Montgomery County COVID-19 Response Food Security Task Force
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Montgomery County COVID-19 Response Food Security Task Force Report 7 May 26, 2020
Table of Contents
Background ........................................................................................................................................................... 4
Mission .................................................................................................................................................................. 4
Identified Gaps and Needs.................................................................................................................................... 5
Operational Update: Week of May 26, 2020 ........................................................................................................ 7
Summary of Previous Week .............................................................................................................................. 7
Strategic Planning Unit ................................................................................................................................. 7
Operations Unit............................................................................................................................................. 7
Operational Planning .................................................................................................................................... 7
Logistics ......................................................................................................................................................... 7
Management................................................................................................................................................. 7
Communications ......................................................................................................................................... 10
Finance and Administration ........................................................................................................................ 10
Data and Analysis ........................................................................................................................................ 10
Food Assistance Provider Capacity Weekly Snapshot ................................................................................ 10
Actions Anticipated this Week ........................................................................................................................ 14
Task Force Structure ........................................................................................................................................... 15
Leadership Team ............................................................................................................................................. 16
Strategic Planning ........................................................................................................................................... 17
Operations ...................................................................................................................................................... 19
Communications ............................................................................................................................................. 21
Finance and Administration ............................................................................................................................ 22
Data Collection and Analysis ........................................................................................................................... 23
Appendix A: Task Force Membership ................................................................................................................. 24
Appendix B: Current Programs and Resources ................................................................................................... 27
Pre-existing food security programs ............................................................................................................... 27
COVID19 Response Resources and Programs ................................................................................................. 28
Appendix C: Previous Operational Periods ......................................................................................................... 29
Week of April 6, 2020 ..................................................................................................................................... 29
Week of April 13, 2020 ................................................................................................................................... 30
Page 1 of 82
Food Assistance Provider Capacity Weekly Snapshot ................................................................................ 30
Food Assistance Demand Trends ................................................................................................................ 30
Unemployment Claims for Montgomery County Residents ....................................................................... 31
Actions Anticipated this Week .................................................................................................................... 33
Week of April 21, 2020 ................................................................................................................................... 35
Summary of the Previous Week ................................................................................................................. 35
Planning Unit............................................................................................................................................... 35
Operations Unit........................................................................................................................................... 36
Communications ......................................................................................................................................... 36
Finance and Administration ........................................................................................................................ 36
Data and Analysis ........................................................................................................................................ 37
Week of April 28, 2020 ................................................................................................................................... 38
Summary of Previous Week ........................................................................................................................ 38
Management............................................................................................................................................... 40
Communications ......................................................................................................................................... 40
Finance and Administration ........................................................................................................................ 41
Actions Anticipated this Week ........................................................................................................................ 41
Data and Analysis ........................................................................................................................................ 42
Week of May 5, 2020 ...................................................................................................................................... 46
Summary of Previous Week ........................................................................................................................ 46
Finance and Administration ........................................................................................................................ 47
Data and Analysis ........................................................................................................................................ 48
Actions Anticipated this Week ........................................................................................................................ 52
Week of May 12, 2020 .................................................................................................................................... 53
Summary of Previous Week ........................................................................................................................ 53
Strategic Planning Unit ............................................................................................................................... 53
Operations Unit........................................................................................................................................... 53
Communications ......................................................................................................................................... 54
Finance and Administration ........................................................................................................................ 54
Data and Analysis ........................................................................................................................................ 54
Page 2 of 82
Food Assistance Provider Capacity Weekly Snapshot ................................................................................ 55
Actions Anticipated this Week ........................................................................................................................ 59
Operational Update: Week of May 19, 2020 .................................................................................................. 59
Summary of Previous Week ........................................................................................................................ 59
Strategic Planning Unit ............................................................................................................................... 59
Operations Unit........................................................................................................................................... 59
Food Assistance Provider Operational Highlights ....................................................................................... 60
Communications ......................................................................................................................................... 61
Finance and Administration ........................................................................................................................ 61
Data and Analysis ........................................................................................................................................ 61
Food Assistance Provider Capacity Weekly Snapshot ................................................................................ 61
Actions Anticipated this Week ........................................................................................................................ 65
Appendix D: Funding Recommendations to Department of Health and Human Services ................................. 66
Appendix E: Feeding America April 21 COVID19 State Level Estimates ......................................................... 74
Page 3 of 82Background The COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated the food access challenges for the 60,000+ residents in Montgomery County already experiencing food insecurity. In addition, over 30,000 County residents have recently filed for unemployment and many are experiencing food insecurity for the first time. Social distancing, health concerns, and changes in retail models have further limited food access for homebound seniors and residents with disabilities, people experiencing homelessness, and many other residents of our County. The Food Security Task Force was created by the Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEMHS) to facilitate coordination and collaboration among government and non- government agencies working to address the unique food security challenges created and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Adapting the Incident Command System framework, the Food Security Task Force is led by a leadership team with representatives from Montgomery County Government and the Food Council. This team works with leaders from five functional units: planning, operations, communications, data and analysis, and finance and administration to both develop a strategic plan to address food insecurity in the county and enhance existing food assistance provider networks. Mission The task force’s mission is to: increase the volume of food in the food assistance system; improve access to food by building the capacity of the food assistance network to store and strategically, safely, and efficiently distribute food to residents through home delivery and community pickup sites; and to communicate information to residents on available resources and ensure residents are connected with available resources. Page 4 of 82
Identified Gaps and Needs
Montgomery County and the State of Maryland have taken several steps to promote social distancing
measures in an effort to reduce COVID19 transmission rates. These measures include limiting restaurant and
close-contact business operations, which has resulted in a number of residents suddenly losing employment.
