Supporting Students and Families in our Community
Director’s Corner
As many students return to school, MUM is preparing for another year of partnership with Albert Einstein High School and Wheaton High School to provide healthy food to students and families who continue to struggle to make ends meet. Many students, families and other neighbors in our community are facing losses of jobs and fears of continued ICE activity, the uncertainty caused by changes to SNAP/WIC, Medicaid and other benefits, and higher gas and grocery prices caused by inflation. For many, it feels like the perfect storm.
In the midst of that storm, MUM is there to provide immediate assistance and to help our neighbors get on a path to stability. For instance, a neighbor recently told me how much she appreciated the information and referral we gave her to the county’s home energy assistance programs (OEHP) and other county resources when she came to shop in the food pantry. She and her husband are elderly homeowners with a limited income and were able to apply to OHEP and get home energy assistance. She was so excited to tell me that they also qualified for a new water heater and furnace which lowered their utility bills and will help them stretch their limited budget further. She was so appreciative of the time we had taken to help them get connected to other programs that could help them afford to live in their home. This is just one example of MUM accomplishing our mission of supporting neighbors facing financial hardship with resources and connections that foster stability and resilience.
To have this kind of impact, MUM works in partnership with non-profits, schools, Montgomery County government, private foundations, faith communities, businesses, civic organizations, gardeners, farmers, and many generous individuals who help us meet the growing needs in our community. Below we share our gratitude and some information on just a few of the wonderful partners who support our mission and help us to provide healthy food, emergency financial assistance, and connections to other resources to those struggling with financial hardships in our community. We couldn’t do our work without all those who support our efforts with their time, talents, and treasure. Thank you!
With deep gratitude,
Dayna Brown
Executive Director
Making an Impact in Our Community
MUM regularly follows up with neighbors after they receive assistance and connections to other resources to see if we have been able to put them on a path to stability, which for us is true impact. For instance, an elderly disabled woman who lives near our Executive Director’s neighborhood and whose house she had driven by hundreds of times sent a letter to the MUM office saying she had received a disconnection notice from Washington Gas and needed assistance. When we tried to reach her, we discovered that she no longer had a working phone and couldn’t get in contact with anyone or even get to her doctor’s appointments. Our ED went to her house to assess her situation, temporarily fixed her phone, and ultimately helped her to get a new phone. Our caseworker was then able to do an intake with her over the phone, and we were able to provide her with financial assistance to keep her gas on. We also connected her to (OHEP) to apply for utility assistance. When we followed up with her recently, she said she was approved for assistance from OHEP and is now able to manage her gas bill. She is very thankful for our team going the extra mile to help with getting the new phone, which her sister helped her set up, and she hasn’t had any issues since. She has been able to get to all of her appointments with no problem and is very grateful for our assistance.
Another example of the impact we are seeing is from a neighbor who also said she was extremely grateful for our help. Since meeting with our caseworker, her partner was able to get a job, and they have been able to manage their bills so much better. They said MUM’s help was the reason they were even able to focus on prioritizing his employment needs and ultimately helping him to find a job. After receiving financial assistance, their electricity bill has been much more manageable, and they are in a completely different situation compared to when they came to us. They are very thankful and are now on a path to stability.
Gratitude for Partners Who Help Our Neighbors Thrive
MUM is very grateful for the support of all of our partners whose investments help us meet our neighbors’ immediate needs while building pathways toward greater stability. This month, we wanted to highlight two of them – Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the William S. Abell Foundation.
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS has supported MUM’s food assistance efforts for several years, providing funding to help ensure that nutritious food is available to people who are experiencing food insecurity, particularly while managing or at risk of illness. Broadway Cares’ grants help organizations like MUM across the country provide healthy meals and other essential services. We are so grateful to have their support!
The William S. Abell Foundation awarded MUM a grant for much-needed general operating support, strengthening our ability to provide food assistance, financial support, and connections to resources for neighbors experiencing financial hardship. The Foundation’s focus on hunger and homelessness closely aligns with MUM’s commitment to addressing both immediate needs and the underlying challenges that can leave families vulnerable. We deeply appreciate the Foundation’s investment in work that seeks not simply to provide charity, but to help transform lives for the better.
MUM has a new partnership with Serenity Community Gardens and Urban Farm, a new member of HarvestShare which also connected MUM to Rocking Horse Community Garden. They are now donating produce grown by members of the community to share with neighbors coming to our office food pantry each week. MUM’s Executive Director recently attended a Harvest Workday at Serenity Community Garden to see the garden and meet some of the wonderful volunteers who grow, harvest, and deliver the food to MUM. This is such a heart-warming example of neighbors helping neighbors and the fantastic partnerships that make it possible!
We are deeply thankful to both foundations and our community partners for their continued confidence in MUM and for helping make it possible for our neighbors to access nutritious food, essential resources, and the support they need to move from vulnerability to stability.
MUM Receives FY27 School-Based Food Assistance Grant
MUM is pleased to announce that we have been awarded a FY27 School-Based Food Assistance (SBFA) Grant from Montgomery County’s Office of Food Systems Resilience (OFSR). This funding will allow MUM to continue providing monthly, free-choice food distributions with fresh produce and healthy non-perishable food to more than 200 students and families each month at Albert Einstein High School and Wheaton High School, as well as families throughout the greater school communities.
The FY27 award builds on the success of MUM’s first year of school-based food assistance, which reached more than 800 households and more than 1,600 students and extended to neighboring cluster schools and the surrounding Aspen Hill and Wheaton/Silver Spring/Kensington communities. We are deeply grateful to OFSR for this continued investment in our neighbors and for its confidence in MUM’s ability to connect students and families with healthy, nutritious food. We look forward to another year of partnership with OFSR and the dedicated teachers, parents and student volunteers in the school communities at Einstein and Wheaton, helping ensure that students and their families have greater access to food and other resources they need to not just survive, but to thrive.
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 the site below instead of MUM’s office pantry each month:
Wheaton High School (in the cafeteria)
12401 Dalewood Dr, Silver Spring, MD 20906
* Third Wednesday of the month from 2:30 to 4:30 pm
* First distribution of the 2026-2027 school year is September 16th!
* You must have a student in MCPS to participate
* Please bring your own bag!
* To volunteer to help with food distribution, please sign up here.
Albert Einstein High School (in the cafeteria)
11135 Newport Mill Rd, Kensington, MD 20895
* Second Thursday of the month from 3:00 to 5:00 pm
* First distribution of the 2026-2027 school year is September 10th!
* You must have a student in MCPS to participate
* Please bring your own bag!
* To volunteer to help with food distribution, please sign up here. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084DA4A629A0FFC70-58790898-september
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.
