The School-Based Food Assistance Grant Program will award over $1.2 million to fight food scarcity within the county. According to a press release, it will be used to address food access for households at over 60 schools within the county. The grant will help an estimated 6,000 households within the county as a part of its Strategic Plan to End Childhood Hunger.
The Grant Program was developed earlier this year by the Office of Food Systems Resilience. Through its first two cycles, more than $1.73 million has been distributed to over 14,000 students within Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS).
The program targets schools for the convenience of each student, and to limit the costs of transportation. The goal of the program is to provide nutrition assistance in a convenient and familiar school setting according to the release.
“No child should have to worry about where their next meal is coming from, and this program helps ensure that families in our school communities have access to the nutritious food they need,” said County Executive Marc Elrich, a former elementary school teacher himself.
The county’s director of the Office of Food Systems Resilience, Heather Bruskin, offered a similar sentiment: “Investing in programs that feed students today is also investing in a stronger future for our community.”
You can find out more regarding the program and its funding partners on the press release here.
Photo courtesy of the Montgomery County Office of Food Systems Resilience
