Montgomery County Food Council Inc

MCFC BUILDS AN EQUITABLE, RESILIENT AND SUSTAINABLE LOCAL FOOD SYSTEM THROUGH COLLABORATION, TRANSFORMATION, AND CULTIVATION.

FOOD SECURITY - FOOD RECOVERY AND ACCESS WORKING GROUP (FRAWG) MEETINGS CONTINUED TO OPERATE AS REGULAR FOOD SECURITY COMMUNITY CALLS IN 2022. THE FOOD COUNCIL'S MONTHLY FOOD SECURITY COMMUNITY CALLS BRING TOGETHER A WIDE VARIETY OF STAKEHOLDERS WHO SERVE RESIDENTS EXPERIENCING FOOD INSECURITY, INCLUDING FOOD ASSISTANCE PROVIDERS, LOCAL AND STATE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM, ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS, AND OTHER COMMUNITY PARTNERS. THESE MEETINGS CREATE A SPACE FOR THE FOOD SECURITY COMMUNITY TO LEARN ABOUT DIFFERENT AVAILABLE RESOURCES AND TO FORM PARTNERSHIPS SO AS TO INCREASE THEIR CAPACITY TO MEET RESIDENT NEEDS. THE FOOD COUNCIL HAS CONTINUED TO ENGAGE A FOOD SECURITY COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD (FSCAB), IN CONTINUATION OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COUNTY'S FOOD SECURITY PLAN. THE 2022 FSCAB COHORT CONSISTED OF 15 MEMBERS WHO DEVELOPED ADVOCACY PLANS FOCUSING ON A VARIETY OF FOOD INSECURITY TOPICS SUCH AS FOOD INSECURITY AND HEALTH OUTCOMES, EXPANSION OF SNAP ACCESS, TRANSPORTATION ISSUES THAT AFFECT FOOD ACCESS, AND FOOD INSECURITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION.

FOOD ECONOMY - THE 2022 FOOD AND BEVERAGE GUIDE WAS PUBLISHED IN JANUARY 2022 AS A PRINTED GUIDE AND ALSO AS AN ONLINE SEARCHABLE GUIDE ON THE FOOD COUNCIL'S WEBSITE. IT FEATURES 73 BUSINESSES IN TOTAL, OF WHICH 27 ARE WOMEN-OWNED AND 24 ARE MINORITY-OWNED. WE FURTHER PROMOTED OUR MOCO MADE FOOD AND BEVERAGE BUSINESSES WITH A 2022 MOCO MADE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE, A BIPOC-OWNED MOCO MADE BUSINESSES GUIDE, AN ONLINE WOMAN-OWNED MOCO MADE BUSINESS GUIDE, AND AN AAPI-OWNED BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT. WE ALSO LAUNCHED THE MOCO FOOD MAP, AN INTERACTIVE, SEARCHABLE MAP THAT CAN BE USED WITH GPS TO LOCATE 360+ MONTGOMERY COUNTY-BASED INTERNATIONAL RETAILERS, STORES THAT CARRY LOCAL FOOD, FARM STORES, AND FARMERS MARKETS, AS WELL AS FOOD BUSINESSES AND THEIR CONTACT INFORMATION. WE PROVIDED VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON NETWORKING EVENTS TO COUNTY BUSINESSES, INCLUDING A MOCO MADE FOOD AND BEVERAGE EXPO, WHICH WELCOMED OVER 200 LOCAL FOOD PROFESSIONALS AND ENTHUSIASTS, INCLUDING THREE COUNTY COUNCIL OFFICES REPRESENTED AND THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE, BUYERS FROM 28 RETAILERS, 38 FOOD BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS, AND GENERAL ADMISSION MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. ADDITIONALLY, WE LED A FOOD SYSTEMS INFRASTRUCTURE OPPORTUNITIES INITIATIVE TO BUILD INTEREST AND SUPPORT FOR A LOCAL FOOD AGGREGATION AND DISTRIBUTION FACILITY PROJECT.

GENERAL PROGRAMS - COMMUNITY-WIDE EDUCATION, ADVOCACY, AND CAPACITY-BUILDING INITIATIVES FOCUSED ON THE FOOD SYSTEM ELEMENTS HOLISTICALLY IN ORDER TO CULTIVATE A MORE RESILIENT, SUSTAINABLE, AND EQUITABLE LOCAL FOOD SYSTEM IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY.