Maryland Hunger Solutions
In Focus
New School Breakfast Report Shows Variation in School Breakfast Participation by County
Creating Healthier Students & Better Learners with the School Breakfast Program: Maryland School Breakfast Report shows that 61.9 low income students ate school breakfast for every 100 who ate school lunch in Maryland in the 2017–2018 school year. The report includes report cards that evaluate low-income student breakfast participation for each public school system and the state overall. Check out the report!
“Maryland Market Money” Now Available at More Farmers Markets in Prince George’s County
This market season, the Maryland Farmers Market Association’s “Maryland Market Money” program will be available at four farmers markets, and low-income residents can receive additional dollars to spend at these markets, making healthy foods more accessible and affordable for food-insecure shoppers in Prince George’s. Learn more.
Doing our Part to Ensure the Maryland General Assembly Promotes Food Security
Maryland Hunger Solutions testified before the General Assembly several times during the 2019 legislative session. Check out our testimonies from this session.
Missed Opportunities: An Analysis of SNAP Participation in Maryland by County
SNAP is a proven tool to reduce hunger and poverty in Maryland and across the country. However, new research finds that many Marylanders who are eligible for SNAP are not participating in the program. The number of eligible people not participating in SNAP by county ranges from 25 percent in Baltimore City to over 60 percent in Montgomery County. Check out Maryland Hunger Solutions’ new research brief, Missed Opportunities: An Analysis of SNAP Participation in Maryland by County, and the accompanying map, for more information on SNAP participation by county in Maryland. Listen to the story on WAMU, too!
MDHS Supports the Maryland Farms and Families Fund
The 2019 Legislative Session of the General Assembly is in full swing, and Maryland Hunger Solutions testified before the House Appropriations Committee on January 29, 2019 in support of House Bill 84 and the Maryland Farms and Families Fund. Read our testimony.
Highlights from the 2018 Fighting Hunger in Maryland Conference
On October 9, we came together in Annapolis for the 8th annual Fighting Hunger in Maryland conference, which included four award presentations, eight panels, nine roundtable discussions, 48 speakers and over 150 participants, which add up to one very successful conference! Check out highlights from the conference including presentations, pictures, and media coverage.
Significant Gains Made in Afterschool Supper Participation, but Demand for Quality Afterschool Programs Still Outstrips Supply
More than 1.2 million low-income children benefited from afterschool suppers on an average weekday in October 2017, an 11 percent increase from the previous year, according to the Food Research & Action Center’s annual Afterschool Suppers: A Snapshot of Participation report. Find out more…
Over 12 Percent of Maryland Households Struggle to Afford Enough Food
Despite an improving economy, 12.6 percent of households in Maryland reported that they struggled to buy enough food for themselves and their families during 2016–2017, according to a new report released by the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC, a national anti-hunger advocacy group).
Maryland Lands in the Top Ten for Summer Meals Participation
Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation: Summer Nutrition Status Report, a new report from the Food Research & Action Center, ranks all 50 states and the District of Columbia on participation in the Summer Nutrition Programs. Maryland ranked No. 8 this year in ensuring children across the city have access to nutrition when school is out for the summer. Nearly 64,000 children received a nutritious summer meal at the 1,357 summer meals sites across the state on an average weekday in July 2017, according to the report. Many of Maryland’s summer meals sites offer enrichment or educational programming alongside meals, which helps to combat summer learning loss and reduce any stigma associated with attending a site that provides only meals.
Bills Passed to Reduce Childhood Hunger
In Maryland’s 2018 legislative session, two important bills passed that will reduce childhood hunger. SB 818 (pdf) provides additional funding to the Maryland Meals for Achievement Program, and HB 315 (pdf) ensures more low-income students can access free school meals by eliminating the reduced-price co-pay for school meals. And Maryland lawmakers did the right thing and voted down HB 1273 (pdf), a bill that would have made it more difficult for certain groups to access SNAP benefits. Read MDHS’ testimonies before the Maryland General Assembly for each of these bills.
New Report: 10 Years of Addressing Hunger and Improving Lives
For the past 10 years, we’ve worked tirelessly to end hunger and improve the health and well-being of Marylanders in need by expanding participation in the federal nutrition programs. Check out our latest report, Maryland Hunger Solutions: 10 Years of Addressing Hunger and Improving Lives.