Montgomery County Food Council and County Leaders to Unveil the Strategic Plan to End Childhood Hunger

Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County Councilmember Gabe Albornoz will be joined by County Executive Marc Elrich, Dr. Monifa McKnight, the Office of Food Systems Resilience, the Montgomery County Food Council and community partners to unveil key recommendations from the Montgomery County Strategic Plan to End Childhood Hunger. The event will take place on Wednesday, September 6 at 10 a.m. at Highland Elementary School.

The Montgomery County Strategic Plan to End Childhood Hunger was spearheaded by Councilmember Albornoz, chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, in conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Services in 2022 to combat rising rates of childhood food insecurity in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Childhood hunger reaches into the homes of families across our county with at least 34,000 children experiencing food insecurity. While the pandemic both revealed and exacerbated food insecurity in our communities, it also laid a proven foundation that we can use towards a more sustainable, more collaborative, more effective system to reduce food insecurity among our children,” stated Councilmember Albornoz. “We have the tools, the people and the motivation to end childhood hunger so that our next generation can truly thrive.”

The Montgomery County Food Council, a nonprofit organization that serves as the primary convenor around food system issues, has served as the project manager for this initiative.  By building upon lessons learned by the County’s Food Security Task Force throughout the pandemic, the Food Council tapped the expertise of community members and organizations to identify food access barriers and strategies to reduce food insecurity across all childhood age groups. The plan identified 14 recommendations, organized into three groups based on how they address childhood food insecurity – with direct financial benefits to purchase food; with food provided at school, pre-school or daycare; and with novel approaches.

Who: Councilmember Gabe Albornoz, County Executive Marc Elrich, Dr. Monifa McKnight, Heather Bruskin, Director of the Office of Food Systems Resilience, Dira Treadvance, Chief of Children, Youth and Families for the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, and community partners.

What: Press conference to highlight recommendations from the Strategic Plan to End Childhood Hunger to better identify food access barriers and strategies to reduce food insecurity across all groups in Montgomery County.
When: Wednesday, September 6 at 10 a.m.
Where: Highland Elementary School in the All-Purpose Room (3100 Medway St, Wheaton-Glenmont, MD 20902). Street parking is available.
Members of the media must RSVP by Wednesday, September 6 at 8 a.m. by emailing [email protected].