Montgomery County Invests in Community Outreach Connecting Families with Nutrition Assistance – MocoFeed

The Montgomery County Office of Food Systems Resilience (OFSR), in partnership with the Office of Grants Management (OGM), has awarded a total of $304,000 to six organizations through the FY25 Nutrition Benefits Outreach Grant Program (NBO) The funding supports innovative strategies to help connect local families with essential nutrition benefits. These efforts specifically focus on reaching households that qualify for, but are not currently enrolled in, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other federal or state nutrition assistance programs.

Awarded Organizations:

• Montgomery County Food Council

The six awarded organizations are designated by the Maryland Department of Human Services as SNAP Outreach Community Based Organizations (CBOs) to provide application assistance to Montgomery County residents. Through the Nutrition Benefits Outreach Grant Program, these organizations are expected to help over 8,000 County households receive financial support for food purchases through programs such as:

• SNAP
• SUN Bucks
• )

SNAP, WIC, FMNP and SUN Bucks provide participants with benefits that can be used like cash at retail food locations, offering residents experiencing food insecurity the dignity and flexibility of choosing shopping locations and grocery items.

“Far too many families in our community are struggling with food insecurity, even though they qualify for programs that can help,” said County Executive Marc Elrich.“This funding supports trusted organizations that know how to reach people, through language, through relationships and through cultural understanding. We’re making it easier for residents to access benefits, and that makes a real difference in people’s lives.”

This investment builds on the first SNAP Outreach Grant Program, which began in April 2024. The program supports the goals of Montgomery County’s Strategic Plan to End Childhood Hunger by improving access to nutrition benefits for families. With this funding, the organizations are expected to expand their reach by offering a wider range of services to help families access the full range of nutrition benefits available to them.

“While SNAP is our nation’s first line of defense in the fight against hunger, residents often aren’t aware of the other benefits they may be eligible to receive. These grants invest in community organizations with the language skills and technical expertise needed to connect with families in trusted spaces,” said Heather Bruskin, director of the OFSR.

The NBO Grant Program aims to maximize the impact of each resident interaction by screening households for eligibility for multiple programs at once.

“Funding from the FY25 Nutrition Benefits Outreach grant will allow us to expand our efforts and reach more Montgomery County families and connect them to SNAP, WIC, SUN Bucks, farmers market matching programs and County food assistance resources,” said Allison Schnitzer, acting co-executive director of the Montgomery County Food Council. “The Food Council is extremely grateful for the County’s support and we applaud the Office of Food Systems Resilience for envisioning a holistic approach to supporting the food security of our County’s families.”

For more information about these programs, contact Catherine Nardi, program manager for the Office of Food Systems Resilience at [email protected] .

Photo Courtesy of Montgomery County Food Council.

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