Montgomery County outlines food-system response as SNAP disruptions push demand

Chair Albornoz convened the Committee of Health and Human Services to receive an update from the Montgomery County Office of Food Systems Resilience (OFSR), which described a portfolio of contracts and grant programs the county will use to respond to rising need as federal SNAP benefits are disrupted.

Miss Bruskin, presenting for OFSR, said the office’s operating budget this past year was about $13,000,000 and described a mix of county-run programs, contracts with large food distributors and grants to community partners. “These are things that we need in blue sky times and that we definitely need when there are emerging crises in our community,” Bruskin said, framing the office’s emphasis on diversifying supply, local procurement and data-driven monitoring.

The presentation highlighted several ongoing and expanding programs. OFSR funds a community food assistance grant program that partners with roughly 49 provider organizations across all ZIP codes; staff said the program represents about $3,500,000 per year, that 32% of purchases from that program come from local retailers and county farms, and that grantees together run more than 700 service events per month. The office also described a Farm-to-Food-Bank arrangement facilitated by Manna Food Center that…