As a result of the high unemployment rate and reports of workers who are still employed having hours and
wages reduced, many residents are now experiencing food insecurity either for the first time or at a
heightened level.
The initial gaps identified by the Food Security Task Force are:
• Barriers Residents Face in Accessing Food
o Sudden lack of income or decrease in income related to COVID-19 management measures
o Suspended programs related to COVID-19 restrictions
o Reduced public transportation options and ride-share options
o Grocery delivery services overwhelmed and inaccessible
• Issues Faced by Food Assistance Provider
o Significant demand increase
o Supply chain disruptions making it difficult to access food
o Limited funding available
o Staffing shortages
o Inadequate Personal Protective Equipment
o Lack of cleaning supplies
o Limited storage capacity for food
• Global Challenges
o Communications of services available to populations in need
o Scarce resources within County Government and private sector
From these gaps, the Task Force has Identified the following needs:
Increasing Provider Capacity and Resilience—The Food Security Task Force is working with area
food assistance providers to identify ways for providers to get larger quantities of food through the
limited existing supply chain and support enhanced operations. This includes developing a
transportation plan for food delivery, plans for addressing anticipated volunteer and staffing
shortages, and provide adequate personal protective equipment and sanitation supplies to
providers.
Redirecting The Supply Chain—One of the underlying issues causing a shortage of food is the
disruption of the traditional supply chain for Food Assistance Providers. Many providers rely on
donations for on-premises dining establishments, which have now transitioned to a take-out-only
model or closed due to lack of demand. Although some supply chains have adjusted to supplying
Page 5 of 82grocers rather than restaurants, there are likely still some suppliers who have not found a purchaser
for their food that can be connected to a food assistance provider.
Providing Meals to Residents in Isolation/Quarantine—As shown in other jurisdictions, there is a
subsection of the population that must isolate or quarantine at home either due to exposure to
COIVD-19 or being part of an at-risk population. While some of those may already receive meal
assistance through programs like Meals on Wheels, many do not qualify for those programs.
Additionally, private sector solutions like grocery delivery services have become overwhelmed in
recent weeks.
Over the course of the pandemic response the Montgomery County Food Security Task Force will further
refine the identified gaps and needs above by analyzing data from the County 311 system and provider data.
As the process continues, this data collection and analysis will likely identify additional needs within the
community that the Food Security Task Force will work together to address.
Page 6 of 82Operational Update: Week of May 26, 2020
Summary of Previous Week
The Task Force has continued to complete a large amount of work, and are now preparing to operationalize
portions of the COVID-19 Pandemic Food Security Response Strategy Version 1, that was completed by the
Strategic Planning Unit on May 1. Representatives from OEMHS and DHHS presented the initial draft to the
County Chief Administrative Officer for feedback and the County Executive has tentatively allocated funding
to execute on the response strategy.
Strategic Planning Unit
The Strategic Planning Unit is continuing its work to make a large purchase of shelf-stable food for the County
to mitigate the risk of future supply chain disruptions.
Operations Unit
Operational Planning
Operational planning develops the plans to address immediate and short term needs. A sample of their
planning efforts this week includes:
• Organized the sharing of safety supplies (road vests) for the kosher kitchen.
• Coordinated with ABS to receive food shipments from CAFB, and then delivery to Up 2 Us
Foundation.
• Continued discussing the regional hubs to be established in Gaithersburg, Mid-County, and other
locations.
• Will begin mobile produces buses this week to delivery food to needed communities.
Logistics
The logistics unit assists the transportation of food for food assistance providers as well as sourcing food for
providers who have funds to purchase it directly. The logistics unit launched a new transportation request
form for providers and individuals to request assistance in moving large scale food resources. For the
upcoming week, they anticipate to move nearly 3,000 food boxes through this program.
Management
The general management group of the Operations Unit has helped connect a number of partners with
resources, with the following locations receiving food from donations identified by the Task Force operations
division:
Location Zip Code Item Quantity Frequency
Gaithersburg MS 20877 fresh 1000 boxes weekly
produce
Southern Bethany Baptist Church 20866 fresh 100 boxes weekly
produceLocation Zip Code Item Quantity Frequency
Direct Support for Immigrants 20879 fresh 10 boxes weekly
produce
Rainbow Community Development 20904 fresh 400 boxes 3 X week
Center produce
East County Rec Department 20904 fresh 700 boxes weekly
produce
Women Who Care Ministries 20886 fresh 4000 boxes weekly
produce
Up2Us Foundation 20854 fresh 50 boxes weekly
produce
Amherst Apartments 20902 fresh 275 boxes weekly
produce
Staff Edison Center 20906 fresh 80 boxes weekly
produce
MCPS Transportation Depot 20855 fresh 3500 boxes weekly
produce
St Camillus Church 20903 fresh 250 boxes biweekly
produce
Nourish Now 20852 fresh 500 boxes 3 X week
produce
Germantown Help 20874 fresh 15 boxes biweekly
produce
Black Rock Center 20874 fresh 150 boxes biweekly
produce
Living Legends - Emmanuel 7th Day 20861 fresh 200 boxes weekly
Adventist produce
Seven Locks Baptist Church 20854 fresh 50 boxes weekly
produce
Adventist Community 20901 fresh 200 boxes weekly
produce
Independence Now 20866 fresh 30 boxes weekly
produce
Crystal Springs Apartments 20853 fresh 80 boxes weekly
produce
