Food Responders
are on the move
farmers markets began accepting
and distributing orders for
food boxes comprised of produce,
dairy products, and baked goods
from market vendors. “It has been
an honor to support many local
farms and artisanal producers from
Central Farm Markets while serving
the needs of our community,” said
Josh Carin, who partnered with
the Bethesda Central Farm Market
to organize orders from market
vendors and deliver thousands of
“Farm to Fridge” boxes throughout
Bethesda and the surrounding
area. Many other small businesses
in the Montgomery County Food
Council’s MoCo Made program
implemented creative changes,
too, to keep up with the food industry
trends that are keeping the
lights on.
The MoCo Made program, first
launched by the Food Council in
Fall 2017 in partnership with the
Montgomery County Economic
Development Corporation, includes
more than 75 local food and beverage
businesses and farms, and ofby
catherine nardi
Beginning in February, Mike
Houston, General Manager
of the Takoma Park Silver
Spring Co-op, watched with
growing concern as thousands of
customers packed into his small
store day in and day out, stocking
up on staples like beans, pasta, and
of course, toilet paper. The store’s
sales rose by close to 50 percent
between mid-February and mid-
March, but as sales increased,
Mike only grew more wary of the
situation, worried about the health
of his employees and loyal patrons.
On March 23rd, the Co-op
made the difficult decision to close
its doors to customers, and on
March 28th, the store launched
an online ordering and curbside
pick-up system that would enable
shoppers to continue patronizing
the Co-op without any contact. By
mid-May, roughly 7,500 orders had
been fulfilled using this innovative,
first-of-its-kind model, wherein
Co-op staff members serving as
personal shoppers are the only
ones allowed in the store. Although
sales dropped significantly, Mike
and his team do not regret closing
the physical store. “Being able
to get our customers groceries,
support our local farms and small
producers, and do so in a safe
environment for everyone is our
number one goal right now,” said
Mike. This new way of doing business
is simply their new normal.
The Co-op is just one of
hundreds of Montgomery County
food businesses that pivoted their
operations to accommodate social
distancing guidelines and stay-athome
orders, protect their customers
and staff, and prevent the
spread of COVID-19.
Some restaurants and bakeries,
like Founding Farmers, the Red
Bandana Bakery, and Mastiha Bakery,
began offering grocery items,
such as vegetables and eggs, for
their customers to pick up alongside
their orders.
Various restaurants throughout
the County offered reducedprice
or free meals to healthcare
workers, first responders, and
students, and select restaurants
partnered with
local organizations
like Shepherd’s
Table to provide
meals to residents
experiencing
homelessness.
Mayorga Organics
donated approximately
20,000
pounds of coffee,
lentils, beans, and
rice to local food
assistance providers
between March
and June to bolster
the food assistance
response efforts.
Several County
plenty I summer growing 2020 27