Director’s Corner

I hope you are having a wonderful summer and keeping cool! Deepest gratitude to those who responded with donations to our urgent appeal from MUM’s Chairman of the Board, Derrick Owens, at the end of May. With the Federal government cutting SNAP (food stamp) benefits, and making big changes to eligibility for Medicaid and other programs, we expect to see increased demand for food and emergency financial services. To meet the needs of our many neighbors who will struggle even more to get by, we will need even more funding, gift cards, and food donations.

Grant funding and partnerships with local growers help MUM ensure that at least 50% of what our neighbors receive is fresh produce each time they visit MUM’s full choice food pantry. On average, neighbors receive 40 to 50 pounds of food monthly when they shop in our food pantry or get their food prescriptions through our Food As Medicine programs. We particularly want to thank the gardeners at Rocking Horse Community Garden who weekly donate produce from their plots to help feed their neighbors. See below for more information on this wonderful partnership supported by Harvest Share. If you have a small garden like me and are able to donate to MUM, please let us know!  

MUM’s impact in the community is felt one neighbor at a time, as you will hear about below in the story about Amma Serwah. This past fiscal year (which ended on June 30th) was a record in terms of requests and referrals for emergency financial assistance as many neighbors struggled to make ends meet. MUM helped restore electricity and water that had been cut off for 9 households and provided financial assistance for 100 households to keep their utilities on, spending over $77,000 throughout the year just on utility assistance. MUM was also able to prevent the eviction of 54 households, spending over $32,500 this year and working in partnership with other organizations and Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to provide additional funds for those who owed thousands of dollars.  

MUM could not have made this impact on the lives of our neighbors without the support of our many donors and supporters. Thank you and please know that your donations make a world of difference in the lives of our neighbors! 

Dayna Brown
Executive Director

---

Assisting One Neighbor at a Time!

We recently had the pleasure of befriending and assisting Victoria Edusei, better known as Amma Serwah in her Ghanaian community. In May, Amma found herself three days past her cut-off date with Pepco and on the verge of losing her electricity. She found MUM, which she said “was a God-send and life-saving.” MUM was able to prevent Amma, who is a senior citizen, from losing electricity during the high heat we’ve been experiencing this summer. 

Amma came to the United States in 1970, landed in Chicago and eventually migrated to Washington, DC. She has spent her life helping families with their travel plans and has worked in the Embassy of Ghana and the Pentagon. She also owned her own travel agency at one time. Now in her 80’s, retired and on a limited fixed income, she has faced financial setbacks, due to scammers and the loss of family members, that have left her in a financial crisis. She has one living son, one grandson and one great grandson.

Amma shared that “I will be forever grateful and have made a new friend with Ms. Jackie.” She was so moved by the assistance and the loving care she received from MUM’s staff that she surprised Jackie at her next food pantry appointment with a small gift of gratitude. Moments like these motivate our team to keep working hard and dedicating their time and effort to making a difference – one client at a time.

---

Thanks to MUM Staff and Volunteers!

MUM has a small but mighty team of staff and volunteers who work together to support our neighbors. Pictured here from left to right are: Dayna Brown, MUM’s Executive Director; Jackie Ventura, MUM’s Program Manager; Ayanna Ventura, MUM’s Program Assistant; Missy Merriweather, MUMs Client Care Assistant; Franchesca Hernandez Moreta, Student Intern; Frances Pipa, Student Intern; Molly Jackman, Food Pantry Volunteer; Camille Borrelli, Donations volunteer; and Karen Holt, MUM’s Grant Manager.

---

MUM Launches Food As Medicine Program for Students & Families

Thanks to grant funding from the Montgomery County Office of Food Systems Resilience, MUM has just launched its third Food As Medicine program to serve food-insecure students and families from Wheaton High School. This important partnership between MUM, the School-Based Health & Wellness Center at Wheaton High School (managed by Identity, Inc., Community FarmShare and Holy Cross’s Community Health Program, allows us to support food-insecure youth and their families with targeted nutrition interventions, education, and consistent access to healthy produce and nonperishables, building a strong foundation for both academic success and long-term health.

---

MUM Partner of the Month: 

---

Wheaton TGIF Concert Fundraiser August 22!

Wheaton celebrates Summer Fridays at Marian Fryer Town Plaza from 5-8 pm, with good vibes, great music, and a fun way to kick off your weekend. Join MUM at the Beer and Wine Garden on Friday, August 22, when we’ll enjoy music by Hermanos Galvan y Orquesta! All proceeds from sales of Beer and Wine go to MUM! Bring your friends, enjoy a relaxing community evening, and support MUM!

If you can help by volunteering for this event, please email MUM at office@mumhelp.org. THANKS!