Heather Bruskin, former director of the Montgomery County Food Council, was appointed to head the county’s first Office of Food Systems Resilience.
That office will coordinate the county’s efforts to address hunger and local food system challenges. It is a liaison between county government agencies and community food systems partners, including nonprofits, farmers and businesses.
It will develop and maintain a strategy to improve the way hunger is dealt with here, including tackling such issues as efficiency, equity, sustainability and resilience, according to a news release. It will deal with data collection and monitoring.
County Executive Marc Elrich appointed Bruskin.
“The Office of Food Systems Resilience is an important step in the County’s efforts to address the root causes which lead to food insecurity for our https://www.mymcmedia.org/wp-admin/themes.phpresidents,” Elrich said in a news release.
About 8 percent of county residents are food insecure, according to Feeding America’s Meal Gap Map. Particularly hard hit are Black and brown residents.
“Launching this innovative new office will connect my passion for building resilience, justice, and sustainability in our food system to a role in public service,” said Bruskin.
Bruskin serves in leadership roles with numerous local and regional food systems and nonprofit organizations, including currently as the elected co-chair of the Maryland Food System Resiliency Council and as an appointed member of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Food and Agriculture Regional Committee.
