The Maryland Food Bank

The Maryland Food Bank (mfb) provides Food assistance to individuals and families in need through a statewide network of community partners, from The western mountains to The eastern shore. In fy23, mfb, through its Food assistance network, distributed nearly 50 million pounds of Food to individuals in need, enough Food to provide more than 41 million meals annually. Our trucks were on The road every day, distributing donated, purchased, and harvested Food to a network of nearly 1,100 community and faith-based distribution points. Overall, mfb programs served an estimated 807,433 neighbors in 21 counties and baltimore city in fy23. (see continuation on schedule o)in addition to distributing Food to meet The immediate needs of vulnerable communities, mfb collaborates with these partners to provide resources beyond Food and address root causes of hunger so that more marylanders can become financially stable and thrive.in fy23, we stayed true to The pillars of mfb 3.0, our strategic plan expanding Food access, creating pathways out of hunger, and investing in organizational sustainability & growth by combining rich data with local expertise to offer hunger relief to even more marylanders. We can confidently say that we are an agile, data informed, person centric organization that is ready, able, and eager to do more than provide Food to our neighbors in need.our statewide network of Food assistance partners was critical to helping us distribute Food in fy23. Made up of community and faith-based organizations (pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, schools, etc. ), these partners are on The ground every day, getting Food directly into The hands and homes of those who need it most. Nobody knows their communities better, and it's because of these organizations that mfb is able to reach so many hungry marylanders. In fy23, they helped mfb supply enough Food to provide more than 41 million meals, including more than 13 million pounds of produce, in their local communities. The Food Bank also convened hundreds of these community leaders as part of 29 regional partner gatherings in fy23 to collaborate at The local level and work together to improve overall Food access in each area of The state.during The pandemic, mfb purchased and distributed more than $40 million worth of nutritious Food through our network of partners as part of our pandemic relief efforts. As federal relief programs ended in fy23, The level of funding that mfb had available to purchase and distribute Food at no cost declined dramatically. But due to intentional support from mfb staff and an expanded grants program, mfb's network was minimally impacted and able to continue their important work to serve local communities. The Maryland Food Bank awarded $1.1 million dollars to 105 community partners through various grant opportunities in fy23. The Food Bank's work to expand federal commodities and contract growing programs was also critical to helping fill potential gaps in Food distribution. The farm to Food Bank program, for example, provides nutritious produce to communities through a combination of donations, contract growing, and field gleanings. In fy23, mfb partnered with 59 farmers to distribute nearly 2.5 million pounds of healthy produce to food-insecure neighbors through The program. We also continued supporting local produce production by partnering with diverse farmers to offer culturally appropriate produce, while The local Food purchase agreement that began in late fy23 kept more nutritious Food grown by local farmers, ranchers, and watermen here in maryland.simultaneously, mfb's dedicated Food assistance network and strong sourcing partnerships helped us continue to meet The need in fy23. Pantry on The go events were particularly valuable, with mfb delivering nearly 11 million pounds of Food to 244 sites for immediate distribution to more than 177,000 food-insecure community members. All told, mfb partners hosted 2,063 pantry on The go events in fy23. Additionally, tailored back up boxes (bubs) filled with 15 and 30-lbs of shelf-stable, nutritious Food as well as nutrition education materials and recipes were distributed to individuals and families across The state, with an added emphasis on meeting The unique needs of latin communities, older adults, and people with diabetes. Developed in response to The pandemic, this program transported, stored, and distributed 105,570 bubs, including 25,035 bubs that were delivered directly to homes, in fy23. In alignment with regionally defined strategies, mfb's mobile markets prioritize hunger hotspots and Food deserts in areas of unmet need across The state. These are areas that lack brick-and-mortar facilities and other consistent support resources. The mobile markets help improve Food access, reduce stigma, and preserve dignity. Importantly, The initiative responds to The geographic challenges of unserved and underserved rural communities that can be as far as 30 miles from The nearest grocery store. In some instances, residents in these communities lack running water or electricity. Mobile markets enable mfb program staff to learn about and respond to The wide-ranging needs of residents more holistically, offering wraparound services through partnerships with local health, education, and social service agencies. Through this program's 242 events in fy23, 616,446 pounds of Food were distributed to nearly 10,000 neighbors.to ensure a steady stream of Food reaches food-insecure children year-round, The Food Bank established mfb kids, an initiative that includes The school pantry program, The supper club program, and The summer club program. The school pantry program removes barriers to academic and social success by providing children with access to Food assistance at their school, which they then bring home to their families. In fy23, 189 school pantries from kindergarten through 12th grade distributed nearly 3 million pounds of Food to more than 48,000 food-insecure neighbors. Our supper and summer club programs, meanwhile, prepared and distributed more than 677,000 nutritious meals to children and their families in fy23. Mfb distributed an additional 196,450 pounds of Food to 17 facilities as part of our higher education program. At mfb, Food is just The beginning we are reaching people through Food and we are bringing more than Food to The table. Distributing Food efficiently and equitably will always be vital to our mission, but we also recognize The need to create more opportunities and help solve The hardships that cause Food insecurity in The first place, opening up pathways out of Food insecurity and toward greater resiliency.our foodworks culinary training program has paved The way for hundreds of marylanders to lift themselves out of economic uncertainty. In fy23, we completed a construction project that will allow mfb to increase The number of students that come through our foodworks program in halethorpe. At The same time, our partnership with wor-wic community college in salisbury continued to provide neighbors across The bridge with The opportunity to transform themselves into professional chefs. Through these programs, 50 graduates developed The skills necessary to achieve a rewarding career and culinary success in fy23. But we know that one workforce development program, no matter how many locations, is not enough to meet The wide range of needs and interests of our neighbors. Another way we're addressing financial stability in The long term is by helping marylanders enroll in training programs that lead to good-paying careers in industries such as information technology, healthcare, and clean energy. In fy23, we worked with seven partner organizations across baltimore to support neighbors on a path out of hunger, with 30 individuals completing training through this program. While The addition of The new foodworks location and mfb's workforce development program means marylanders have more options, our community impact team also provides expanded support services like assistance applying for The federally funded supplemental nutrition assistance program (snap), connections to other public benefits, and referrals for community resources, such as housing, childcare, and pro bono legal assistance. In fy23, mfb's snap outreach team hosted 164 outreach events and helped process and submit 658 snap applications. (see additional information below on program accomplishments.)