Council approves $10.3M to establish Food Security Fund

A new food security fund will help Montgomery County nonprofits and residents get access to a steady supply of food. The new Montgomery County Food Security Fund will establish a response strategy and help cover costs for tackling hunger in the county.

On Tuesday, the County Council unanimously approved spending $10.3 million to establish the fund. Of that, $10 million would be used for starting the fund. The remaining $300,000 would go to the Greater Washington Community Foundation to initiate and manage the fund, as well as seek private donations.

The council initially considered seeding the fund with $500,000 but Council Member Will Jawando proposed an amendment to reduce the seed money to $300,000. Jawando did not address why he proposed to reduce the amount, but said the need for a stable food supply is increasing because of the pandemic. “There is a significant gap required to address our food security needs, and it’s getting worse, not better,” Jawando said. “It’s going to be a longstanding issue as we address immediate needs, but also the resiliency and infrastructure of our food system here in the county.”

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Source: Bethesda Magazine