Capacity-Building Grants Awarded to Food Security Organizations

Congratulations to the nine community-based, non-profit organizations involved in food recovery and food security efforts that received this year’s capacity-building grants. Manna Food Center, Montgomery County’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and the Montgomery County Food Council, in collaboration with the Greater Washington Community Foundation, awarded $67,465 in Community Food Rescue (CFR) mini-grants. The organizations will use these $2,000-$10,000 grants to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their efforts to reduce food insecurity in the county.

“We know that the pandemic exacerbated the problem of food insecurity in our community and that the challenges remain for many of our residents,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “I am pleased to see the wide range of organizations that are receiving grant funding to help further the important work they do in helping our neighbors feed their families.”

The organizations receiving CFR mini-grants are: AfriThrive, Clopper Mill Elementary School, First Alliance Church, Food and Friends, Kings and Priests Court, Mid County United Ministries, Rainbow Community Development Center, Small Things Matter, and The UpCounty Hub. 

The mini-grants support the goals of the Montgomery County Food Security Plan, which aims to make the county a place where  “all people at all times have access to safe, sufficient, nutritious food, with dignity.” The recipient organizations will use the funding to increase their capacity and/or infrastructure for community food recovery and food security. Most will use their grants toward purchase of cold storage in various forms, such as commercial refrigerators, freezers, a refrigerated van, or an outdoor refrigerated portable unit. Other grantees will purchase storage, shelving, and technology to build their capacity to distribute food safely to their clients.

“On behalf of all the donors to the Food for Montgomery Fund, we are proud to join in supporting the CFR mini-grants,” says Anna Hargrave, executive director for Montgomery County at the Greater Washington Community Foundation. “We are certain these grants will provide a tremendous boost to the food security work of these dedicated community partners.”

Kings and Priests Court food distribution.

The CFR mini-grants are funded by DHHS, enhanced with matching funds from the Greater Washington Community Foundation’s Food for Montgomery Fund. The grants are administered by DHHS in coordination with the Montgomery County Food Council and Manna’s Community Food Rescue program.