OFSR's Special Appropriation Strategy 

Montgomery County government and our community partners are working together to ensure all residents have access to nutritious food. Local nonprofits and food assistance providers are expanding their services to meet growing needs across the County. Residents who wish to help can explore the opportunities below to learn how you can contribute by sharing your time, financial contributions, expertise, or donate items. 

With the November 18, 2025 passage of a $3.5M Special Appropriation for food assistance, OFSR will expand efforts to address the heightened food access challenges created by the federal shutdown and recent changes to federal nutrition programs.

OFSR has built diverse, systems-based strategies with Operating Budget funds that can be rapidly scaled during emergencies. With these structures in place, our team and partners can move quickly and efficiently in response to the sudden increase in community need, refining investments to incorporate the immediate, direct input from service providers. Our plans are informed by the 60 food assistance provider organizations responding to OFSR’s pulse survey in early November, with 90% reporting increased demand at distributions as well as surges in support needs from specific populations: workers impacted by the shutdown (79%), families new to food assistance (83%), and households seeking home delivery, prepared meals, and proxy pickup.

All of this work builds on the framework outlined in our FY26 Update to the HHS Committee, which emphasized readiness, coordination, and the ability to accelerate service delivery during system disruptions.

OFSR is moving forward immediately in activating the available Special Appropriation funds as follows, with contract and grant amendments already in progress:

  • $1.9M in expanded Community Food Assistance (CFA) grants to 53 nonprofit providers, prioritizing under-resourced ZIP codes, home delivery models, services to immigrant and unhoused residents, food recovery operations, and high performing returning grantees to close gaps between recommended FY26 awards and available resources.
  • $750,000 to the Capital Area Food Bank to expand nutrition assistance programs for older adults and provide direct support to Service Consolidation Hubs. This includes $600,000 in additional resources for the Service Consolidation Hubs to reinforce service capacity, and $150,000 to launch a Silver Market program offering fresh produce and frozen protein for older adults at strategic community locations.
  • $150,000 in expanded awards for Nutrition Benefits Outreach (NBO) grants to assist residents navigating SNAP disruptions, connect households to alternative resources, and administer Retail Food Access Program eligibility and benefits.
  • $700,000 to expand Manna Food Center’s Food for Families distributions at key locations throughout the County.

In addition to the expansions made possible with Special Appropriation funds, OFSR is leveraging existing FY26 Operating Budget funds to support our community:

  • Maryland Market Money expansion: $50,000 to maintain and expand “shopping credit” incentives for households at participating farmers markets during periods when SNAP EBT balances and a matching benefit increase to $25.
  • Emergency FreshFunds: $100,000 allocated to 1,000 single-use $100 grocery codes distributed through NBO grantee partners to eligible residents with sudden benefit disruptions or pending program enrollment.
  • School-Based Food Assistance Program: $2.3M supporting food access services across approximately 99 MCPS school sites, serving an estimated 50,000 students.
  • Community Food Assistance and Retail Access Programs: Over $4M across 56 nonprofit partners distributing food through pantry, prepared meal, delivery, and boxed distribution models.
  • Food Recovery Network Capacity Building: A combination of FY25 and FY26 awards increase coordination services and operational resources for the recovery of nutritious food from the waste stream for redirection to food assistance distributions.
  • Retail Food Access Program partnerships: Three $250,000 collaborations (anticipated) with local retailers, community partner organizations, and NBO grantees to issue vouchers and gift cards for eligible food purchases. This initiative strengthens the local food economy while also creating capacity to support residents with lost or reduced federal program benefits.
  • MC Groceries Program enrollment expansion: Up to 700 families will receive $100 per eligible child per month in grocery purchasing power (up to $400 per household).

 

These combined efforts reflect a comprehensive strategy supported by both existing and new FY26 resources, enabling OFSR and our partners to respond efficiently and at scale during this period of heightened need. We will continue to work closely with OEMHS and Public Safety to provide guidance and situational awareness during periods of increased demand at food distribution sites, and regularly present to county agencies, commissions, and boards on assistance resources, referral tools, and opportunities to support these efforts.

We will continue to monitor and report key indicators, including households served, food volumes distributed, program enrollment outcomes, and the economic impact of County-funded food purchases. Updated resource navigation tools, “how to help” opportunities, and ongoing federal impacts and policy updates are available on our website as implementation continues.