Luther Rice Church 20902 fresh 150 boxes weekly
produce
Grace Life Church 20877 fresh 500 boxes weekly
produceLocation Zip Code Item Quantity Frequency
Clifton Park Church 20903 fresh 500 boxes weekly
produce
Oak Grove AME Zion Church 20880 fresh 50 boxes weekly
produce
Takoma Park MS 20910 fresh 175 boxes weekly
produce
Family Services 20877 fresh 90 boxes weekly
produce
Gaithersburg Help 20877 fresh 30 boxes weekly
produce
Southern Bethany Baptist Church 20866 fresh 100 boxes weekly
produce
Astha Adult Day Care 20904 fresh 1000 boxes weekly
produce
Holiday Park Senior Ctr 20906 fresh 450 boxes weekly
produce
Manna Food Center 20877 fresh 300 boxes weekly
produce
Shepherd's Table 20910 fresh 30 boxes weekly
produce
Hillside Senior Community 20877 hot meals 59/day daily
Manor Fair Hill Farm 20832 hot meals 44/day daily
The Oaks at Old Town 20877 hot meals 66/day daily
Hampshire Village Apts 20906 hot meals 78/day daily
Randolph Village 20906 hot meals 160/day daily
Victory Oaks 20904 hot meals 15/day daily
The Sanctuary 20901 hot meals 50/day daily
Manor at Colesville 20904 hot meals 44/day daily
Lakeview House 20817 hot meals 27/day daily
Wells Robertson House 20877 hot meals 25/day daily
Yad Yehuda 20902 Kosher 1800 daily
breakfast meals/dayLocation Zip Code Item Quantity Frequency
and lunches
for children
Washington Grove ES 20877 food boxes 300 boxes of weekly
and fresh each
produce
South Lake ES 20877 food boxes 300 boxes of every other week
and fresh each
produce
Watkins Mill ES 20886 food boxes 300 boxes of every other week
and fresh each
produce
Woodmont Park Apartments 20852 food boxes 150 boxes of weekly
and fresh each
produce
Fireside Apartments 20852 food boxes 100 boxes of weekly
and fresh each
produce
Mount Calvary Baptist Church 20850 food boxes 300 boxes of weekly
and fresh each
produce
Communications
The communications unit has identified “go-to” contacts for Spanish, Amharic, French/French-Creole, Korean,
Vietnamese, and Chinese speakers to help residents navigate food resources. These contacts are listed on the
COVID-19 Food Resources Website. The unit is continuing to develop PSA videos to help educate residents on
how to locate food resources.
Finance and Administration
The Finance and Administration unit met with a County Councilmember to discuss a proposed funding
strategy for food security. The unit also walked through the Response Strategy to identify potential external
revenue sources and resources to fund those initiatives.
Data and Analysis
Food Assistance Provider Capacity Weekly Snapshot
As of May 26, 2020 at 1100 24 Food Assistance Providers completed the Food Assistance Provider Capacity
Snapshot for the week. From the providers that submitted responses, they:
• Provided 234,265 pounds of food to Montgomery County Residents
• Served 8,397 prepared meals
• Served 15,589 clients
o 9,396 households
o 6,193 individuals• Relied on a cumulative 4,925.5 volunteer hours to support their operations
This week there were more reports of limited food for distribution and issues in transportation/delivery for
food resources.
Weekly Trends from Food Assistance Providers
This information is based on self-reported data from the Food Assistance Providers and does not fully capture
the work of Montgomery County Food Assistance Providers due to participation rates. Our hope is to have
improved data over time as more providers consistently report information through the Weekly Provider
Capacity Snapshot.
Provider Capacity Snapshot
240000
210000
180000
150000
120000
90000
60000
30000
0
7-Apr 14-Apr 21-Apr 28-Apr 5-May 12-May 19-May
Staff Members Clients Served Pounds of Food
Meals Served Volunteer HoursUnemployment Claims for Montgomery County Residents
Initial Unemployment Claims Filed by
Montgomery County Residents
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
Initial Unemployment Claims
7-Mar 14-Mar 21-Mar 28-Mar 4-Apr 11-Apr
18-Apr 25-Apr 1-May 8-May-20 15-MayMontgomery County 311 Requests for Assistance
MC 311 Call Topics (pt 1)
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
How to Apply MANNA Food Food Stamps Food Assistance COVID19 Meals
for Public Center Referral and Cash Online Resource to Seniors
Assistance Assistance Director
Programs Availability in
Account
6-Apr 13-Apr 20-Apr 27-Apr 1-May 8-May 18-May
MC 311 Call Topics (Pt 2)
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Documentation for Food
Minimum
Stamps,State
TCA,Supplment
Medicaid and
Benefits
Food
Temporary
Assistance
and Food
Meals
Disability
Stamps
on Wheels
Nourish Now
Assistance Program
6-Apr 13-Apr 20-Apr 27-Apr 1-May 8-May 18-MayActions Anticipated this Week
For the upcoming week, the major anticipated actions include:
1. Operations unit continuing to help connect providers and communities with need
2. Continued work on operationalizing elements of the Strategic Planning Unit’s COVID-19 Food
Security Response Strategy Version 1Task Force Structure
(Updated April 20, 2020)
The Food Security Task Force uses a modified Incident Command System structure to coordinate its
activities. This structure is scalable to address increased demand as the pandemic continues and the task
force gathers more information about the challenges experienced by Montgomery County residents. A
description of each of the functions and identified leads is below.
Task Force Leadership
Team
Communications Data Collection and
Strategic Planning Operations Unit Finance/Administration
Unit Analysis
Logistics Manager Operations Manager Operational Planning
15Leadership Team
The leadership team is tasked with overseeing the functional units, providing communications and
operational support among the functional units. The taskforce is a unified effort from the Montgomery
County Food Council, Montgomery County Department of Health and Humans Services (DHHS), and the
Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEMHS). Members of the
leadership team include:
• Heather Bruskin (Food Council)
• Mark Hodge (DHHS)
• Maggie Davis (OEMHS /CHHS)
• Netta Squires (OEMHS)
The Leadership Team and Functional Unit Leads will have periodic meetings to assure that the units are
operating efficiently and collaboratively.
