future programming , to ensure that efforts are reaching children and households in underserved communities . Technical assistance is being offered to awardees to ensure compliance with data collection and reporting requirements and consistency across programs .
Through these programs , the OFSR has strengthened relationships with a variety of partners within County government and more broadly in the local food system . The administration of the school-based food assistance grant program has required close coordination with the MCPS Office of Well-Being , Learning , and Achievement to successfully reach 35 + MCPS schools , including communities within the Damascus High School cluster , and in parts of Germantown and Gaithersburg that are affected by the lack of food retail locations in the Agricultural Reserve . Early feedback received from participating school partners has been overwhelmingly positive and reinforces the importance of co-locating services where residents regularly go , as thousands of families , particularly those that have transportation barriers , are now able to access food assistance services at their child ’ s school . The School-Based Food Assistance Program is simultaneously closing food security gaps , reinvesting dollars into the local economy , and expanding nutrition education and learning opportunities to children and families .
The engagement of the food farmers within the Agricultural Reserve has been critical in ensuring that all of these programs effectively support the local food economy . A number of local farm partners are actively participating in the Food as Medicine Grant system that perpetuates cycles
a barrier within our local food
Program , including One Acre Farm of food insecurity , which impacts in Dickerson , which is partnering with Adventist Healthcare to and farm partners ’ ability to safely
both food assistance providers ’
provide weekly shares of fresh store food . The OFSR ’ s FY24 Food vegetables to households that System Infrastructure Grant screen positive for food insecurity . Program , administered by Manna Community FarmShare ( CFS ) has Food Center , will award funding partnered with nearly a dozen diversified vegetable farms in Montproducing farms to establish
to multiple County-based , foodgomery County to fulfill their grant cold-storage infrastructure onsite agreement for both the School- and incentivizes these partners to Based Food Assistance Program continue selling produce through and the Food as Medicine Program . the Montgomery County Farm to The latter has fostered connections Food Bank Program . for CFS with the School-Based
In addition to building relationships with farm partners and
Wellness Centers at Wheaton High School and Seneca Valley High community-based food assistance School , bolstering nutrition security as an essential component of been working with various agen-
organizations , the OFSR has also
holistic health and well-being . cies within County government to The Strategic Plan to End ensure the success of these programs . In tandem with the Plan-
Childhood Hunger specifically identified cold storage access as ning , Accountability , and Customer
As the OFSR monitors the progress of each new program , the next iteration of Childhood Hunger initiatives is already underway . With the support of County Executive Marc Elrich and County Council , these critical strategies will continue into Fiscal Year 2025 and will expand to reach thousands of additional residents .
plenty I summer growing 2024 13