Mission Statement

The mission of the Office of Food Systems Resilience (OFSR) is to develop and implement interagency budgetary, regulatory, and operational strategies to build a more equitable, efficient, resilient, and sustainable food system in Montgomery County.

Budget Overview

The total approved FY26 Operating Budget for the Office of Food Systems Resilience is $13,846,720, a decrease of $353,791 or 2.49 percent from the FY25 Approved Budget of $14,200,511. Personnel Costs comprise 6.04 percent of the budget for six full-time position(s) and no part-time position(s), and a total of 6.00 FTEs. Total FTEs may include seasonal or temporary positions and may also reflect workforce charged to or from other departments or funds. Operating Expenses account for the remaining 93.96 percent of the FY26 budget.

County Priority Outcomes

While this program area supports all eight of the County Result Areas, the following are emphasized:

• Thriving Youth and Families
• A Growing Economy
• An Affordable, Welcoming County for a Lifetime
• Effective, Sustainable Government

Initiatives

• Lead the final transition from federally supported pandemic-era funding approaches to a long-term framework for strategic investment in food security programs. This transition includes reinforcing the solid foundation of existing food security resources developed during the pandemic, while strategically implementing new initiatives to close service gaps, align investments with values of equity and resilience, and better leverage Federal and State funds.
• Launch the second round of the Community Food Assistance Grant program, supporting local service providers with direct funding and specialized access to shelf-stable and fresh food for distribution to food insecure residents, while further strengthening the capacity and stability of the County's robust network of organizations.
• Expand and enhance the implementation of the County's Strategic Plan to End Childhood Hunger recommendations: retail food access strategies including the MC Groceries program, the Food as Medicine and School-Based Food Assistance grant programs, and community partnerships to maximize enrollment in Federal nutrition programs.
• Strengthen local food production and distribution through strategic and creative investments in projects that aggregate, process, and/or distribute food from local producers to increase immediate and long-term food security in the region. Direct purchases from local food farms, grants for Resident and Community Gardening projects, and operating and infrastructure funding for local food aggregation will expand local food production, market demand, and access for residents.
• Engage with statewide, regional, and national partners to share best practices, maximize external resources, and implement collaborative strategies for policymaking that strengthen food system resilience and address the racial inequities and disparities present in all aspects of the food system. Expand interagency coordination mechanisms for local government agencies and facilitate a County emergency response framework planning process for food system disruptions.
• Serve as a liaison between government and food system partners, including residents, businesses, and non-profit organizations to ensure policy development and implementation is directly informed by the insight and expertise of the community.

Innovations and Productivity Improvements

• Implement a centralized grantee and contract vendor performance data reporting platform with core standard metrics to evaluate impact across all programs and data reporting requirements appropriately scaled to organizational capacity. The data collected and analyzed will afford a greater ability to identify level of need and service trends in real time, evaluate program performance, and inform future funding decisions.
• Conduct geographic and demographic gap analyses of County food system financial investments and assets. Implement strategy to visualize and communicate available food systems data collected both internally and externally to inform policymaking, budgetary decisions, and intersectional collaboration.
• Launch resident and program participant direct feedback and communications mechanisms across programs through year-round client satisfaction surveys, community surveys, resource referral distribution lists, and proactive engagement with community boards, committees, and organizations.
• Strategically transform the funding strategy for the coordination of the County-based Food Recovery initiative through a new competitive grant program supporting collaboration, resource and data sharing, organics recycling capacity, and an increased edible food supply for the local network of food recovery organizations.
• Increase alignment and interconnectivity of OFSR programs to amplify impact of investments, connect residents with assistance best suited to their unique needs, and streamline the resource referral process for increased efficiency and effectiveness.

Program Descriptions

  Food Systems Resilience

OFSR is charged with developing and maintaining a strategy for improving the efficiency, equity, sustainability, and resilience of the food systems in Montgomery County. Through fostering public-private partnerships with the community for systems change, OFSR will expand upon the County government's investments in ensuring equitable and dignified access to nutritious,...