.
16Strategic Planning
The strategic planning unit will be developing a long-term strategy for Montgomery County to support the
increased demand of food assistance within the County resulting from the COVID19 pandemic.
Unit Leads: Amanda Nesher (Food Council) and Mark Hodge (DHHS)
Unit Members:
• Theresa Bove (Food Security Community Advisory Board Member)
• Ilana Branda (DHHS)
• Claudette Brown (Food Security Community Advisory Board Member)
• Heather Bruskin (Montgomery County Food Council)
• Patrick Campbell (DHHS)
• Luis Cardona (DHHS)
• Adriane Clutter (Recreation)
• Jeremy Criss (Office of Agriculture)
• Maggie Davis (OEMHS)
• Eugenia Dawson (MCPS)
• Angelica De Soto (Food Security Community Advisory Board Member)
• Jackie DeCarlo (Manna Food Center)
• Pat Drumming (Rainbow Development Center)
• George Escobar (CASA)
• Ken Flemmer (Adventist Community Services)
• Ebonie Gadson (Food Security Community Advisory Board Member)
• Lisa Goldberg (Nourish Now)
• Margo Goldman (Gaithersburg HELP)
• Barbara Harral (MCPS)
• Kaori Hirakawa (Gilchrist Center)
• Charmaine Howard (Food Security Community Advisory Board Member)
• Beri Kari-Fonge (Food Security Community Advisory Board Members)
• Evangeline Kirigua (Food Security Community Advisory Board Member)
• Leslie Marks (DHHS)
• Susan McCarron (MCPS)
• Roberto Melara (Capital Area Food Bank)
• Catherine Nardi (Food Council)
• Jayne Park (IMPACT Silver Spring)
• Vanesa Pinto (Food Security Community Advisory Board Member)
• Gladys Range (Food Security Community Advisory Board Member)
• Rhona Reiss ( Food Security Community Advisory Board Member)
• Jennifer Renkema (Food Security Community Advisory Board Member)
17• Julie Resendiz ( Food Security Community Advisory Board Member)
• Rosetta Robinson (Interfaith Works)
• Michelle Rogers ( Food Security Community Advisory Board Member)
• Mary Simons ( Food Security Community Advisory Board Members)
• Lindsey Smith (Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments)
• Netta Squires (OEMHS)
• Earl Stoddard (OEMHS)
• Sharon Strauss (Community Action Agency)
• Diana Tato-Niktash (DHHS)
• Susan Topping (Capital Area Food Bank)
• Elizabeth Umana (Food Security Community Advisory Board Member)
• Diego Uriburu (Identity)
• Diane Vu (Office of Community Partnerships)
• Chris Webster (OEMHS/CHHS)
• Michael Wilson (Maryland Hunger Solutions)
18Operations
The operations unit will address short-to-medium term needs to support food assistance providers and
increase food access throughout the County.
Unit Lead: Patrick Campbell (DHHS)
Unit Deputy: Diana Tato-Niktash (DHHS)
Subunits:
Operational Planning Manager: Diana Tato-Niktash (DHHS)
Operations Manager: Doug Hollis (MCPS)
Logistics Managers: Josh Carin (MCRA) and Jamie Cooke (DGS)
Unit Members:
● Daniel Bowen (Food Council)
● Shawn Brennan (DHHS)
● Molly Callaway (Volunteer Center)
● Josue Cannas (DHHS TESS Center)
● Marla Caplon (MCPS)
● Josh Carin (Montgomery County Revenue Authority)
● Adriane Clutter (Recreation)
● Carol Craig (DHHS, Senior Nutrition Program Manager)
● Everett Davis (MCPS)
● Pat Drumming (Rainbow Community Development Center)
● Ken Flemmer (Adventist Community Services of Greater Washington)
● Lisa Goldberg (Nourish Now)
● Margo Goldman (Gaithersburg HELP)
● Maureen Herdon (City of Gaithersburg)
● Manny Hidalgo (Shepherd’s Table)
● Dorne Hill (Crisis Center)
● Tammi Houton (Nourish Now)
● Cheryl Kollin (Community Food Rescue)
● Kris Leary (St. Camillus )
● David Lorenzo Botello (County Council staff)
● Leslie Mark (Dep of Housing and Community Affairs)
● Catherine Nardi (Food Council)
● Aizat Oladapo (Community Action Agency)
● Noelle Ronald
● Allie Sklarew (Food Council)
19● Kathleen Stobie
● Sara Swarr (Recreation)
● Susan Topping (Capital Area Food Bank)
● Jenna Umbriac (Manna Food Center)
● Vivian Yao (County Council’s Office)
20Communications
The Communications unit will coordinate communications from the Task Force to outside agencies and
providers. This unit will ideally work closely with the Montgomery County Public Information Office to
communicate resources to the public.
Unit Lead: Leah Goldfine (Community Action Agency/DHHS) and Shawn Brennan (Aging and Disability
Services/DHHS)
Unit Members:
● Mary Anderson (PIO/DHHS)
● Carmen Berrio Martinez (Recreation, Crisis Comms Team)
● Cindy Majane (HELP Germantown)
● Amanda Nesher (Food Council)
● Vivian Yao (County Council)
● JuaTina Temple (Early Childhood Services/DHHS)
● Ingrid Lizama (Latino Health Initiative/DHHS)
● Gianina Hasbun (Latino Health Initiative/DHHS)
● Surbhi Sardana (Community Health Program/DHHS)
● Kahlil Greene (Yale University student)
21Finance and Administration
The Finance and Administration unit will be assisting Food Assistance Providers with identify and accessing
additional revenue to support their enhanced operations. This unit will be largely tasked with assisting with
procurement documentation and liaising with County leadership regarding funding opportunities.
