Director’s Corner

As students have returned to school, the pace of activity has increased at MUM! We continue to see more and more people who are struggling to get by, including some who have lost their jobs due to the recent cuts at federal agencies. Some neighbors are visiting food pantries and seeking emergency financial assistance for the first time in their lives. They appreciate the welcoming space and compassionate team at MUM that is helping them navigate uncertainty and new challenges.

While MUM does not have any federal grants, we do expect to see effects from the reduced federal funding to programs that many of our clients rely on and to our state and county budgets which will not be able to fill the gaps. MUM is stepping up our fundraising and partnerships with faith communities, foundations, companies, local organizations, schools, individual donors and others to ensure that we can continue to provide food, emergency financial assistance and referrals and connections to other resources for the many neighbors who continue to struggle in our community.

I am happy to announce MUM recently received its third grant from the Montgomery County Office of Food Systems Resilience to support a monthly food distribution at Albert Einstein High School for 100 households.  We are excited about this new partnership in addition to our food as medicine program with the School-Based Health and Wellness Center at Wheaton High School. These partnerships are part of our strategy to be more targeted in working with others to identify vulnerable households experiencing food insecurity. If you are interested in volunteering to support these programs, please let us know! 

As a member of the Feeding America network, I wanted to share their recent report on the experiences of people facing food insecurity across the US. We are seeing and hearing similar challenges as the price of food continues to rise amidst the federal cuts to programs like SNAP (food stamps) and food and housing assistance for the most vulnerable in our communities. As you will see below, advocacy is an important action we can take to support our neighbors and strengthen our community.

As we navigate the turbulent waters, we are grateful for our many volunteers and donors who support our work to ensure that all in our community are able to put healthy food on the table and to stay in their homes with the utilities on. Thank you!

Dayna Brown
Executive Director

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MUM Continues to Help Families

MUM has helped an unprecedented number of families facing eviction and utility disconnections. In FY25 (July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025), MUM faced a dramatic increase in neighbors seeking emergency financial assistance to prevent evictions and to keep their utilities on. We were able to increase the number of households we supported with utility assistance by more than 50% and increase the number of households we supported with rental assistance to prevent evictions by more than 100%.

One of the neighbors MUM assisted was a family of seven that was facing eviction while the mother could not work during a high-risk pregnancy. We supported them with food and emergency financial assistance and then coordinated with Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services to cover their outstanding rent as they had accumulated a large debt, allowing the family to remain housed. The mother later returned to work with renewed stability and peace of mind.

MUM’s emergency financial assistance programs are supported by grants from Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services/Services to End and Prevent Homelessness, Interfaith Works, Adventist Community Services, Cloudbreak Foundation and donations from faith communities, individuals, and others. We expect demand to go up even more this year as rent and utility costs continue to rise and federal assistance programs are reduced. 

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MUM Partner of the Month: Macy’s at Westfield Wheaton

Macy’s at Westfield Wheaton provided $1,500 in gift cards for MUM to distribute to clients with school-aged children during the back-to-school season. Buying school supplies and clothing can be very stressful for many of our families as it greatly impacts their limited budgets. Each $30 Macy’s gift card helped reduce the strain on 50 families’ budgets by providing extra resources to purchase much-needed school essentials. 

Macy’s has also named MUM as their round-up charity for October. Customers can choose to “round up” their purchases to donate to MUM. The Round Up Give Back campaign will take place from Thursday, October 16th, through Friday, October 31st, so shop at Macy’s and “round up” to support MUM! All of us at MUM are so grateful for the continued partnership and support of the Macy’s Wheaton family. 

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Eagle Scout Project Benefits MUM Clients

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Act During Hunger Action Month

As Hunger Action Month (September) 2025 wraps up, we continue to see the concerns highlighted in Feeding America’s latest Elevating Voices: Insights Report reflected in the experiences of local neighbors that MUM serves. Now in its fourth year, the report offers an annual snapshot of the reality of hunger in America, informed by survey data from people facing hunger. The report indicates that more people in our country are facing hunger today than in nearly a decade. 

In response, Feeding America is encouraging lawmakers to prioritize food security and strengthen nutrition programs. Each of us can take similar action by sending letters to our local representatives urging their support and action through this link at Feeding America. Feeding America states that “our unified resolve to ensure everyone can access the nutritious food they need to thrive is growing too. When our neighbors thrive, we all thrive. Let’s be inspired by this resolve. Let’s create meaningful change.” 

MUM is a member of the Feeding America network and we encourage our supporters to put the “action” in Hunger Action Month and make calls and send letters to our lawmakers urging action on fighting hunger in our communities.