Montgomery Community Media

Brood X cicadas have returned after 17 years, and Maryland is the epicenter for the swarms. MyMCM joined two college students from Montgomery County who are seeing the creatures for the first time – that they can remember – and who were set on having the “full” experience. Natalie Hays, an incoming sophomore at the […]

June rounds out another series of Cooking Matters at the Store tours–that’s 200 Manna clients attending in-store nutrition classes in just three months! While I’ve shared some exciting updates about our bi-lingual store tours, we’ve begun an additional class format that allows us to reach even further into the marginalized area of our community. “Pop-Up […]

At Manna, I post recipes in our lobby and send out health tips in all of our closed food boxes. While I create them for clients, I’m especially tickled when volunteers and visiting donors take a recipe and tell me what a hit it was with their families. As Manna’s Nutrition Educator, I like to […]

Manna has been operating its Farm to Food Bank program since 2010 and values its close relationship with local and regional farmers. Each weekend from May through November Manna receives unsold produce from seven Montgomery County farmers markets.  Through this initiative, known as Fresh Give, these markets provide Manna with over 20,000 pounds of fresh […]

It’s SNAP Challenge week. SNAP is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly called Food Stamps. I—along with professionals and individuals from Maryland, DC, and Virginia—am attempting to shop for my household for one week on $33. While living on a food stamp budget for just a week cannot come close to the struggles Manna families […]

It seems fitting to talk about exciting ongoings in The Meat Department the day I bring a leftover burger in for lunch. Okay, perhaps I should mention it’s a veggie burger. Now, I realize some people think becoming a vegetarian is a big mistake missed steak, but I don’t carrot all. Manna Food Center’s Nutrition […]

For my monthly kids’ cooking class at White Oak Rec Center, I thought a green theme would be fitting for St. Patty’s day next week–not to mention a wholesome way to celebrate National Nutrition Month. And then I remembered a far more thrilling celebration for elementary schoolers: Dr. Seuss’ birthday (March 2). While I was in […]

Smart Sacks is a special program here at Manna Food Center. The program allows Manna to serve over 2100 Montgomery County students with supplemental weekend food. This school year, students noted some changes to the contents of their weekend bag: food in portions large enough to serve a family, more whole grains, and lower-sodium foods. […]

Yesterday was my inaugural cooking class in my new job at Manna Food Center! If you check out last week’s post, you can see all the budget shopping secrets I shared with the young parents participating in yesterday’s class. But that was just the first half—we spent the second hour of our class practicing essential […]

Although I began cooking recreationally—and my mother attests I am a self-taught cook—people often think I had professional culinary training. This could not be further from the truth! People assume this Must Be Professional when their food is vibrant, their veggies are golden and crispy, and a simple salad bursts with sweet and tangy flavors. […]