Food security is defined by the United States Department of Agriculture as access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life. Food insecurity is associated with numerous adverse social and health outcomes. Key drivers of food insecurity include unemployment, poverty, and income shocks, which can prevent adequate access to food.

In 2020, 9.6% of St. Mary’s County residents and 9.6% of children in St. Mary’s County were considered to be food insecure (Map the Meal Gap, Feeding America, 2020). Feeding America estimates that 18% of Black and 12% of Latino/Hispanic residents were considered to be food insecure in 2020. They also estimate that 43% of food insecure people in St. Mary’s County were above the SNAP and other nutrition programs threshold of 200% poverty and 26% of food insecure children in St. Mary’s County were likely ineligible for federal nutrition programs.

Food Security Subcommittee

In 2021, the Environmental Health Action Team of the Healthy St. Mary’s Partnership launched a food security subcommittee to further address food security in St. Mary’s County. This team initially worked to develop the St. Mary’s County Food Access Map to help community members find food resources closest to them.

In 2022, the HSMP Food Security Subcommittee used quantitative and qualitative methods to systematically collect and analyze data to better understand food insecurity within our community. The results of this assessment are compiled into the 2022 St. Mary’s County Food Security Report and the data will inform community action.

The State Partnerships Improving Nutrition and Equity program in Maryland is a national project of the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors that is 100 percent supported under the State Partnerships Improving Nutrition and Equity program, which is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $2 million with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.