on record for many of these businesses.
“The crisis has undoubtedly
driven a lot more interest in
sources of food grown or raised
and distributed close to home,”
said Lindsay Smith, Regional Food
Systems Value Chain Coordinator
for the COG. Most food producing
farms in the County have begun
using online ordering platforms
that allow customers to place
orders ahead of time for pickup at
farmers markets or on-farm, and
several have begun home delivery
for a nominal fee or with a
minimum purchase. In part, these
online platforms were introduced
in response to the surge in customer
drop-ins that several farms
experienced at the outset of the
pandemic. Farms reported people
pulling up their cars to their
greenhouses and fields when the
farm was not open, and asking if
they could purchase eggs, produce,
or meat right on the spot.
Though the newfound interest
in direct farm purchases was
encouraging, the need for a more
organized, call-ahead system was
evident. As peak growing season
approached, many growers with
on-farm markets that rely on drop
in customers also added an online,
pre-order option. “Online ordering
and curbside pick up was born
within a matter of days when we
realized our community needed a
way to grocery shop that was safe,
convenient and local,” said Tyler
Butler, General Manager of Butler’s
Orchard. “[Spring] sales have been
more than previous years. On
busy curbside days we have seen
between 150 and 200 orders.”
On-farm markets are also
limiting the number of in-person
shoppers allowed in the market at
a time, requiring shoppers to wear
masks, and taking additional precautions
to ensure that customers
and staff stay healthy.
The Montgomery County Food
Council, Office of Agriculture, Visit
Montgomery, and the Montgomery
County Economic Development
Corporation have each released
online resources that share
information about local food
pick-up and delivery options,
and tens of thousands of visitors
have flocked to these web pages
between March and May. On the
Office of Agriculture’s Twitter
page, the hashtag “Local is the
New Normal” serves as the ending
to multiple posts. COVID-19 has
underscored the reliance that our
community has on the Agricultural
Reserve, and the necessity
of a resilient, interconnected, and
accessible local food system.
While financial hardships are
still weighing heavily on most of
these businesses, they are persevering
thanks to County resident
support. Despite the less-thanideal
circumstances, this crisis
has sparked innovation, collaboration,
and determination within
the MoCo Made community, a
definitively positive outcome of
this new normal.
Catherine Nardi is the Programs and
Policy Coordinator at the Montgomery
County Food Council. She manages
Food Council events and initiatives related
to the MoCo Made brand, which
serves to support the County’s vibrant
local food and beverage producer community.
Catherine has a B.A. in Government
and Politics from the University of
Maryland, and is currently pursuing an
M.S. in Nutrition Education at American
University.
Strategies for
Food Security
in the Future
As a result of COVID-19, thousands
of County residents have been laid off,
furloughed, or experienced other negative
financial impacts. In order to meet the
75-500 percent projected increase in demand
for food assistance in the County,
the Food Council, local and regional
partners, and the County government
recognized a critical, immediate need to
mobilize the local food system.
A Food Security Task Force was
established by the Office of Emergency
Management and Homeland Security
in April under the leadership of County
government and the Food Council with
participation of over 140 community
agencies, nonprofits, businesses, and
residents. The Task Force released a
“Response Strategy” in mid-May that detailed
the County’s Food Security strategies
for the period following the outbreak
and subsequent economic crisis.
Included in the Strategic Plan are
extensive recommendations that specify
how food producing farms can contribute
to meeting the increasing needs of food
assistance providers. These recommendations
ensure that the 75+ food assistance
organizations in the County can procure
food for their clients in an economically
sustainable manner, while also providing
local farms and food businesses with new
sales opportunities during a financially
challenging time. Additionally, the recommendations
ensure that food insecure
residents in the County have increased
access to fresh, high-quality, culturallyappropriate,
and nutritious food during
a time when eating right and staying
healthy is so important.
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