Maryland Hunger Solutions

Fewer Maryland families going without enough to eat – The Baltimore Sun, September 8, 2017

“’There are a lot of organizations successfully trying to help people facing hunger and poverty,’ said Michael J. Wilson, director of Maryland Hunger Solutions, a nonprofit established to fight hunger and improve the nutrition, health and well-being of children and families. ‘But these are still challenging times for a lot of people. We will take the good news where we can find it, but the challenge is how can we continue to make progress.’ Wilson attributed the decline in food insecurity in part to a drop in the unemployment rate.” More…

“We’ll take the good news where we can find it, but the challenge is, how can we continue to make progress?”

Maryland is one of 16 states that saw significant declines in food insecurity over the last three years, according to a new USDA report.

In an extensive interview with The Baltimore Sun, Maryland Hunger Solutions’ director Michael J. Wilson highlighted the state’s progress in reducing food insecurity. The change, he says, is due in part to a drop in the unemployment rate, and can also be attributed to policy changes that Maryland has made such as the increase in “hunger free schools” in the state — those that provide free breakfast and lunch to all of their students throughout the school year.

Read more to learn about the programs and policy changes that have provided improved access food for thousands of Marylanders.

Take Action

Urge your Members of Congress to support  SNAP in the upcoming 2018 Farm Bill.  SNAP, known as the Food Supplement Program in Maryland, provides monthly benefits to over 650,000 Marylanders to purchase food, and plays a critical role in reducing hunger and poverty.

Tell the Maryland General Assembly to pass the Maryland Cares for Kids Act in 2018. This important bill would support low-income children and families by removing the reduced-price school meal fee for over 45,000 Maryland students.
Learn more…

Register Now for the 2017 Fighting Hunger in Maryland Conference

Join leaders from state and local agencies, nonprofits, schools, and advocacy organizations to inform, engage, and inspire action to promote equity in food access and nutrition in Maryland. This year’s conference theme, Food For Thought, will provide you with a deeper look at the causes of hunger and ways to improve strategic outreach, advocacy, and partnerships to address hunger and nutrition in Maryland. More…

SNAP Matters to Households That Struggle Against Hunger in Communities Across Maryland

SNAP Maps, a new data tool from the Food Research & Action Center, shows SNAP household participation by state and county, and reveals participation is highest in rural areas and small towns. Check out SNAP Maps.

Maryland Groups Call on Congressional Delegation to Defend and Protect Programs That Reduce Hunger and Poverty

MDHS sent a letter, signed by more than 100 nonprofit, faith-based, and community-based organizations across the state, to the Maryland Congressional Delegation urging support of the vital federal nutrition programs in the upcoming Farm Bill. More…

Maryland Hunger Solutions Releases Report Card for School Breakfast Participation

Creating Healthier Students and Better Learners with the School Breakfast Program: Maryland’s Report Card for the 2015-2016 School Year measures Maryland’s progress in ensuring that all of the nearly 400,000 low-income students in the state have access to a nutritious school breakfast so they can start the day ready to learn. More (pdf)…

Governor Hogan Signs Hunger-Free Schools Act of 2017

Governor Larry Hogan signed The Hunger-Free Schools Act of 2017 (House Bill 287/Senate Bill 361) yesterday, which will extend the successful Community Eligibility Provision to allow more high-need schools in Maryland to provide free school breakfast and lunch to all students. More…

President’s Proposed Budget Would Greatly Increase Hunger and Poverty in Maryland

The president’s FY 2018 budget (pdf) includes an attack on the most important nutrition program for hundreds of thousands of Marylanders who live in households that have been left behind in the nation’s ongoing economic recovery. The budget proposes $193 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps and called the Food Supplement Program in Maryland) over the next 10 years. More…

ABAWD Time Limits

Maryland Hunger Solutions is working to ensure that community partners and FSP recipients who may be identified as able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) are knowledgeable about the rules and regulations. We are scheduling community meetings in all of the affected jurisdictions in which the ABAWD time limits are in effect. For more information, email us at ABAWD@mdhungersolutions.org or call 410-528-0021.

How Did Families And The Working Poor Fare This Legislative Session?

Michael J. Wilson, director of Maryland Hunger Solutions, was on WYPR’s Midday show with Tom Hall on April 11 to discuss the Maryland General Assembly’s 437th annual session. He and the other panelists explored how children, families, and Maryland’s most marginalized citizens will be affected by this year’s legislation. More…

Op-ed Argues for Using Existing Solutions to Hunger and Poverty

Check out the op-ed in the Baltimore Sun by Michael J. Wilson, director of Maryland Hunger Solutions, and Benjamin Orr, executive director of the Maryland Center of Economic Policy. They respond to Gov. Hogan’s announcement of a commission, led by his lieutenant governor, to look at “Two Generation Family Security” (pdf). While the idea of a commission focused on economic security is not a bad one, families experiencing poverty shouldn’t have to keep waiting when there are existing solutions that we could implement now. More…

Thanks to Everyone Who Participated in Hear the Maryland Crunch!

