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Food Equity Coalition tells commissioners it will map food deserts, scale food-donation and local-producer connections
Summary
Director Haley Caretta and staff told the Board the Food Equity Coalition held 31 committee/quarterly meetings in 2025, ran outreach events reaching over 1,000 residents, and plans a food map, food-recovery and a 2026 Local Food Conference to link producers with buyers.
At the Feb. 3 meeting Director of Strategic Initiatives Haley Caretta joined commissioners with staff Ashley Mack and Ellen Claiborne to report on the Food Equity Coalition's 2025 work and plans. The coalition held 31 committee and quarterly full-coalition meetings in 2025; staff said outreach events (including Nourishing Montgomery County) reached more than 1,000 residents and the group took part in the Great Apple Crunch by donating 1,000 items to local schools.
Coalition priorities presented to commissioners included creating a food map to identify food deserts and areas needing culturally appropriate produce, training members to advocate for policy changes, and a Food Recovery subcommittee focused on donation and community composting. Commissioners Carolyn Rice and Mary A. McDonald asked what the coalition is doing to support rural and outer-ring suburban residents; Ashley Mack described initiatives with small-scale growers and distribution efforts to better move locally produced food into school, hospital and restaurant supply chains.
