In an effort to support more than 8,000 families facing food insecurity, the Montgomery County Office of Food Systems Resilience has granted $304,000 to six community organizations through the FY25 Nutrition Benefits Outreach Grant Program to assist in connecting eligible but unenrolled households with SNAP and other nutrition assistance programs.
According to the press release, six groups have received a total of $304,000 from the Montgomery County Office of Food Systems Resilience (OFSR) and the Office of Grants Management (OGM) as part of the FY25 Nutrition Benefits Outreach Grant Program (NBO). The money encourages creative approaches to provide vital nutrition advantages to nearby households. Reaching households that are eligible for but not yet enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other federal or state nutrition assistance programs is the explicit goal of these initiatives.
Recognized Organizations:
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Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington
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Community Engagement and Consultation Group Inc.
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Food Research and Action Center (dba Maryland Hunger Solutions)
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Manna Food Center
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Montgomery County Food Council
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Vietnamese American Services
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Farmers Market Nutrition Program
(FMNP)
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MC Groceries Program
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SNAP
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SUN Bucks
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Women, Infant and Children s Program (WIC
)
Participants in SNAP, WIC, FMNP, and SUN Bucks get benefits that can be used like cash at retail food establishments, giving residents who are food insecure the freedom and dignity to choose where they shop and what they buy.
Despite being eligible for programs that might assist them, far too many families in our community are experiencing food insecurity, said County Executive Marc Elrich. Trusted groups that understand how to connect with people through language, relationships, and cultural awareness are supported by this financing. We’re facilitating residents’ access to benefits, which has a significant impact on people’s lives.
The initial SNAP Outreach Grant Program, which started in April 2024, is being expanded upon by this funding. By giving families better access to nutrition assistance, the initiative advances Montgomery County’s Strategic Plan to End Childhood Hunger. The organizations are anticipated to broaden their scope by providing more services with this money in order to assist families in taking advantage of all the nutrition advantages that are accessible to them.
Residents frequently don’t know about the additional benefits they might be entitled for, even though SNAP is our country’s first line of defense in the fight against hunger. According to Heather Bruskin, director of the OFSR, these grants support community organizations that have the technical know-how and linguistic proficiency required to engage with families in safe settings.
The NBO Grant Program screens households for eligibility for various programs simultaneously in an effort to optimize the impact of each resident engagement.
“We will be able to reach more Montgomery County families and connect them to SNAP, WIC, SUN Bucks, farmers market matching programs, and County food assistance resources thanks to funding from the FY25 Nutrition Benefits Outreach grant,” said Allison Schnitzer, acting co-executive director of the Montgomery County Food Council. The Food Council is incredibly appreciative of the County’s assistance, and we commend the Office of Food Systems Resilience for conceiving of a comprehensive strategy to help our County’s families’ food security.
The Office of Food Systems Resilience’s program manager, Catherine Nardi, can be reached at [email protected] for additional details about these initiatives.
