Director’s Corner

April is National Volunteer Month and MUM is so grateful for the many volunteers who work with us to serve our neighbors. We couldn’t support so many people in our community without the many volunteers who help in so many ways. Below is information on ways to volunteer, including the annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive on May 9th. 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. If you are interested in joining our board, please let me know. THANKS again to our amazing volunteers! 

Below we highlight new and old partnerships we have with several other organizations to provide more targeted support to our neighbors experiencing food insecurity through Food Is Medicine Programs and vouchers to purchase culturally preferred foods. We also highlight partnerships we have to support food recovery and for locally grown produce donations. These are just a few of the partnerships with other local organizations that help bring more resources and support to meet our neighbors’ needs. 

MUM staff and volunteers regularly hear from our clients about how we are impacting their lives and we will share more feedback from the surveys we have been conducting in our next newsletter. We recently received this testimonial from a client who no longer needs our assistance, which is the goal for all of the neighbors we serve:

“I’d like to thank you all for filling the void when I needed it. I appreciate all the staff and their effort to help us all when we’re in need or not. I am doing much better back at work. It’s been my pleasure and I pray that the organization will continue the good work you all are doing for the public. Take care and God bless.”

Thank you for your continued support of MUM and our efforts to help our vulnerable neighbors achieve stability through access to resources and community connections. Below you will see a new way to support our work and promote MUM in the community through purchasing MUM merchandise! Your contributions are vital to our work and make a huge impact in the lives of our neighbors. Thank you!

In partnership,
Dayna Brown
Executive Director

Partner Spotlight

MUM partners with Manna Food Center’s Grocery Voucher Program 

MUM is now collaborating with Manna Food Center on a grocery voucher program that promotes dignity and choice while reducing food insecurity among our Latino neighbors. Each month, MUM provides 75 eligible households with a $50 voucher to redeem at the Latino Market in Wheaton. This allows families to access culturally familiar and preferred foods that may not always be available through MUM’s food pantry, such as plantains, tortillas, yuca, dried chiles, and other groceries. The voucher program assesses their access to SNAP and other programs and provides opportunities for families to be introduced to additional resources which promote self-sufficiency.

Congratulations to Our Food Is Medicine Participants!

MUM is proud to celebrate the latest cohort of participants who have successfully completed our Food Is Medicine (FIM) program. Funded by the Healthcare Initiative Foundation and implemented in partnership with Proyecto Salud health clinic, Community FarmShare and Holy Cross Health, this initiative supported 20 individuals living with diabetes, as well as their families, in building healthier lives through nutrition education and consistent access to fresh produce and nutritious nonperishables.

Earlier this month, several participants gathered at MUM to reflect on their experiences, take part in a final cooking demonstration and learn about additional community resources to support their continued wellness in partnership with the Latino Health Initiative. We are deeply grateful to the Healthcare Initiative Foundation for making this important work possible and look forward to sharing more about the program’s impact in our next newsletter.

Happy National Volunteer Month 2026!

Celebrated each April, National Volunteer Month is dedicated to honoring volunteers and promoting volunteerism across communities. It recognizes the impact that volunteers have in tackling a wide variety of societal challenges, building stronger communities, and inspiring others to serve. The celebration also encourages people to contribute their time, skills, and resources to causes they care about.

Although MUM appreciates its volunteers every single day, we especially want to focus on their contributions, and on continuing opportunities to serve, as we celebrate this April! Volunteers sort food donations, transport food to our food pantry and mobile pantries, stock the pantry, help clients choose the food they want, register and check clients in for their appointments, answer phones and help direct clients to other resources. Volunteers also serve on our board of directors and committees, help with data entry, IT, communications (including interpreting and translating), office administration, fundraising and sharing the work of MUM in our community. THANK YOU to the volunteers who make the good work that MUM does possible!

Help MUM Stamp Out Hunger on May 9, 2026!

The US Postal Service’s National Association of Letter Carriers will hold the annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive on May 9th this year. MUM is grateful to be a recipient of food collected on their routes of postal workers from 7 local post offices. We need volunteers to transport, sort, and store non-perishable food being collected through the food drive on May 9th and 10th. Drivers and helpers will collect the food from the local post offices and bring the food to the Mid-County Consolidation Hub at Hughes United Methodist Church (10700 Georgia Avenue, Wheaton, MD 20902), where it will be sorted and prepared for storage. Volunteers under the age of 14 must have a parent or guardian present and SSL forms will be provided for MCPS students. Sign up here to volunteer: Stamp Out Hunger Volunteer Sign-Up 2026 

Food Rescue and Recovery Efforts Help Feed Our Families

April 29^th is Stop Food Waste Day. MUM continues to do its part to rescue and recover nutritious, high-quality foods to offer in our food pantry. Throughout the year, MUM regularly partners with Manna’s Community Food Rescue Program and So What Else for fresh produce donations. We also get donations of vegetables and fruits from Garrett Park Farmers Market, HarvestShare, Rocking Horse Community Garden and some other gardeners. This allows us to stretch our food purchasing dollars, to increase the quantity and variety of healthy foods we offer our clients and reduce food waste. This growing season, if your garden produces more veggies than you can handle, MUM will happily receive and share your surplus with neighbors who need it.

NEW! MUM Merchandise to Support Our Mission

Now you can support MUM by purchasing MUM merchandise! You can order shirts, blankets, water bottles, mugs, journals, bags, and more at MUM Merch Store and 50% of the profit will be donated to support MUM’s work! Follow the link or QR code and browse. Click on your selected item, choose item color and select the best logo design for that color. Next, choose design placement, then size (if applicable). Add to your cart and checkout! It’s as simple as that and you’ll have found another fun way to support MUM! Thanks!