Director’s Corner

Amidst the very uncertain times we find ourselves in, I am tremendously grateful for the many people, faith communities, companies, and local organizations who donated money to MUM’s year-end fundraising campaign, along with donations of food, diapers, gift bags, and gift cards! We raised nearly $60,000 – our year-end fundraising goal! – and received over 2,500 pounds of food donations from food drives and $770 in gift cards. MUM could not support our neighbors without your help, and we so appreciate your generosity and commitment to our work! 

Since July, MUM has had a significant increase in demand for our services, particularly for emergency financial services. After the Montgomery County government reduced the financial assistance available to prevent utility disconnections and increased the eligibility requirements, we have received many more referrals and neighbors coming directly to MUM for assistance to keep their utilities on. In the last half of 2024, we spent over $50,000 on emergency financial assistance, helping 84 families to stay in their homes and keep their utilities on, as you can read about below.

MUM helps all who are experiencing food insecurity and financial hardships, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, age, ability, immigration status, or other factors. MUM and other food pantries in the DMV have seen some decrease in numbers at our food pantries the last couple of weeks as people fear leaving home. We are providing Know Your Rights information to our many neighbors who are concerned about all of the changes under the new administration and continue to ensure a welcoming space for all who need assistance.

As we anticipate decreased funding due to the cuts at the federal level that will affect state and county budgets that are already tight, we appreciate the continued state support for food and supplies needed for our food assistance programming. MUM has just been awarded a $6,401 grant from the FY25 Maryland Emergency Food Program (MEFP) and a $1,871 grant from the FY25 Maryland Department of Human Services Statewide Nutrition Assistance Equipment Program (SNAEP). 

Thank you for your continued support of MUM as we work to provide food, emergency financial assistance, resources, and referrals to our many neighbors who are struggling. As we face the challenging days ahead, we will likely have to rely on our local community partners even more to meet the needs of our community. Thank you for being a wonderful partner to MUM.

Dayna Brown
Executive Director 

Food is Medicine Program Impact 

MUM Completes Our First Food Is Medicine Program 

Since last summer, we have been reporting on our pilot Food Is Medicine (FIM) program. Funded by the Healthcare Initiative Foundation, and launched in partnership with Proyecto Salud health clinic, Community FarmShare and Holy Cross Health, this program provided nutrition education, fresh produce, and healthy nonperishable foods weekly to participants with diabetes. The goals were to improve dietary habits of diabetic participants and their families, lower blood sugar levels (A1C), address food insecurity, and help to create a foundation for lifelong healthy living. 

As we’ve recently wrapped up our first FIM program and gained feedback from participants, we are excited to share some of the outcomes, many of which exceeded our original goals. For instance, as a result of this program:

• 100% of participants reported that they understand food plays a major role in a person’s health;
• 81.3% feel very confident or confident choosing foods that support a healthy lifestyle for themselves and their family;
• 100% of participants reported that they strongly agree or agree that they feel better physically;
• 100% of participants reported that they strongly agree or agree that their household members feel better physically; and
• When asked how they would rate their health following the FIM program, 87.6% said excellent or improved.

Overall, participants valued the program, and their feedback was overwhelmingly positive. They greatly appreciated the healthy food and the opportunity to participate in the FIM program as it helped address their food insecurity and gave them tools to better manage diabetes. More than 81% reported that they were very satisfied with the program, while the remainder reported that they were satisfied.

Participants’ A1C measurements were taken at the beginning of the program and at the end. Unfortunately, we learned that only 42% of those reporting at the end had seen improvements in their A1C, which was lower than our goal. However, upon further discussion with participants, we also learned that they faced broader and deeper challenges than anticipated, which likely impacted their outcomes, such as having to work several jobs to support the family, having to prioritize rent and living expenses before medical care, family dysfunction and depression.

As we continue to support the program participants, MUM and its partners are already working to alleviate their challenges beyond diabetes. For instance, some continue to receive food assistance through MUM’s food pantry or have received financial assistance from MUM. Others have received further health care and mental health support from Proyecto Salud. Understanding our community’s needs, MUM, Proyecto Salud, and Community FarmShare are more committed than ever to collaborating on future FIM programs. We know that FIM expands access to healthy food and nutrition services for people living with chronic illnesses, and we know that we need to approach future programs holistically so that we can address broader social determinants of health that affect household stability and well-being in addition to physical health (diabetes).

MUM Celebrates its Financial Assistance Partners And Impact this Winter!

While the Montgomery County Department of Health & Human Services – Montgomery County, Maryland] and the Emergency Assistance Coalition managed by Interfaith Works are core funders of our emergency financial assistance program, MUM is constantly seeking grants and fundraising to meet the incredible demand. We are so grateful for the additional grant support we have received for our emergency financial assistance programs that help families to remain housed this winter with electricity, gas and water running. 

We received a $10,000 grant from the Cloudbreak Foundation to support this program and we appreciate their continued partnership this year as it will enable us to help 10 to 15 households avoid evictions or utility shut-offs. In our July newsletter, we celebrated the $10,000 grant award from Adventist HealthCare’s Community Partnership Fund. As we reach the grant’s mid-year mark, we have already assisted 9 families with utilities and rent with these funds. All households received case management support, and nearly 80% of the households that received financial assistance also received food assistance. We aim to provide greater financial stability and well-being for the families by offering these additional resources.

Over the past 6 months, MUM has already helped 31 families with rental assistance to prevent their evictions and has helped 53 families with utility assistance, spending over $50,000 on emergency financial assistance. We have helped 6 households get their utilities turned back on, some after days without electricity. One of our neighbors, a single mother with three young children in Wheaton, was incredibly grateful when we were able to get her electricity turned back on and worked with other community partners to get her to a zero balance. The impact is immediate for many families struggling to make ends meet, and we could not support them without the generosity of our many institutional and private donors. Thank you!

MUM Volunteers Needed

As MUM continues to see increased demand for food, emergency financial services, and referrals for other services, we need even more volunteers! We particularly need volunteers who can regularly commit to help stock and help clients shop in our office food pantry, with picking up donated food, and delivering food to some of our neighbors who cannot come to the food pantry due to illness, disability, or other challenges. We can also use volunteers to help with data entry, administration, communications, and fundraising. If you or someone you know may be interested in volunteering with MUM, please fill out the MUM Volunteer Form, call the office at (301-929-8675), or email office@mumhelp.org