Chair Albornoz convened the Committee of Health and Human Services to receive an update from the Montgomery County Office of Food Systems Resilience (OFSR), which described a portfolio of contracts and grant programs the county will use to respond to rising need as federal SNAP benefits are disrupted.

Miss Bruskin, presenting for OFSR, said the office’s operating budget this past year was about $13,000,000 and described a mix of county-run programs, contracts with large food distributors and grants to community partners. “These are things that we need in blue sky times and that we definitely need when there are emerging crises in our community,” Bruskin said, framing the office’s emphasis on diversifying supply, local procurement and data-driven monitoring.

The presentation highlighted several ongoing and expanding programs. OFSR funds a community food assistance grant program that partners with roughly 49 provider organizations across all ZIP codes; staff said the program represents about $3,500,000 per year, that 32% of purchases from that program come from local retailers and county farms, and that grantees together run more than 700 service events per month. The office also described a Farm-to-Food-Bank arrangement facilitated by Manna Food Center that last year bought roughly 160,000 pounds of county-produced food from more than 25 farms and reached dozens of food-assistance providers.

Bruskin described MC Groceries, a pilot launched to fill a “SNAP gap” for working families who earn too much to qualify for federal benefits but still lack sufficient income. In its first year the program provided $100 per child per month to 550 families covering about 1,100 children; OFSR plans modest expansion to reach approximately 650 families. Bruskin said early survey results showed participants purchased more fruits and vegetables, reported increased employment, and that delivery reduced time burdens for families juggling multiple jobs.

OFSR also described investments in food recovery and infrastructure: for the first time grantees may use community food assistance funds for food-recovery operations, and the county awarded several infrastructure grants for on-site cold storage and transportation. Staff said the county secured a coordination grant so an independent coordinator can convene grantees, standardize reporting and recruit donors.

On farmers markets and local purchasing, OFSR noted partnerships with Maryland Market Money (a dollar-for-dollar match program administered by the Maryland Department of Agriculture) and said nine county markets participate. OFSR reported steep drops in SNAP redemptions at at least one market (Crossroads) — roughly a 50% year-over-year decline for September — which staff said underscores the near-term harm of federal payment disruptions.

Data and evaluation work was a substantial portion of the presentation. Juan Cruz described standardized client-satisfaction surveys translated into the county’s top languages and an evaluation framework that incorporates pre/post measures and OMB annual metrics. OFSR reported collecting 1,181 resident feedback responses (about half from Spanish speakers) and mapped partner ZIP-code reach against the county’s Community Equity Index to identify under-served areas (staff cited ZIP codes 20855, 20895 and 20814 as examples).

Council members asked how the county will respond in the near term to the federal SNAP gap. Bruskin said county and state funds cannot fully replace federal SNAP (the presentation noted the scale of SNAP as millions per month) and described a plan to apply county dollars strategically through the existing network: rapidly infusing funds into contracted partners and grantees, public communications to reduce misinformation and stigma, targeted distributions for groups such as impacted federal workers and use of home-delivery and proxy pickup to lower access barriers. “We have to be strategic with the resources we have,” Bruskin said.

During closing remarks staff reported a near-term state action: about 40 minutes before the meeting ended a staff member said the governor announced a $10,000,000 emergency appropriation for the food assistance network. OFSR clarified the funds are intended for the food assistance network and food banks and said the appropriation will not be routed through the SNAP mechanism.

What changed: OFSR is allowing grantees to use grant funds for food recovery operations for the first time, has awarded cold-storage and transportation infrastructure grants, and is funding a network coordinator to improve coordination and donor recruitment. What remains uncertain: how long federal SNAP disruptions will continue and the total increased demand; OFSR staff said they will monitor, lean on partner networks and seek council partnership to distribute information and dollars rapidly.

For residents: staff emphasized use of the county food resource calendar and partner hotlines for current distribution times and locations and said MC Groceries and mobile markets offer alternative access pathways for families unable to reach distribution sites.