From the Director’s Corner

This summer has been a very busy time at MUM, with even more people seeking food and emergency financial services. In June, we provided over $5,500 in emergency financial assistance to 12 households, mostly to help people keep their utilities on or to restore them after they were turned off. We also provided food assistance to over 520 households at our office and mobile food pantries, distributing nearly 24,000 pounds of food in just the month of June.

One of our clients, whose electricity was turned back on after we provided emergency financial assistance, sent us a thank you card saying “Thank you so much! I appreciate you for helping me. May God continue to bless this program!!” It is heartening to know that we are able to help people when they are struggling, to see the immediate impact it has on their lives, and to connect them to other resources and benefits to help find long-term solutions to their crises.

This summer MUM has several high school and college student volunteers who are helping out, along with our other regular volunteers. MUM truly could not help our neighbors without the many volunteers who make it happen. See more below about some of the wonderful volunteers who have helped with organizing and preparing the food for our mobile and office pantries, as well as delivering fresh, local produce to some of our Food is Medicine program participants.

Lastly, we are grateful for May Nakamura, who at the amazing age of 104 continues to help raise funds to support MUM. She is one of many who have asked for donations to MUM for their birthdays, done food drives, and found creative ways to support our work! We have some new institutional funding partners to share with you, as well as some changes to our programs in the new fiscal year. I hope you will continue reading to see all that MUM is doing with your wonderful support!

Thanks, and happy summer!
Dayna Brown, Executive Director

---

Food Is Medicine Program Begins

MUM’s “Food is Medicine” program, funded by the Healthcare Initiative Foundation, began in late May, with nutrition and wellness education classes taught by a Holy Cross Health community outreach professional. Proyecto Salud Clinic, a health provider for low income residents in Montgomery County that is down the hall from MUM’s office and food pantry in Wheaton, referred potential participants who have been recently diagnosed with diabetes to learn about the program from MUM. Community FarmShare is providing weekly “prescription” produce bags which participants pick up at MUM’s office each week or have delivered by volunteers.

Participants in the program are also able to access healthy shelf-stable items such as whole wheat pasta, brown rice, and whole grain cereals at MUM’s office food pantry, in addition to their produce bags. MUM is organizing monthly sessions with participants to share their experiences with cooking and eating the produce and other healthy foods and exercise. At the end of the program, it is expected that participants will see a reduction in their blood sugar levels when measured as compared with their baseline measurements taken by Proyecto Salud.

---

Changes to MUM’s Programs

As of July, MUM is expanding our emergency financial assistance program for eviction prevention and utilities shut-off prevention to cover the zip codes previously handled by Ministries United Silver Spring/Takoma Park (MUSST), which closed earlier this year. MUM will now work with neighbors who are facing emergencies in 20901, 20910, 20912, as well as our original area of operation in 20906, 20902, 20853, 20895 and 20896. Clients who are in the boundaries of the City of Takoma Park will be referred to their rental and utility assistance programs. MUM will continue to work with the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services as well as other community partners to help clients stay in their homes and to keep their utilities on. 

As we adjust to the changing funding environment and the increase in demand for food and services at MUM’s small office in Wheaton, we are also making several changes to our food pantries. ;The August 4th mobile food pantry at the Aspen Hill Christian Church will be our final mobile food pantry. MUM is providing information on other food distributions in the Aspen Hill area to clients in preparation for this change. We are looking for partners in the Aspen Hill area to work with us to not only host a monthly food distribution, but to be able to store the food and supplies and provide some volunteers.

In August, MUM will begin transitioning to providing food to people experiencing food insecurity only in the same zip codes as we provide emergency financial assistance – 20853, 20895, 20896, 20901, 20902, 20906, 20910, and 20912 – as was our practice before the covid pandemic. We will also be moving to an appointment-based system to ensure that we have enough food and volunteers available each week, and to work with our clients to better connect them to other resources. We continue to look for a larger space for MUM’s office, food pantry and food storage to better serve the large number of clients seeking assistance, and we welcome any suggestions or offers of space (particularly free!).

---

Funding Partner Highlights

As MUM continues to develop existing and new programs, we are also seeking new funding sources. We are grateful to have received a $10,000 grant for our emergency financial assistance program from the Adventist HealthCare Community Partnership Fund.

We are also grateful to the Enterprise Mobility Foundation which provided a $3,000 donation to MUM to support our general operations. MUM has been approved to participate in the upcoming Maryland Charity Campaign. We will share more information on how you can help us make this campaign a success in the fall.

---

Community-Based Fundraisers Support for MUM

Taste of Wheaton was a huge success in early June, thanks to the board members and volunteers who helped us manage the beer and wine garden. We had many more patrons than we have had at previous events, and made over $2,500! MUM’s Fundraising Committee is working to organize more fundraisers over the coming year to support our programs, so stay tuned for more to come!

In honor of May Nakamura’s 104th birthday, she asked friends and neighbors to donate to MUM. We are so honored to have May as a long-time supporter and an inspiration!

Image: MUM’s Executive Director Dayna Brown with Board Members Jules O’Rear and Betsy Binckes, and May Nakamura and a friend at May’s 104th birthday party.

Plant a Row for MUM in your Garden!

Many years ago, a garden columnist started the “Plant A Row” program by inviting readers to plant an extra row of vegetables to help those in need. Since that time, millions of pounds of produce have been donated to food banks, soup kitchens and other charities across the U.S.

MUM invites you to join us in a “Plant A Row” effort to benefit those experiencing food insecurity right in our own community. If you have a garden plot, participate in a community garden, or just have a few pots on your balcony, please consider planting a little extra to donate to MUM. Many of our clients cannot afford enough fresh fruits and vegetables due to rising costs. MUM aims to provide as much fresh produce as possible at our food pantries because we know that fresh, nutritious foods are critical for the health and wellness of our neighbors. MUM will gladly accept your bumper crop of zucchini, tomatoes, greens, peppers, potatoes and any other produce you can provide for those in need. As always, all of your gifts to MUM – including produce – are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Give us a call when you’re ready to drop off your donation at the office (where we have refrigeration).