Economic hardship brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has increased instances of food insecurity in the region. COG anticipates that this limited or uncertain availability of safe and nutritious food will continue to be a pressing challenge for many of the region's families in the months ahead.
Prior to COVID-19, the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB) and its partners were already serving 415,000 food insecure residents in the region. According to its 2020 Hunger Report, the organization anticipates a 48 percent to 60 percent increase in food insecurity in the communities that it serves.
COG and its members are prioritizing food security as part of the region's collaborative COVID-19 recovery efforts.
Over the next year, a group of 25 local leaders will work with COG to focus on the future of the region’s food system as part of a new food and agriculture committee. In addition to assisting COG in continuing its food security programming and collaboration, the committee will identify new opportunities to work together over the longer-term to the benefit of local communities and the region.
The committee was established by the COG Board in September and will be led by District of Columbia Councilmember Mary Cheh as Chair, and Montgomery County Councilmember Craig Rice and City of Fairfax Councilmember Jon Stehle as Vice Chairs. This cross-sector group will include elected officials and experts representing local and state food and agriculture interests.
Throughout the pandemic, COG has compiled and shared regional emergency food assistance resources. It has tracked food policy by jurisdiction, including school meal policies because households with children are among those especially vulnerable to food insecurity. COG has also continued supporting local agriculture during this time by promoting farms offering Community Supported Agriculture shares (CSAs), sharing information about changing local food market and retailer operations due to COVID-19, and convening and participating in important regional conversations around urban agriculture, food recovery (recovering food that would otherwise go to waste), and supply chain infrastructure.
This work complements several groundbreaking local actions on food security.
For example, Montgomery County's Food Security Task Force is working to match resources with residents' food needs, including by leveraging the power of county volunteers. It is also working with the county’s food council and other stakeholders to launch new opportunities to assist food pantries, food businesses, and farmers in responding to increased needs for food assistance.
Recognizing that the region’s food security challenges are expected to persist for some time, jurisdictions continue to respond and to plan for the future.
Prince George’s County is on the verge of establishing its own Food Security Task Force. Fairfax County is working on a strategic plan for food access. The District of Columbia is expected to release a new report on food insecurity which will include a plan for addressing food needs during and following a public health emergency.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in response to advocacy across the country and in the region, extended flexibility allowing schools to serve all children under 18 years old free meals through the end of the year. More federal action will be needed to support the region’s communities in responding to this crisis.
COG’s new food and agriculture committee will determine a path forward on other regional food and agriculture issues as well; identifying several solutions for the short and longer term. And, the group will be deliberate about weaving racial equity into this work.
For many years, COG has worked to create and foster regional networks to link farmers, food and farm technical assistance providers, entrepreneurs, researchers, policymakers and consumers through its Regional Agricultural Work Group and Regional Food Systems Program. One of the Regional Agricultural Work Group’s signature efforts has been the What Our Region Grows report which will also inform the work of the new committee.
MORE: Local and Regional Emergency Food Assistance Resources