Unit Lead: Caroline Sturgis (ACAO) & Vivian Yao (Montgomery County Council)
Unit Members:
• Heather Bruskin (Food Council)
• Wylea Chase (Leadership Montgomery)
• Carolyn Chen (Montgomery County Council)
• Massa Cressall (Food Council)
• Eugenia Dawson (MCPS)
• Jess Fuchs (Healthcare Initiative Foundation)
• Mary Gies (Montgomery County Council)
• Barbara Harral (MCPS DFNS)
• Shondra Jenkins (Business Leaders Fighting Hunger)
• Lindsay Lucas (OMB)
• Lesley MacDonald (Nonprofit Montgomery)
• Susan McCarron (MCPS DFNS)
• Ana Schmitz (DHHS)
• Crystal Townshend (Healthcare Initiative Foundation)
• Tiffany Ward (Office of the County Executive)
22Data Collection and Analysis
The Data Collection and Analysis unit will work with the Food Assistance Providers to gather data weekly and
analyze how the demand for and supply of food assistance changes overtime. This information will inform
the other three units decision making moving forward.
Unit Lead: Maggie Davis (OEMHS)
Unit Members:
● Jake Erlich (Capital Area Food Bank)
● Erin Smith (DHHS)
● Thomas Tippett (CountyStat)
● Angela Whitmal (Manna Food Center)
23Appendix A: Task Force Membership
First Name Last Name Organization
Advisory Council
Dr. Raymond Crowell MC DHHS
Dr. Earl Stoddard MC OEMHS
Task Force Leadership Team
Heather Bruskin MC Food Council
Maggie Davis OEMHS
Mark Hodge MC DHHS
Netta Squires OEMHS
Task Force Membership
Michal Abraham Food Security Community Advisory Board
Matilda Adu Food Security Community Advisory Board
Tazeen Ahmad Up2Us
Mary Anderson MC DHHS/PIO
Pazit Aviv MC DHHS
JoAnn Barnes MC DHHS
Theresa Bove Food Security Community Advisory Board
Ilana Branda MC DHHS
Shawn Brennan MC DHHS
Claudette Brown Food Security Community Advisory Board
Molly Callaway MC Volunteer Center
Patrick Campbell MC DHHS
Josue Canas MC DHHS
Marla Caplon Montgomery County Public Schools
Luis Cardona MC DHHS
Montgomery County Revenue Authority (Golf
Josh Carin Courses)
Bertha Cerzosimo Councilmember Navarro's Office
Carolyn Chen Montgomery County Council
Judith Clark Women Who Care Ministries
Adriane Clutter MC Recreation
Jamie Cooke MC DGS
Carol Craig MC DHHS
Jeremy Criss Office of Agriculture
Everett Davis MCPS
24Jeanie Dawson MCPS
Angelica De Soto Food Security Community Advisory Board
Adam DeBaugh WUMCO HELP
Jackie DeCarlo Manna Food Center
Pat Drumming Rainbow Community Development Center
George Escobar CASA
Sharon Feuer Gruber Volunteer (Former Food Council Chair)
Adventist Community Services of Greater
Ken Flemmer Washington
Ebonie Gadson Food Security Community Advisory Board
Mary Gies County Council President Sidney Katz's Office
Lisa Goldberg NourishNow
Leah Goldfine MC DHHS
Margo Goldman Gaithersburg HELP
Kahlil Green Student Volunteer
Gianina Hasbun Latino Health Initiative, DHHS
Barbara Harral MCPS
Maureen Herdon City of Gaithersburg
Manny Hidalgo Shepherd's Table
Dorne Hill MD DHHS
Kaori Hirakawa Gilchrist Center
Doug Hollis MCPS
Tammi Houton Nourish Now
Charmaine Howard Food Security Community Advisory Board
Shondra Jenkins Business Leaders Fighting Hunger
Beri Kari-Fonge Food Security Community Advisory Board
Evangeline Kirigua Food Security Community Advisory Board
Cheryl Kollin Community Food Rescue
Betty Lam MC Office of Community Affairs
Kris Leary St Camillus Food Pantry, Silver Spring
Ingrid Lizama Latino Health Initiative, DHHS
David Lorenzo-Botello MC Council Member Evan Glass' Office
Lindsay Lucas OMB
Lesley MacDonald Nonprofit Montgomery
Cindy Majane Germantown HELP
Leslie Marks DHCA
25Susan McCarron MCPS
Linda McMillan County Council
Roberto Melara Capital Area Food Bank
Catherine Nardi Food Council
Amanda Nesher Food Council
Aizat Oladapo MC DHHS
Jayne Park IMPACT Silver Spring
Vanessa Pinto Food Security Community Advisory Board
Gladys Range Food Security Community Advisory Board
Rhonda Reiss Food Security Community Advisory Board
Jennifer Renkema Food Security Community Advisory Board
Julie Resendiz Food Security Community Advisory Board
Brian Roberts MC311/ PIO
Rosetta Robinson Interfaith Works
Michelle Rogers Food Security Community Advisory Board
Noelle Ronald
Anne Santora MC311/ PIO
Surbhi Sardana Community Health Programs, DHHS
Mary Simons Food Security Community Advisory Board
Allie Sklarew Food Council
Erin Smith MC DHHS
Lindsey Smith MWCOG
Sharon Strauss MC Community Action Agency
Sara Swarr MC Recreation
Diana Tato-Niktash MC DHHS
JuaTina Temple Early Childhood Services/DHHS
Thomas Tippett MC Office of County Executive
Susan Topping Capital Area Food Bank
Crystal Townshend Health
Elizabeth Umana Food Security Community Advisory Board
Jenna Umbriac Manna Food Center
Diego Uriburu Identity
Tiffany Ward County Executive's Office
Chris Webster OEMHS (Contract Support)
Jessica Weiss GrowingSOUL
Angela Whitmal Manna Food Center
26Michael Wilson Maryland Hunger Solutions
Vivian Yao County Council
Caroline Sturgis Assistant County Administrative Officer
Appendix B: Current Programs and Resources
Montgomery County operates several programs to address food insecurity, including federal programs and those
supported by nonprofits. These programs generally address specific populations within the county, such as children and
older adults. In response to the pandemic, many of these programs have enhanced their service and adapted their
operations to continue feeding their clients during the pandemic.
