This year has been an active one in the world of Farm to Food Bank! We worked with 31 Montgomery County Farms this past year to direct 153,277 lbs. of produce to 54 Food Assistance Providers. We are so excited about the work we have been able to accomplish together, and as we look forwardContinue Reading
The holidays are the season of giving; giving love and giving thanks. The holidays are also about helping those in need. Read below to hear about one such giving story. We reached out to our Community Food Rescue network to see if any of our donors had extra or special donations they could post to their ChowMatch accountContinue Reading
Exciting news in the Farm to Food Bank world! Manna Food Center has received funding from the Healthcare Initiative Foundation to pilot Contract Growing with farmers in Montgomery County. This new relationship builds upon our current Farm to Food Bank program , which purchases local produce, meat and eggs from 35 farms in Montgomery County and donates the food to our Community FoodContinue Reading
As the harvest season comes to a close, we want to highlight a few of the local Montgomery County farms that donate surplus fresh produce and participate in the County Farm to Food Bank program , providing fresh, healthy, delicious produce to the many food assistance providers in our network. One of those farms is Chicken of the Woods Permaculture Farm (COTW) in Darnestown, MD. The nameContinue Reading
High-schooler Benjamin Shoykhet promoted the event on the US Chess Federation’s website. “Join us for an afternoon of outdoor fun among the chickens, ducks, geese, and guinea fowl as we play chess to help reduce food insecurity in Montgomery County, Maryland.” While playing chess on a farm may seem a bit strange, for this kidContinue Reading
By: Annarose Kennedy, CFR coordinator Collards, chard, kale, oh my! As warm weather and longer days are upon us, I have had the wonderful opportunity to start visiting the various farms in the County’s Farm to Foodbank program, administered by Manna Food Center’s Community Food Rescue (CFR) . As CFR’s coordinator taking the lead on Farm to Foodbank, it is so excitingContinue Reading
The Montgomery County Farm to Food Bank program buys local, fresh, and nutritious produce, meat and eggs for our neighbors who experience hunger. Thanks to a grant from Montgomery County and the Greater Washington Community Foundation , the program provides a much-needed financial boost to local farmers, especially in the wake of COVID-19. Of the 23 dedicated farmers who have joined the Farm to Food BankContinue Reading
The Montgomery County Farm to Food Bank program , born last year at the height of the global pandemic to help both farmers and people who are food insecure, was an idea that continues to flourish. Thanks to Montgomery County and Greater Washington Community Foundation , Manna Food Center received a grant to purchase freshly harvested produce, eggs, and meat from local farms. These products are then donated toContinue Reading
While the global pandemic has upended life as we know it, including disrupting commercial food supply chains, there are some exciting new connections developing in our local food system. One shining example is a new relationship between three food assistance efforts, connected through Manna Food Center’s Community Food Rescue (CFR) program . When many local restaurants and institutions closed, the pandemic left aContinue Reading
People looking for fun outdoor activities during the coronavirus pandemic are heading to local Pick You Own farms. To make sure the experience is a safe one, farms like Butler’s Orchard have pivoted their operations to conform to Maryland’s guidelines for social distancing.