The Maryland Food Bank

The Maryland Food Bank (mfb) provides Food assistance to individuals and families in need through a statewide Food assistance network of community partners, from The western mountains to The eastern shore. In fy24, mfb, through this Food assistance network, distributed more than 52 million pounds of Food to individuals in need, enough Food to provide more than 43 million meals annually. Our trucks were on The road every day, distributing donated and purchased Food, along with locally-grown produce to a network of 780 community- and faith-based partners. The Maryland Food Bank served an estimated 1,021,729 neighbors in fy24, across 21 Maryland counties and baltimore city. 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. We also recognize The need to solve The hardships that make people Food insecure in The first place, opening up pathways out of Food insecurity and toward greater resiliency. By working in close collaboration with partners, neighbors, and supporters, we continue to be deliberate, intentional, and thoughtful as we reach those who need to access nutritious Food, build capacity in The statewide Food assistance network, and build pathways out of hunger for more marylanders.food access and nutrition: charitable Food distribution remains at The heart of what we do: our statewide network of Food assistance partners was critical to helping us keep Food flowing in fy24. Made up of community- and faith-based organizations (Food 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. They know their communities best, and it's because of these organizations that mfb can reach so many hungry marylanders efficiently and with compassion. In fy24, our partners helped mfb supply enough Food to provide more than 43 million meals, including more than 14 million pounds of produce, in their local communities. Building capacity: mfb is proud to help expand The capacity of our network partners and other Maryland nonprofits that are working to end hunger. The Food Bank also convened more than 650 of these community leaders as part of 59 regional partner gatherings in fy24 to foster collaboration at The local level to improve overall Food access in each area of The state. Guided by The expertise and knowledge of our staff, and our research, mfb is effectively directing grant funding through three distinct programs. In fy24, mfb awarded $2 million to 129 community partners through various grants. These opportunities increased The capacity of community-based organizations to store and transport fresh, nutritious Food; extended The existing Food assistance network deeper into "hunger hotspots; and funded programs that address The root causes of hunger, including unemployment, The difficulty of accessing affordable child care, and The need to strengthen community Food systems to provide better access to locally-produced healthy Food. The Food Bank's work to expand federal commodities and contract growing programs was also critical to our continued work in building equitable Food assistance systems and increasing The nutritional quality of our Food. Through our grant-making, along with other programs, we continued to support local produce production by partnering with diverse farmers to offer culturally appropriate produce. The local Food purchase assistance cooperative agreement (lfpa) that began in late fy23 and continued through fy24 kept more nutritious Food grown by local farmers, ranchers, and watermen here in Maryland. Mfb distributed over 3 million pounds of fresh produce and proteins through this program with nearly $4 million in funds. Since 2017, mfb has focused on increasing The nutritional content of The Food we distribute, and is now disbursing The most nutritious, healthiest Food in our 45-year history, with 75% of The Food we purchased and distributed categorized as healthy and nutritious. Simultaneously, mfb's dedicated Food assistance network and strong sourcing partnerships helped us continue to meet The need in fy24. Pantry on The go events were particularly valuable in getting nutritious Food and fresh produce directly to communities, with mfb delivering 12 million pounds of Food to 204 sites for immediate distribution. All told, mfb partners hosted 2,075 pantry on The go events in fy24. Mfb's three mobile markets vehicles are "choice" grocery stores on wheels that bring fresh produce and shelf-stable foods into areas of high need that lack brick-and-mortar facilities and other consistent resources, including underserved rural areas that lack a grocery store within 30 miles. Through this program's 409 events in fy234, 726,331 pounds of Food were distributed in a way that allows mobile market visitors to choose The foods they want and like to eat. At The same time, mobile market events offer wraparound services through partnerships with local health, education, and social service agencies. The mobile markets help improve Food access, reduce stigma, and preserve dignity. To ensure a steady stream of Food reaches children in need year-round, The Food Bank continued working with school- and community-based partners through 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 fy24, 188 school pantries from kindergarten through 12th grade distributed more than 2.5 million pounds of Food. Our supper and summer club programs, meanwhile, prepared and distributed more than 667,000 nutritious meals to children and their families in fy24. Mfb distributed an additional 206,105 pounds of Food to 17 facilities as part of our higher education program. Pathways out of hunger: our foodworks culinary training program has paved The way for increased economic mobility for hundreds of marylanders. Foodworks trains students in "life skills and knife skills" in two locations: at our flagship location in baltimore county, and through our partnership with wor-wic community college in salisbury. After a construction project in fy23 allowed us to double our capacity to serve culinary students, 67 graduates were able to develop The skills needed to achieve a rewarding career and culinary success in fy24. Another way we're promoting economic mobility financial stability in The long term is by helping marylanders enroll in training programs that lead to good-paying careers in industries such as it, healthcare, and clean energy an initiative that began in fy23. In fy24, we focused on deepening partnerships with three organizations that provide holistic workforce training and supportive, wraparound services. In total, 17 neighbors completed training in fy24 and received a suite of wraparound services, including home-delivered Food assistance, a stipend, support to enroll in snap and other programs, and case management support. In fy24, mfb continued our organizational learning journey around issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion recognizing that our Food system has longstanding inequities. Some people and communities have easy, regular access to healthy Food that meets their dietary requirements and reflects their culture, while others face barriers. We are working to address this root cause of hunger by weakening The obstacles that food-insecure neighbors grapple with, listening to our neighbors with lived experience of hunger and incorporating their perspectives into our programming, and advocating for anti-hunger policies at The state and federal levels.mfb's community navigators provides another way for aspiring leaders to gain skills and earn an income, while helping their neighbors gain access to available federal and state benefits, like The supplemental nutrition assistance program (snap) program, health care, utility assistance, and referrals for community resources, such as housing, childcare, and pro bono legal assistance. Fy24, mfb trained 11 community navigators to guide neighbors through Food benefits enrollment. (see additional information below on program accomplishments.)