Pre-existing food security programs
Program Title Population Served Description
Benefits (Federal programs)
Supplemental Low-income households of US Citizens Federal program that
Nutrition and non-citizens with “qualified supplements a low-income
Assistance immigrant” status. family’s food budget. Families
Program (SNAP) seeking assistance must sign
an application and complete
an interview to receive
benefits.
SNAP benefit have increased
since April 2020
Temporary Cash Low-income families who are US Provides cash assistance and
Assistance Citizens or non-citizens with “qualified employment resources for
immigrant” status. families with children.
Temporary Low-income disabled adults who are US
Disability Citizens or non-citizens with “qualified
Assistance immigrant” status.
Nonprofit Food Providers
Food Pantries Low income and vulnerable populations Over 70 different food
providers in the County
provide produce and non-
perishable food.
Grocery Shopping
Grocery Shopping Older Adults Several nonprofits
Assistance organization provide volunteer
rides to grocery stores for
people who cannot drive any
longer.
These programs have shifted
to offer grocery delivery rather
27than taking the person
shopping.
Prepared Meals
MCPS meals School age children Breakfast and lunch usually
served at school. Now is
provided in the form of packed
food families can grab and go.
Senior Nutrition All older Adults over 60 (donation 6 contracting nonprofits
Program expected based on cost of meal) deliver cooked meals to older
congregate meals Or adults' home. The program
People with serious illnesses continues to operate and is
currently at capacities.
Meals on Wheels Older Adults over 60 who cannot cook 17 sited across the county
(donation expected based on cost of served lunch 3-5 days a week.
meal)) Now the program is reduced
to 9 sites, once a week
distribution of 7 frozen meals
COVID19 Response Resources and Programs
COVID19 had engendered a surge in community organizing. We receive reports of neighbors providing grocery
shopping help to neighbors and groups organizing to prepare and deliver meals to older adults. They vary in their level
of organization and volume of operation. Many fundraise in addition to providing the food.
Examples include the Universities at Shady Grove, who offered the use of their commercial kitchen to prepare 300
meals a week, Silver Spring Cares who raised funds through community donations to distribute meals cooked at local
restaurants, and weekend food packs for school age kids prepared by a Women Who Care Ministries.
The task force will collect information on these hyper local initiatives and facilitate partnership between organizations,
volunteers, food resources and connect them with groups or individuals who need the food
28Appendix C: Previous Operational Periods
Week of April 6, 2020
The Montgomery County Food Security Task Force held its first meeting on April 7, 2020 via videoconference. During
the meeting, the leadership team described the need for an interdisciplinary taskforce to address food security
concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as recent data showing the sharp increase of community demand for
food assistance.
From the meeting, the following short-to-mid term needs were identified:
1. Establish a structure for the task force to provide operational support to existing food providers
2. Develop contingency plans for meeting the increased demand of food providers in case:
a. The demand exceeds current infrastructure capabilities
b. There are shortages of staff and/or volunteers
c. There are further disruptions to the supply chain
3. Develop a resource for residents who need food access due to COVID 19 but are ineligible for existing
programs
The meeting also established the main goals of the Task Force:
1. Provide coordination among governmental and non-governmental resources to address food access issues
2. Use equity lens to develop plans and identify resources needed to support:
a. Residents who relied on food security assistance prior to COVID19
b. Residents who will need special assistance due to COVID29 restrictions (quarantine with illness or
high-risk population self-isolation)
c. Local food supply and delivery chains
3. Collect and Analyze data to inform planning operations.
Following the meeting, attendees were asked to volunteer for one of the functional units described in the Task Force
structure. Based on attendees who volunteered and targeted outreach from the leadership team, all of the functional
units of the task force were staffed by Thursday, April 9 with unit leaders identified and empowered to begin operating.
In addition to the main task force meeting, the Food Security Task Force conducted a small operation to provide hand
sanitizer and cloth face masks to food assistance providers. During the two-day operation 21 gallons of hand sanitizer
was provided among 16 food assistance providers and 320 re-usable cloth face masks were provided among 12 food
assistance providers.
29Week of April 13, 2020
Food Assistance Provider Capacity Weekly Snapshot
As of April 13, at 1800, 24 Food Assistance Providers completed the Food Assistance Provider Capacity Snapshot to
provide the Food Security Task Force insight on the community demand, barriers to providing service, and anticipated
challenges for the upcoming week. Of the providers who responded, they served an estimated 11,653 clients
providing approximately 79,653 pounds of food and 5,715 prepared meals. This was a notable increase of demand
over previous weeks and a large increase in demand compared to the same time period in 2019.
