With the federal government shutdown still casting a shadow over the region, food insecurity and threatened food benefits for the poor were a key focus of a recent Takoma Park City Council meeting.
Ward 3 Councilmember Roger Schlegel captured the challenges of the moment: “Everyone I talk to says, ‘What are we supposed to do in this avalanche of things happening?’ It’s like: address food insecurity.”
Thirty-five percent of Montgomery County residents were food insecure in the last year, according to a Capital Area Food Bank hunger report. The 2025 report uses the USDA’s definition of food insecurity that describes it as “a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life.” This is determined by a multi-factor survey…