Nov 12, 2026 - HHS Committee Worksession

The Montgomery County Council Health and Human Services Committee’s Office of Food System Resilience (OFSR) annual worksession, identified by the meeting title as Nov. 12, 2026 (metadata lists Nov. 13), reviewed food insecurity, program reach, FY27 funding, and the office’s next phase of work. OFSR reported approximately $3.7 million in noncompetitive contracts and competitive grants across five programs in its FY27 budget. Its Farm to Food Bank program invests more than $1 million annually in purchases from local farms; the resident and community gardening grants totaled just over $200,000 last year. Funding for food-as-medicine grants was reduced in FY27, while community food assistance grants were generally renewed at FY26 levels, excluding the one-time special appropriation, which was expected to be spent by the end of November. No motions or votes were reported.

Procurement and local food-system investments featured prominently. OFSR described a local food aggregation grant awarded to Moon Valley Farms to establish an aggregation operation in Gaithersburg, consolidating purchases from small local producers for institutional buyers, including school systems; the county’s investment helped the partner secure a $500,000 federal USDA grant. Staff also discussed a Dec. 16 local food procurement summit, developing a county food-production assessment and producer directory, and creating preferred vendor lists to make sourcing more efficient for food-assistance providers. The office said it has shifted funding toward competitive mechanisms where possible and is exploring competitive partner opportunities and service gaps in East County. The committee also asked about universal school meals and long-term funding, but no decision was made; staff pointed to state-level efforts and the need to assess local costs and available federal support.