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Montgomery County redoubles food recovery efforts as requests for help increase
Montgomery County redoubles food recovery efforts as requests for help increase
Kate Ryan | kryan@wtop.com
May 19, 2025, 7:30 PM
The demand for help by families trying to keep food on the table is growing in Montgomery County, Maryland, and officials who work to help them are redoubling their efforts to make sure that no food collected in the county’s food recovery efforts goes to waste.
{snip}
Craig Rice, CEO of Manna Food Center, said many families that have been to the food bank in the past on a temporary basis and have been self-sufficient for years have come back to get help, a situation he attributes to the escalating food costs. … Manna is currently serving more than 106,000 residents each month.
That bump in requests for help is “coupled with new families who’ve never asked for assistance before,” Rice said. “We’ve heard from some of the families that we serve that are new that are federal government employees that have been laid off.”
Rice told WTOP the recent cuts at the U.S. Department of Agriculture have affected regional food banks, such as the Maryland Food Bank and the Capital Area Food Bank. And while Manna doesn’t receive grants from the USDA, the Capital Area Food Bank, which partners with Manna, does.
{snip}
Kate Ryan
As a member of the award-winning WTOP News, Kate is focused on state and local government. Her focus has always been on how decisions made in a council chamber or state house affect your house. She's also covered breaking news, education and more.
kryan@wtop.com
202-895-5337
Kate Ryan | kryan@wtop.com
May 19, 2025, 7:30 PM
The demand for help by families trying to keep food on the table is growing in Montgomery County, Maryland, and officials who work to help them are redoubling their efforts to make sure that no food collected in the county’s food recovery efforts goes to waste.
{snip}
Craig Rice, CEO of Manna Food Center, said many families that have been to the food bank in the past on a temporary basis and have been self-sufficient for years have come back to get help, a situation he attributes to the escalating food costs. … Manna is currently serving more than 106,000 residents each month.
That bump in requests for help is “coupled with new families who’ve never asked for assistance before,” Rice said. “We’ve heard from some of the families that we serve that are new that are federal government employees that have been laid off.”
Rice told WTOP the recent cuts at the U.S. Department of Agriculture have affected regional food banks, such as the Maryland Food Bank and the Capital Area Food Bank. And while Manna doesn’t receive grants from the USDA, the Capital Area Food Bank, which partners with Manna, does.
{snip}
Kate Ryan
As a member of the award-winning WTOP News, Kate is focused on state and local government. Her focus has always been on how decisions made in a council chamber or state house affect your house. She's also covered breaking news, education and more.
kryan@wtop.com
202-895-5337