## Why do we need an office?

The COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequent economic crisis, triggered a food access crisis in Montgomery County. The pandemic deepened inequities, increasing unemployment and health disparities. Montgomery County’s existing decentralized food security network struggled to meet the rapidly expanding need, prompting Montgomery County to step in to help support critical feeding response efforts. 

In May 2020, the initial Food Response Strategy sought the input, research, and feedback of more than 115 Task Force members, and compiled their insight over a two-week period to form recommendations on how Montgomery County can meet the food insecurity challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The response that grew from this strategy was a public-private partnership between four important groups: the local food access providers who desperately needed resources and support, the [Montgomery County Food Council]https://mocofoodcouncil.org/, the Montgomery County government, and generous [private donors]https://www.thecommunityfoundation.org/food-for-montgomery-fund. 

Since May 2020, the [[Montgomery County Food Security Task Force]] has worked actively on responding to the food insecurity crisis facing our community. As the [[Montgomery County Food Security Task Force|FSTF]] begins to shift its focus from active response to recovery, the [[Montgomery County Food Security Task Force|FSTF]] believes that it is critical that the County preserve the progress made during the pandemic response, and build on lessons learned, instead of simply returning to a pre-COVID food system state. The [[Montgomery County Food Security Task Force|FSTF]] has shown that the government has unique strengths and abilities to address food systems issues, and has built a strong foundation for working with nonprofit and community partners.  That is why the [[Montgomery County Food Security Task Force|FSTF]] proposed that Montgomery County:

1.  Establish a new Office of Food System Resilience to tackle the long-term, big-picture, changes needed to meaningfully improve the food system; and
    
2.  Make permanent the expansion of coordination efforts with non-profit partners and public-private partnerships that grew out of the COVID-19 response.