With the gradual shift toward conscious, sustainable treatment of food in our society, reducing food waste has become a focal point for legislators, scholars, and advocates alike. It’s a travesty that so much food goes to waste when so many are hungry, and the Maryland Food Bank has built fighting food waste into the way we work. Find out how we make the best of an inefficient food system.
Even with the challenges of increased prices (not only on food, but storage and transportation) plus the government shutdown and uncertainty over benefits, you helped neighbors access more than 43 million meals in 2025!
The Maryland Food Bank has received a $750,000 grant from Walmart and Feeding America to expand its food rescue operations across the state. The funding will help MFB and its community partners recover more fresh, frozen, and shelf-stable food from local grocers—aiming to provide 13 million meals annually. This grant is part of a larger $15.75 million national effort to strengthen food recovery and reduce waste.
Each year, thousands of volunteers choose to donate tens of thousands of hours of their time to help fight hunger. For Volunteer Appreciation Week 2025, we’re pleased to announce Kate Murphy as the 2025 Maryland Food Bank Volunteer of the Year.
Since 2011, Amy Cawley has overseen the Farm to Food Bank Program, which combines field gleanings, donations, and contract growing to form the cornerstone of the food bank’s nutrition strategy. She has helped the program grow from its humble roots with just two partners — First Fruits Farms in northern Baltimore County and Arnold Farms in northeastern Queen Anne’s County — into a powerhouse produce program with more than 60 farms that infuse our statewide food distribution efforts with hundreds of thousands of pounds of nutritious fruits and vegetables annually.
