August 14, 2025
Originally published in the Baltimore Business Journal.
The stakes, though, are high. About 28% of residents in the Baltimore region reported experiencing food insecurity last year, a rate that’s twice as high as the national average, per an annual survey by Johns Hopkins University’s 21st Century Cities Initiative. Some of that is due to the city’s food deserts, where progress is being made as smaller-format grocery stores move in. For now, many residents still rely on the Maryland Food Bank and other nonprofits for their groceries, and changes at the federal level mean increased need amid increased uncertainty.