Thank you apple crunchers! On Tuesday, March 7, 2017 thousands of Marylanders Heard the Maryland Crunch! Students, teachers, legislators, and community members all took a bite into a juicy apple, to help raise awareness of the important role that school breakfast plays in ensuring children have access to healthy food. Held during National School Breakfast Week, Hear the Maryland Crunch highlights the importance of the School Breakfast Program in ensuring that all children get a healthy start to their day. More…

Sign on to Support Public Benefits for Legal Permanent Residents

Immigrant advocacy organizations have been alerted to a possible federal policy shift which would make legal permanent residents more vulnerable to deportation if they use federal means-tested public benefits. This would have a chilling impact on immigrant communities using benefits for which they are legally eligible. In fact, we are already seeing the chilling impact here in Maryland. Please join Maryland Hunger Solutions in signing on to this letter being circulated by the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) which opposes the policy which will threaten millions of children with hunger and food insecurity, drive taxpaying immigrant families deeper into poverty, and discourage immigrants from accessing benefits to which they are eligible.

Sign-On to Safeguard the Federal Nutrition Programs

Nearly 2,600 national, state, and community-based organizations have joined the national letter to strengthen and protect federal nutrition programs. We urge organizations in Maryland to sign on to this letter reaffirming our collective commitment to a strong and effective national nutrition safety net for vulnerable, low-income individuals and families. Please join us and sign on here!

Oppose HB 533, Food Stamp Program – Time Limit Waiver – Prohibition

Legislation has been introduced in the state legislature which would prohibit the state from applying for or implementing waivers from SNAP the time limit for able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs), placing Maryland’s poorest residents at risk of losing this critical food assistance while they work or look for work. We urge you to add your organization’s name to a sign-on letter opposing the bill. More…

Take Action: Support Three Important Anti-Hunger Bills in the State Legislature

Maryland Hunger Solutions and our partners across the state are working to reduce poverty and food insecurity by advocating for the passage of the following bills in the state General Assembly, and we need your help! Please to sign letters to our State Senators and Delegates to let them know that these bills have support from their constituents.

Thank You For Helping Us Advocate For A State Budget That Promotes A Hunger-Free Maryland

Follow this link to read our letter to Governor Hogan (pdf), which requests that he prioritize funding for programs that reduce food insecurity for Maryland’s youngest residents. Maryland Hunger Solutions and members of the Partnership to End Childhood Hunger met with Lt. Governor Rutherford on November 29, 2016 to discuss the anti-hunger budget priorities outlined in this letter.

A special thank you to the following groups for signing on to the letter: Adventist Community Services of Greater Washington, Advocates for Children and Youth, Baltimore Partnership to End Childhood Hunger, Capital Area Food Bank, CASA, Community Crisis Center, Inc., Critical Issues Forum: Advocacy for Social Justice of Montgomery County, Crossroads Community Food Network, D.C. Hunger Solutions, Gaithersburg HELP, Govanstowne Farmers’ Market, Homeless Persons Representation Project, Inc., House of David, Advocates for Fathers, Inc., Inspiration Factory, LLC, Interfaith Works Carroll House Shelter, Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, Loyola University Maryland, Center for Community Service and Justice, Marian House, Maryland Alliance for the Poor, Maryland CASH Campaign, Maryland Center on Economic Policy, Maryland Farmers Market Association, Maryland Food Bank, Inc., Maryland Hunger Solutions, Maryland Out of School Time Network, Maryland Public Health Association, Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland, Inc., Montgomery County Community Action Board, Montgomery County Food Council, Moveable Feast, Inc., National Health Care for the Homeless Council, No Kid Hungry Maryland, Paul’s Place, Inc., Pinewood Village Resident Council, Prince George’s County Food Equity Council, Public Justice Center, Seedco, St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore, and the Washington County Hunger Group.

Statewide Call on Anti-Hunger Improvements for Seniors – Sept. 7th (1-2pm)

Maryland Hunger Solutions invites you to join a statewide conference call regarding anti-hunger program improvements for seniors in Maryland. The call will take place on September 7, 2016 from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m., and will include updates about the Elderly Simplified Application Project (ESAP) and the increase in the minimum FSP benefit level for seniors 62 and older. More…

Survey Finds Nearly 1 in 8 Maryland Households Struggle to Afford Food

The food hardship rate in Maryland dropped from 14 percent in 2014 to 12.8 percent in 2015, but still too many people across the state reported in 2015 that they struggled to afford enough food for their households, according to a new report, How Hungry is America?, released today by the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC). More…

MFANN Conference Now Accepting Proposals

The Maryland Food Access and Nutrition Network (MFANN) is now accepting proposals for the 6th annual MFANN Fighting Hunger in Maryland Conference which will be held on Tuesday September 27th at the House Office Building (6 Bladen Street) in Annapolis, Maryland. Workshop submissions are due by Monday July 25th. Download the Request for Presenters (pdf) to view this year’s topic areas and see how you can lend your expertise to this year’s conference.

Maryland Ranks in the Top 10 in the Country for Reaching Children with Summer Meals

63,080 low-income children in Maryland received summer meals on an average day in July 2015 — an increase of 5.7 percent from the previous summer. Summer meals reached 22.2 low-income students for every 100 low-income children who received school lunch in the 2014–2015 school year, outpacing that national rate of 15.8:100. More…

Maryland Enacts Legislation to Provide Seniors with Additional FSP Benefits

18,000 seniors across the state will see their Food Supplement Program (FSP, formerly known as food stamps) benefits increase from $16 to $30 monthly after Maryland enacted Senate Bill 758 into law sponsored by Senator Richard S. Madaleno (D-18, Montgomery County). More…

Register for the Connecting Marylanders with Food Supplement Program Benefits Webinar

 Tuesday, July 30, 2013, 1-2:15pm. This webinar is designed to build the capacity of front-line staff to answer questions about the Food Supplement Program application. More…