Director’s Corner

Hunger Action Month is a nationwide campaign, launched by the Feed America network and observed each September, to raise awareness about hunger and inspire action to end food insecurity in the United States. MUM is a member of the Feeding America network, and we are grateful for and encourage our supporters to continue to stand alongside our neighbors facing hunger and help to ensure that everyone has access to the food they need to thrive. Below are ways MUM is taking action to address hunger and food insecurity in our community and ways you can get involved too.

This past fiscal year, MUM distributed over 200,000 pounds of food—a 75% increase over FY25—with more than half being fresh produce. In our last fiscal year (July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026), MUM received over 40,000 pounds of donated and recovered produce and non-perishable food, worth more than $77,000. We share this donated food (along with food that we purchase) with our neighbors through our office food pantry, as well as through community distributions with partners at Einstein and Wheaton High Schools, and St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Rockville. See information below about a webinar and other events to learn more about how to more effectively donate food that can be shared with our neighbors.

As the cost of essentials like groceries and energy continue to put pressure on household budgets, the need for food assistance is only increasing. The Capital Area Food Bank’s newly released 2026 Hunger Report finds that food insecurity is at a five-year high in the Greater Washington area. In Montgomery County, 31% of households experienced food insecurity in the past year. Read below for more highlights from this report that captures regional dimensions of the challenges we see our neighbors facing every day.

MUM is responding to these challenges by reaching more of our most vulnerable neighbors and pairing food assistance with resource navigation and individualized support to address the challenges that contribute to our neighbors’ food insecurity. We encourage you to read the report and to support our efforts to fight hunger in our community.

Lastly, we are excited to share information and the opportunity to volunteer or donate through a community event and fundraiser for MUM–the Haunted Trail on Old Scream Road in October. Please do all you can to support MUM and our work to provide food and emergency financial assistance to our many neighbors struggling to make ends meet during this difficult time.

In gratitude,

Dayna Brown
Executive Director

Uniting to Support Thriving Communities During Hunger Action Month

4 Ways MUM Takes Action Against Hunger

September is Hunger Action Month, a time to raise awareness about hunger and inspire action to end food insecurity across the United States. At MUM, we believe everyone deserves reliable access to nutritious food, and that ending hunger takes a community-wide effort. We are so appreciative of the many donors of fresh produce and non-perishables that feed our neighbors and keep good food out of landfills.

Here are four ways MUM is part of these efforts:

1. Using produce donations & recovering good food to provide more for our neighbors
MUM regularly receives donated fresh produce from farm partners like Rocking Horse Community Garden, Serenity Community Garden, Garrett Park Farmer’s Market and others. MUM also partners with food rescue organizations like So What Else, Manna Community Food Rescue and others to recover nutritious food and make it available to our neighbors. These partnerships help keep good food out of landfills and expand our ability to provide more fresh produce and other healthy options to families experiencing food insecurity. To learn more, you can join these Food Waste Prevention Week events this week. 

2. Making food assistance more choice-driven and culturally responsive
MUM’s free-choice food pantries allow neighbors to select the foods that best meet their household’s needs and preferences. We offer a wide variety of nutritious foods, including fresh produce and culturally familiar staples such as masa, plantains, and yucca. Providing neighbors with choice helps make food assistance more welcoming, useful, and dignified.

3. Bringing food assistance into schools and neighborhoods
MUM brings healthy food directly into communities where access can be a challenge. Through school-based food distributions at Wheaton High School and Albert Einstein High School, as well as our community distribution at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Aspen Hill/Rockville area, MUM helps families access nutritious food close to home. Meeting people where they are helps reduce access barriers and ensures that food assistance reaches neighbors who need it.

4. Connecting food with health and stability
Hunger and financial hardship are connected. MUM’s new strategic focus includes expanding support for our food assistance clients to address their underlying needs. In the months ahead, we expect to increase case work and resource navigation which allows neighbors to be connected to health care, other food resources, employment, and other supports while shopping for food so they can achieve greater stability and wellbeing.

You can be part of the solution, too! Donate food or funds, volunteer your time, or connect MUM with an organization that has food to share. Together, we can help ensure that our neighbors have access to the nutritious food and resources they need to thrive.