Barriers experienced by providers included a limited amount of food available (34.8% of respondents), unavailable
sanitation or personal protective equipment for staff and volunteers (30.4% of respondents), staffing shortages (26.1%
of respondents), and issues with transportation and delivery of food (21.7% of respondents).
Moving into this week, the providers anticipate extreme difficulty in accessing food for distribution, a decrease in staff
and volunteer availability to complete operational tasks, and access to supplies like bags, hand sanitizer, and personal
protective equipment.
Food Assistance Demand Trends
In addition to the Food Assistance Provider Snapshot, the Food Security Task Force is tracking the increased demand of
the School Nutrition Program, Senior Nutrition Program, the unemployment claim data, as well as 311 data requesting
assistance in accessing benefits. While the School Nutrition Program Data provides a more direct account of demand,
the Task Force believes that higher rates of unemployment claims and 311 inquiries regarding benefits correlates to an
increased demand for food assistance for the upcoming weeks.
School Nutrition Program
The data from the School Nutrition Program showed a significant increase as well, with a total of 82,049 meals provided
the week of March 20 and 225,781 meals provided the week of March 27. This was a 275% increase in demand. The
data from April 3 is still incomplete, but already demonstrates a continued high demand for meals.
School Meals
80000
60000
40000
20000
0
20-Mar 27-Mar 3-Apr
Breakfast Lunch Supper
30Senior Nutrition Program Demand Over Time
The Senior Nutrition Program showed a dramatic increase of demand as well, with the demand nearly doubling over
only three weeks.
Unemployment Claims for Montgomery County Residents
From March 21 to April 4, 4.8% of Montgomery County’s labor force applied for unemployment, totaling 29,075
unemployment claims within the three-week period. Total claims for the week of March 7 and March 14 were
approximately 195 and 256 respectively. The week of March 21, which was the first week of claims after social
distancing measures were put in place, had 3,941 initial unemployment insurance claims—a 1,539% increase from the
week before. The week of March 28 saw an even greater increase in claims with approximately 9,384 initial claims, or a
238% increase from the previous week, and the week of April 4 saw 15,751 initial claims or a 168% increase over the
week before. In total, there were 29,076 unemployment claims over the past 3 weeks.
31Montgomery County 311 Requests for Assistance
Below are the 311 Requests for Assistance for the first quarter of the year as well as the data for April 6-10. In addition
to the areas below, the week of April 6-10 saw 14 calls specifically regarding COVID-19 Meals to Seniors.
32Actions Anticipated this Week
The priority for this week is to create and operationalize plans addressing disruptions to the food assistance provider
supply chain and mitigating any loss of volunteer and staff support. A list of the tasks that will be addressed this week is
below, separated by unit.
Leadership Team
● Provide update to Food Council Food Security stakeholders call on Monday, April 13
● Convene Food Security Task Force Call on April 14
● Hold daily briefing calls to connect unit efforts
● Support functional units as needed
Planning Unit
● Develop Food Distribution Plan to provide supplemental food stuff and logistics support for delivery of food
stuffs to food assistance providers in the County
● Begin plan for Quarantine/Isolation Food Delivery
● Develop volunteer shortage plan to address anticipated staffing gaps
● Work with HHS to develop intake and referral plan for screening needs
● Develop PPE support plan for food assistance providers
Operations Unit
● Create tracking tool for meals production and delivery projects in progress
● Support existing community efforts to produce and deliver meals to older adults through coordination and
communication.
● Support the planning unit in developing a centralized intake and referral system
● Coordinate group homes bulk purchase with Costco.
● Assist with the distribution of cloth masks to food assistance providers
● Identify additional partners for unit membership
Finance/Admin Unit
● Convene second and third unit meetings
● Research current and potential funding and in-kind support from Federal, local government, private
philanthropy, and other sources.
● Identify creative collaborative and community-based strategies to financially support expanded and new food
security initiatives.
Communications Unit
• Convene first unit meeting
• List existing information platforms
• Enhance information platform access
• Assign subunit roles
33Data and Analysis Unit
● Working on retrieving more granular unemployment data
● Sending second week Provider Capacity Snapshot Survey
34Week of April 21, 2020
Summary of the Previous Week
The Food Security Task Force started its full operations the week of April 13, with County and nonprofit leaders
identified to fill roles within the structure of the task force. While each unit had major achievements, discussed below,
we would like to specially thank the work of the Finance and Admin unit for leading the development of the Task Force
funding recommendations to the Department of Health and Human Services found in Appendix D. The Finance and
Admin unit were supported by numerous members of the task force, with particular help from members of the
planning, operations, and data and analysis units as needed to compile the recommendations.
Planning Unit
The Planning Unit accomplished a number of tasks over the past week in support of both operations to address the
needs of food assistance providers, expanding access to food within the community, and supporting the Finance and
Admin Unit’s proposal.
• Operations Support
o Coordinated with CASA, the Capital Area Food Bank, and St. Camillus Pantry so that CASA was able to
distribute food to families in the region. They received their first delivery from Capital Area Food Bank
on April 20 and will begin delivery on April 21, with volunteers delivering a weeks worth of groceries to
300 families in the Silver Spring area. The plan is to have CASA scale up to distributing food to 700
families weekly.
o Connected several organizations seeking food for Ramadan meals to restaurants able to provide the
meals.
• Finance and Admin Unit Support
o The planning team compiled a list of all current Food Assistance Vendors with Montgomery County,
providing relevant details about each contract for awareness for the other Units. There are 62
organizations that provide food assistance currently listed as County Vendors.
o The planning team located a list of Community Food Rescue Mini-grants from FY2019 and FY2020 to
inform efforts moving forward.
