Montgomery County Expands Food Recovery Network To Reduce Waste and Address Hunger

Montgomery County’s Office of Food Systems Resilience (OFSR) has announced the next phase of its Food Recovery Network strategy to expandBox of vegetables including eggplant, peppers, lettuce and kale. coordination, infrastructure, and direct funding for community partners that rescue surplus food and redirect it to neighbors in need.  

Food recovery, also known as food rescue, collects safe, unsellable food and redistributes it through community partners to reduce waste and address hunger. It supports County climate goals and helps feed the estimated 300,000 residents at risk of hunger. More than two dozen organizations recover and distribute surplus food, with food assistance partners serving over 106,000 residents each month. An estimated 35% of County residents experience some level of food insecurity.

Over the past 15 years, Montgomery County has invested more than $3 million in food recovery infrastructure, coordination, and community partnerships.

Key milestones include:  

  • Establishment of the Food Recovery Work Group: Led by County Councilmember Valerie Ervin, this group was established in 2012 and brought together nonprofit providers, faith leaders, government agencies, and private sector partners to develop the nation’s first County-wide food recovery program.
  • Strategic Partnerships: The County invested in contract partnerships with organizations such as:
    • Nourish Now, to expand food rescue efforts and support the County’s service consolidation hubs.
    • Community Food Rescue, operated by Manna Food Center, created a coordinated system and technology-based platform to recover and redistribute nutritious food across Montgomery County.
Building on this foundation, in April 2025, OFSR launched an expanded strategy to increase food recovery efforts in the County through investments in storage and transportation infrastructure, network coordination, and food rescue organization operations.

“Food recovery is one of the clearest examples of how we can reduce waste and help people at the same time,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “When we created the Office of Food Systems Resilience, it was to build this kind of long-term capacity to connect partners, stretch every dollar, and make sure we are prepared to respond when federal or state resources tighten. This is resilience in action.”

For more details visit the program website: montgomerycountymd.gov/ofsr/foodrecovery.html