how we can join forces to propel it forward! But what is the Black Business Council? The Black Business Council is a community of Montgomery County entrepreneurs united to excel in their business….

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Meet Our New Executive Director, Nanya Chiejine

Posted on February 9, 2024 by bezatenna

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   Contact:  Mike Houston, Board Chair info@mocofoodcouncil.org‬‬‬ Montgomery County Food Council Introduces New Executive Director Nanya Chiejine  The Montgomery County Food Council (MCFC) is excited to announce our new Executive Director Nanya Chiejine (Nī  ́- ya Shay ́- zhen – nay).  Ms. Chiejine will begin with MCFC on February 1st, 2024.  She was most recently the Director of Well Connected Communities at the National 4-H Council.  Her work at the 4-H Council focused on building the capacity of Cooperative Extension staff at our nation’s land grant universities.  Ms. Chiejine has over 13 years of experience in public health and…

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Introducing the Nutrition Navigator, a Free Multi-Language Mapping Resource Built to Empower Food Communities in the Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Regions

Posted on January 17, 2024 by bezatenna

Introducing the Nutrition Navigator, a Free Multi-Language Mapping Resource Built to Empower Food Communities in the Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Regions Online tool, originally created by the Bainum Family Foundation, will be overseen by The Food Trust with community-based support from the Montgomery County Food Council Formerly known as the Food Learning Locator, the map was initially launched by the Maryland-based Bainum Family Foundation in 2017 with a goal of connecting people to food-related community education and job training programs in their own communities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, while many in-person programs were suspended and organizations pivoted in response to…

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2023 Community Advisory Board Meeting

Posted on January 4, 2024 by bezatenna

On December 5th, the Community Advisory Board met for our annual Community Advisory Board Dinner. After catching up and enjoying a catered dinner from Dawson’s Market, courtesy of Wellstar Health, we discussed the future of the board. The Montgomery County Food Council received a grant to reimagine the Community Advisory Board. As part of that process, the current board gave insight into how the board has been useful for their advocacy in the past and how they think the Montgomery County Food Council can better support them in the future. We are lucky to have five of the original board…

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Upcoming Events

Jan 13

January MCFC Food Security Community Call

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Jan 22

Resident and Community Gardening Collaborative

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Feb 21

Annual MoCo Food Producers’ Forum

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