The Montgomery County Food Council is pleased to share our COVID-19 Emergency Food Access Grants Impact Report, Food Security Community Advisory Board Impact Report, 2020 Achievements Report, and 2020 Annual Report, detailing our accomplishments as a food assistance community. The Montgomery County Food Council is deeply grateful to all the funders, partners and government representatives and advocates who made this work possible. We hope you enjoy reading through these reports! Please reach out to us at info@mocofoodcouncil.org with any questions.
This report summarizes the COVID-19 Emergency Food Assistance Provider Capacity Building Grants, including their impact, key findings, and metrics. This grant program invested over 1.2 million dollars in food security efforts across 28 organizations throughout Montgomery County. Created and administered through a partnership of the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, the Montgomery County Food Council, the Healthcare Initiative Foundation, and the Greater Washington Community Foundation, this grant program was designed to improve the ability of food assistance organizations to respond to food insecurity caused or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Funding for this program was made available under the Federal CARES Act as appropriated by the Montgomery County Executive and County Council, the Community Food Rescue mini-grants program, and the private philanthropic donations through the Food for Montgomery Fund at the Greater Washington Community Foundation. Thank you to our supporters for making this work possible!
The Montgomery County Food Council is excited to share with you our 2020 Annual Report, which highlights our recent accomplishments building a more equitable, resilient, and sustainable local food system that is healthy for our community, economy, and environment.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Food Council has served as co-lead to the Montgomery County Food Security Task Force, coordinating over $23 million dollars in innovative and collaborative food access strategies including five grant-making programs that funded over $2.8 million total in food security initiatives, a Farm to Foodbank Program purchasing nutritious produce from 22 local farms, expansion of SNAP outreach and farmers market benefits, and direct support of over 120 food assistance provider organizations. The collective impact of food security initiatives Countywide during the pandemic has been an inspiration, and the Food Council has been honored for the opportunity to connect, build the capacity of, and facilitate the collaboration of over 585 businesses, government agency, nonprofit, and community advocate partners in this critical emergency response effort.
Thank you to our many community partners who make these collective successes fighting hunger, creating economic opportunity, protecting our natural resources, and supporting residents across our community possible.
Montgomery County COVID-19 Emergency Food Access Grants Impact Report
This grant program was implemented by the Food Security Task Force via a partnership between the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, the Montgomery County Food Council, and the Healthcare Initiative Foundation. The $1.2 million in funding for the program was appropriated by the Montgomery County Council to increase food access to county residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, including funding for partnerships with ethnic grocers to increase availability of culturally appropriate food assistance.
This report outlines the tremendous positive impact on food security in our community made by the 38 nonprofit initiatives that received grant funding in May 2020, and shares highlights of the collaboration, innovation, and lessons learned through this COVID-19 response program.
Food Security Community Advisory Board Impact Report
The Food Council launched the Food Security Community Advisory Board (FSCAB) in December 2018 to directly engage residents with lived experience of food insecurity as food access resource navigators, advocates, and leaders in their communities.
The diverse community voices of these County residents are critical to developing programs and policies directed by the expertise of those who have been most marginalized by our food system. The expertise contributed by Board members is essential to assessing food security programs in the County and identifying food access barriers that remain to be addressed. This report highlights the tremendous impact that FSCAB members have made on food security initiatives and advocacy in our community. We are honored to uplift the recommendations of Board members for key policy changes that nonprofits, government agencies, and individual residents should implement as our community works collectively towards a more food secure Montgomery County.
Food Council Achievements Report, 2020
Apr 25
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.
Apr 30
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!