The Montgomery County Food Council and the Innovation Program presented at a County Council work session on April 10th, 2014 to discuss the future endeavors of the Food Council and what it means for Montgomery County. The County Council information packet for the session is available by clicking here.The Food Council was launched over two years ago as a private sector organization set to better the food system in Montgomery County. This includes, but is not limited too, creating policies, hosting meetings, and enacting programs to waste less food, get food from more reliable sources, and educate students on the importance of eating healthy. Dan Hoffman, the co-chair of the Food Council, informed listeners of the council’s initiatives and successes.
One project of the Food Council is to collaborate with Montgomery County Public Schools to create a food garden school program, where schools would take care of and learn from a food garden and get to eat the outcomes. This is in an effort for students to learn what is needed to grow produce and to understand the benefits of such a garden. While the funding is not confirmed, it has been applied for, and it is being speculated whether it should go all to one school to create a large garden program, or spread out among several schools to create multiple smaller gardens. Either way, the garden project is sure to teach Montgomery County students of all ages about where their food comes from.
Dan Hoffman, also being the Chief Innovation Officer, reiterated that innovation is not all technology and creation of new apps. It involves experiments, goals, and ways to improve life in MoCo. Mr. Hoffman is both Chief Innovation Officer and on his own time serves as volunteer co-chair of the Food Council. As he put it in the worksession, his volunteer role on the Food Council helps make him a better Chief Innovation Officer because he gets an opportunity to deeply immerse himself in the subject matter.
Another topic discussed at the Council Meeting was Food Recovery, which has the goal of locating wasted and unused food and giving it to those who need it. With a budget of $200,000, the Food Recovery team is allocating money to jump-start the program and help the hungry. Jackie DeCarlo of Manna Food Center and Brett Myers of Nourish Now were present, speaking of ways people in the county volunteer to help food providers and restaurants collect unused food and find ways to either compost it or give it to those in need. They donate food every week, sometimes turning it into chicken stock and stuffing in an effort to use all of the ingredients. This allows none of the food to be wasted, because it will either be eaten or composted if it is unsafe to eat.It was also announced that Cheryl Kollin, a Fellow in the Innovation Program, will be taking a new role. She is the new Food Recovery Coordinator for Montgomery County.
The Montgomery County Food Council presented these plans to the County Council with a goal in mind: to create a more sustainable, locally-provided county where people know what they are eating and have a choice in where it comes from. Increasing food literacy and education will help the future of MoCo, and donating uneaten food will produce less waste and feed the hungry.