Montco food pantries report rise in first-time guests

Nearly 7 in 10 Montgomery County food pantries are serving more first-time guests than they were a year ago, according to a new survey by the MontCo Anti-Hunger Network (MAHN).

The findings come as MAHN prepares for its 2026 Hunger Action Summit, themed "Serving Neighbors, Spreading Change," on Thursday, Oct. 29 at the Montgomery County Community College Blue Bell campus. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in College Hall, Rooms 144, 148 and 151, as first reported by Around Ambler.

The MAHN survey found that 68% of responding pantries reported the increase. An estimated 83,740 county residents are food insecure, including more than 24,000 children, according to the network.

Demand is not slowing down.

MAHN, which coordinates more than 70 food pantries and free meal providers across the county, distributed more than 1 million pounds of food to local pantries through September 2026. That pace nearly matches the network's entire 2025 total in just nine months. In 2025, the organization provided about 1.024 million pounds of food, the equivalent of roughly 850,000 meals, the Times Herald reported in September.

Recent changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are adding pressure on local pantries, according to MAHN.

Montgomery County Commissioners Chair Jamila Winder and Highmark Blue Shield's Ken Lawrence are among the confirmed speakers at the Oct. 29 summit. The event will bring together pantry leaders and community partners to discuss rising demand and share practices for serving neighbors facing hunger.

In a statement during the Valley Forge Tourism Board's Freedom from Hunger Food Drive launch in September, MAHN Executive Director Shannon Isaacs said access to food resources at pantries was declining even as demand continued to climb.

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