• Training Opportunity
o The Planning Unit organized a training for Montgomery County Employees at DHHS, MC311, and other
interested parties to learn how to use the Food Council’s Food Resource Tools. Amanda Nesher from
the Food Council will present in a webinar format, with dates of Wednesday, April 22 at 2pm and
Monday, April 27 at 11am schedule for the training. Interested individuals can register for the training
here.
• Planning assisted various organizations with connecting to local food distributors (restaurant warehouses), to
purchase low-cost food, decrease pressure on other typical providers and support local economic activity. This
effort has also assisted various groups preparing for Ramadan a and source food staples, like rice and flour
which have been to find.
o
35Operations Unit
The Operations Unit worked on a number of efforts during the first week, with a large focus on beginning to create
connections between organizations donating food and organizations seeking donations to support their operations.
Some of their efforts for the week include:
• Providing distribution of hand sanitizer and cloth face coverings to Food Assistance Providers.
o Requests for hand sanitizer can be submitted here.
o Requests for cloth face coverings can be submitted here
• Secured a large milk donation for providers to distribute fresh milk to residents.
• Developed interim plan for connecting individuals who need assistance. Key points of contact are the Gilchrist
Center and Crisis Center, which will temporarily refer clients (as appropriate) to:
o Nourish Now
o St. Michael’s
o Small Things Matter
• Exploring further relationships with some restaurants, including potential large donations from restaurants
• Supported weekend food for school age children
• Supported MCPS grab n go meals program and Senior Nutrition Program operated jointly with DHHS and the
Department of Recreation
Communications
The Communications Unit set a strong foundation during the first week to enhance connections within the Task Force
and with the County resources and broader community. They:
• Connected with MC311 to discuss using the Food Council’s Food Assistance flow chart and mapping tool. They
confirmed that the mapping tool is included in the MC311 database of resources and the link to the interactive
map may be shared with callers.
• Identified a volunteer to translate the Food Council’s Food Assistance flow chart into Spanish
• Drafted a message for the Food Council distribution list with information regarding food and nutrition
resources. They are working with providers to post the information on their websites
• Connected with the Public Information Office to request that the Food Council’s interactive food assistance
resource map be included on the County’s Covid-19 website. A direct link to the tool is now included on the
Community Resources page.
Finance and Administration
Finance and Administration coordinated with every unit to create a multi-phase plan to begin addressing several of the
needs and gaps identified by the broader Food Security Task Force. The creation of this report in under a week was to
provide the Task Force’s recommendations on how the Department of Health and Human Services should allocate the
$500,000 designated for food assistance during the current phase of response. The complete report, located in
Appendix D, also describes the process the Task Force will follow to develop a longer term solution to the food
assistance needs of County residents.
36Data and Analysis
The Data and Analysis Unit is continuing to identify data sets to gain an understanding of the increased demand for
food assistance within the County. This increase of demand is depicted in several graphics below, supplementing the
information provided in the Food Assistance Provider Capacity Weekly Snapshot.
Food Assistance Provider Capacity Weekly Snapshot
As of April 20 at 1800, 14 Food Assistance Providers completed the Food Assistance Provider Capacity Snapshot for the
week. Of the providers who responded, the served an estimated 8,585 client households providing approximately
80,009 pounds of food and 300 prepared meals. This still shows a large increase in demand from the providers
throughout the County. From the week over week data, there is also indications of increased demand for assistance.
The two charts below offer a small snapshot into the demand providers are seeing, showing the change in clients
served and pounds distributed between the week of April 7 and the Week of April 14. One early lesson from this data
analysis is that some provider count clients as households and others as individuals. For the next week we will be
capturing that metric to better inform our analysis. The providers listed here are not an exhaustive list, but rather a
small representation of some of the providers work.
Snapshot of Clients* Served Over Two Weeks
Mount Jezreel Baptist Church
Rainbow Community Development Center
Adventist Community Services
St Camillus
Gaithersburg HELP
Silver Spring Christian Reformed Church
Bethesda Help
Family Services, Inc
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400
Clients Served 4/14 Clients Service 4/7
* Some providers have their numbers as households and others as individual clients
37Snapshot of Pounds of Food Distributed Week
over Week
Mount Jezreel Baptist Church
Rainbow Community Development…
Adventist Community Services
St Camillus
Gaithersburg HELP
Silver Spring Christian Reformed Church
Bethesda Help
Family Services, Inc
0 40000 80000 120000 160000
Pounds of Food 4/7 Pounds of Food 4/14
Barriers experienced by providers included increased requests for more food, with many needing shelf stable food and
staples like cereal, rice, and pasta. There are increased staffing needs and a desire to have a plan to support home
delivery of items to residents in need.
Week of April 28, 2020
Summary of Previous Week
The Food Security Task Force restructured the operations and planning units this week in order to meet the dual goals
of the task force—to address immediate needs of residents experiencing food insecurity and to develop a longer-term
strategy for addressing the anticipated long term effects of the economic damage caused by the pandemic.
Strategic Planning Unit
The Strategic Planning Unit was established on April 20 to develop a plan that addresses the longer-term, sustained
needs of providing food assistance to County residents. In its first week, the unit developed an initial outline of its
Strategic Planning elements and engaged over 50 subject matter experts and community leaders, including members of
the Food Security Community Advisory Board, Maryland Hunger Solutions, the Office of Community Partnerships and
others. The initial outline of the plan revolves around three priorities of the Food Security Task Force:
1. Increase the Volume of Food provided by food assistance providers
2. Build Capacity of Food Assistance Distribution System
3. Connect Residents to Services
The Strategic Planning Unit has an aggressive timeline to develop the first draft of this plan by Friday, May 1.
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