2026 Hunger Report: Nearly 1 in 3 Montgomery County Households Face Food Insecurity

The Capital Area Food Bank has released its 2026 CAFB Hunger Report, which reveals that food insecurity across the Greater Washington region is at a five-year high, affecting 38% of residents. That surpasses the level of food insecurity seen near the height of the covid pandemic, indicating that the state of food insecurity in the DMV is deteriorating. More households are reporting that their finances are worsening, and for the first time since the survey’s inception in 2022, fewer than half of the region’s households report high confidence in their ability to get the food they need.

This year’s report explores the many factors that are driving the trends we’re seeing at MUM, including cuts to the local federal workforce and supporting businesses; rising costs of food and gas and other essentials, and the lasting effects on financial stability experienced by thousands of area residents during last fall’s record-setting 43-day government shutdown. It also discusses the increased need for food assistance after the significant cuts and changes to SNAP (food stamps), Medicaid and other safety net programs that are affecting our most vulnerable neighbors, as noted in this graphic from the report.

Highlights of CAFB Hunger Report 2026 include:

• New information down to the county-level on food insecurity across the region: in every county, no fewer than 22% of residents struggled to access enough food at points throughout the year.
• Data about the region’s child hunger rate, which shows that 34% of children in our community live in households that are food insecure.
• Insights into the growing numbers of people in our area who report weakening finances: 44% of households reported that their finances got worse over the last year, up from 40% in 2025 and from 35% in 2024. 
• An updated look at the ongoing economic challenges faced by people impacted by reductions in federal jobs and spending: 35% of impacted workers are still unemployed, and close to half are earning less than they were before.
• Up-to-date information on the dire financial coping strategies and trade-offs that DMV residents are increasingly relying on to make ends meet, including depletion of savings, making minimum debt payments, cutting food intake, and other actions with the potential to cause long-term harm.
• Video interviews with members of our community about their lived experiences with food insecurity.
• Analysis of the impact that recent policy changes and forces acting on the charitable food sector could have on the food security of our neighbors in the years ahead.
• Robust recommendations for actions in every sector to address these issues, which provide a roadmap for addressing food insecurity and economic inequity across our region in the short and longer term.

Haunted Trail on Old Scream Road Fundraiser for MUM

The Haunted Trail on Old Scream Road will once again fill six fun-filled nights with spooky Halloween adventures at 9713 Old Spring Road, Kensington MD 20895! 2026 dates are Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, October 23, 24 and 25, and again October 30 and 31, and November 1! Everyone is welcome. And volunteers are needed! Guests are invited but not required to bring in-kind donations of non-perishable food or financial donations by cash or check to support MUM’s work! High school students and older, call MUM at 301-929-8675 or email office@mumhelp.org to volunteer!

Giving to MUM is easy!

 Here’s how to make a financial donation. Here’s how to help by volunteering.

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MUM Office Hours

MUM’s office is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9am to 4pm.

The MUM full choice food pantry is open by APPOINTMENT ONLY and serves residents living in these zip codes: 20853, 20895, 20896, 20901, 20902, 20906, 20910, and 20912. Neighbors can call 301-929-8675 to make an appointment or email us at office@mumhelp.org.

Neighbors may also access these sites instead of MUM’s office pantry each month:

Albert Einstein High School (in the cafeteria)

11135 Newport Mill Rd, Kensington, MD 20895

* 2nd Thursday of each month from 2:30-4:30pm

* You must have a student in MCPS to participate

Wheaton High School (in the cafeteria)

12401 Dalewood Dr, Silver Spring, MD 20906

* 3rd Wednesday of each month from 2:30-4:30pm

* You must have a student in MCPS to participate

St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church

4629 Aspen Hill Rd, Rockville, MD 20853

* 3rd Sunday of each Month from 3:00-4:30pm

To Volunteer, sign up here: Nurture our Neighbor Food Distribution

Appointments to apply for emergency financial assistance for eviction prevention, utility shut-off prevention, and emergency prescription drugs can be made by contacting the MUM office by telephone at 301-929-8675, or by email at office@mumhelp.org.