Hunger Action Month is a nationwide campaign, launched by the Feed America network and observed each September, to raise awareness about hunger and inspire action to end food insecurity in the United States. MUM is a member of the Feeding America network, and we are grateful for and encourage our supporters to continue to stand alongside our neighbors facing hunger and help to ensure that everyone has access to the food they need to thrive. Below are ways MUM is taking action to address hunger and food insecurity in our community and ways you can get involved too.

As many students return to school, MUM is preparing for another year of partnership with Albert Einstein High School and Wheaton High School to provide healthy food to students and families who continue to struggle to make ends meet. Many students, families and other neighbors in our community are a wide range of challenges. For many, it feels like the perfect storm. In the midst of that storm, MUM is there to provide immediate assistance and to help our neighbors get on a path to stability. Read more about how, to have this kind of impact, MUM works in partnership with non-profits, schools, Montgomery County government, private foundations, faith communities, businesses, civic organizations, gardeners, farmers, and many generous individuals who help us meet the growing needs in our community.

July has been a very busy month! We began a new fiscal year and continued to support hundreds of neighbors through our food and emergency financial assistance programs. As MUM celebrates our 30th anniversary this year, we have revised our vision and mission statements and continue work on a strategic plan to guide our work into the next decade.

As school gets out, both the temperatures and the needs in our community are rising. MUM is seeing an increasing number of neighbors seeking emergency financial assistance to stay in their apartments and homes and to keep their utilities on. We are grateful to the growing number of partners we work with, and to each of you for helping us to address these needs! Read more here.

As we approach World Hunger Day on May 28th, MUM is proud to be doing our part to stamp out hunger in our community. Every month we provide an average of 40 pounds of healthy produce, eggs or chicken, and non-perishable food to over 600 households and more than 2,500 people. We hear about the challenges our neighbors are facing and their gratitude for the food we provide. We in turn are grateful to our many congregations, community partners, volunteers, and donors who support MUM’s work in the community. Read more about how that support makes a difference in the lives of our neighbors, one bag of food, one utility disconnection averted, one eviction prevented, and one referral made at a time.

April is National Volunteer Month and MUM is so grateful for the many volunteers who work with us to serve our neighbors. Read more about ways to volunteer, including the annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive on May 9th, as well as old and new partnerships to provide targeted support to our neighbors. MUM’s Board of Directors are also all volunteers, and we are recruiting additional board members to guide MUM’s strategy and help mobilize resources in the future. Finally, read about an exciting new offer to purchase MUM merchandise! THANKS again to our amazing volunteers!