SSCAB is looking to appoint a 3rd representative to the SS TMD to represent North Silver Spring/West Silver Spring . This representative will join current representatives Harriet Quinn for Kemp Mill/4-Corners/East Silver Spring Sector Plan and Chris Perry for the Silver Spring Central Business District.

For more information on the SS TMD: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/DOT-DIR/commuter/tmd/index.html#DSS
For more information on the SSCAB:
https://montgomerycountymd.gov/silverspring/boardscommittees/cab/index.html

If you're interested in representing this area please email me your humble newsletter editor: Shawn.Morris@montgomerycountymd.gov

We'll be working in teams on gardening, mulch distribution and trash clean up in the Takoma commercial district  - MD and DC. We're also hosting a native plant sale with plant divisions from our local pollinator garden to fund more garden work. All activities will require masks and social distancing. 

Share your thoughts about Silver Spring with us! Join Planning Board Vice Chair Natali Fani González and the Montgomery County Planning Department to learn about the Silver Spring Downtown and Adjacent Communities Plan, which will envision the future of Silver Spring for the next 20 years.  This is an opportunity to tell planning staff what you want to see in the future of Silver Spring. What do you love about Silver Spring? What should be improved? What is missing? What are you most concerned about?

This event will be in Spanish. RSVP for the online meeting.

Sesión de audiencia virtual del Plan del centro de Silver Spring y comunidades adyacentes con la vicepresidenta de la Junta de planificación Natali Fani‑González (español)

Lunes, 12 de abril de 7 p. m. a 8:30 p. m.

¡Cuéntenos qué piensa sobre Silver Spring! Únase a la vicepresidente de la Junta de Planificación Natali Fani González y al Departamento de Planificación del Condado de Montgomery para informarse acerca del Plan del centro de Silver Spring y comunidades adyacentes, que ideará el futuro de Silver Spring durante los próximos 20 años (7 to 8:30 p.m.). Esta es una oportunidad para decirle al personal de planificación lo que desea ver en el futuro de Silver Spring. ¿Qué ama de Silver Spring? ¿Qué debería mejorarse? ¿Qué falta? ¿Qué es lo que más le preocupa?

Este evento se realizará en español. Se requiere registro para este evento. Puede registrarse aquí.

Through our innovative Fresh Checks program, eligible shoppers can get up to $20 in FREE fruits and vegetables every week, enabling them to stretch their buying power to bring home more fresh, healthy food while at the same time supporting local farmers and vendors. Here’s how it works: SNAP shoppers can swipe their Independence Card at our Market Information Tent’s EBT machine, and we’ll match the amount spent up to $20 every week. WIC and senior shoppers can redeem their FVC and FMNP vouchers directly with the farmers, then get a matched amount (up to $20 every week) in Fresh Checks to buy more healthy food.

---

Taste the World in Fenton Village is an annual event that showcases the incredible diversity of restaurants just south of downtown Silver Spring and the hard-working entrepreneurs who operate these small businesses.  This event will take place in downtown Silver Spring on Fenton, Wayne, Georgia and Sligo Avenue.  Click the image above for more information!

---

Join us for Virtual Visioning Sessions this March!

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our Visioning Phase! This is the phase where the Montgomery Planning team works with you to craft the vision for the future of Silver Spring. We will start in mid-March with the goal of arriving at a draft plan by the fall of 2021. There will be many ways to participate!
 
To get started, we will host five community virtual Visioning Sessions. These sessions will be held on Tuesdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. throughout March and April. All of these sessions will be interactive - we will 'sketch' a plan and gather virtual sticky notes full of ideas for different areas of the plan. Because of the interactive format, we will be capping attendance at 40 people for each session.
 
We are organizing this initial stage of sessions by "Visioning Districts" to help us focus the discussion on each of these areas; all of the work from these sessions will be pulled together into one cohesive vision for the plan area. Please refer to the map below to understand how these “districts,” which are only a tool for the Visioning Sessions, are organized.

To register, click the links below (all events will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m.):
 
April 6 - Fenton Village
April 13 - Adjacent Communities
April 20 - North Silver Spring
 
If you register, you will receive a reminder 48 hours before the event, and a request to let us know if you cannot make it, so we can ensure we are not holding spots for those who are unable to attend. All sessions will be recorded and posted on the website.
 
We recommend participants join these sessions via computer or tablet, as it will be more challenging to follow the session on a smartphone. Participants will be allowed to join via phone, and facilitators will work to include them in the event, even if they cannot see the screen.
 

 

Don't miss your chance to live in this brand new, affordable, creative community, now renting in Silver Spring, Maryland!

2-Bedrooms are  available now!

Enjoy some of the best in-unit amenities available throughout the Artspace portfolio like a washer/dryer and dishwasher in every unit, and more!

Artspace Silver Spring Arts Campus is located at 801 Sligo Avenue, Silver Spring, MD., just North of the heart of Washington, DC. This project consists of 68 units of efficiency, one, two and three bedrooms ranging in size from 571 - 1,340 square feet with rent ranging from $954 - $1,762 *Income restrictions apply. 

Designed with artists in mind, unit features include:
 
10ft ceilings
Washer/Dryer in every unit
Dishwasher
Air conditioning/Heating
Walk-in closets
Balconies (mix of Juliet & walkout options)

!BONUS! Features include: 

* Exhibition and gallery space
* Music rehearsal space
* Pet-friendly
* Large community room with booth seating and service area for gatherings, parties, or other events
* Covered parking available
* Large interior courtyard for residents
* Safe and walkable/bike-friendly neighborhoods with green-space and parks nearby
* Less than one mile from the
Silver Spring METRO Station
* Greyhound Bus Station one block away
* Immediately adjacent to eclectic Fenton Village, in downtown Silver Spring, with some of the region's most diverse dining and entertainment options, Whole Foods, the American Film Institute and much more. www.SilverSpringDowntown.com
* GoFundMe recently listed Silver Spring as America's "most generous city" 

Artists and Veterans of the United States Military are encouraged to apply!

More info here

Apply with this application

This February, residents of the Long Branch neighborhood began signing on to a campaign to save their neighborhood restaurants. The campaign, called Pledge to Preserve, was launched Feb. 5 by the Long Branch Business League and MHP.

Zeroing in on the many restaurants in the Long Branch neighborhood that have suffered enormous financial losses over the past year of pandemic-related damages, the initiative asks community members to voluntarily commit to purchasing meals at least three times a month from any Long Branch restaurant.

At the end of the campaign’s first week, already twenty-eight local residents had signed on to the campaign.  “If we can get every person on our list to convince one friend to pledge, we can double that number soon,” said Catherine Rytkonen, the Business League’s marketing manager.

The Pledge to Preserve webpage lists the 15 participating Long Branch restaurants — along with their cuisine type, menu, and social media connections.  

The initiative represents a local Long Branch response to a wider national crisis. According to the Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC), one in four jobs lost during the pandemic have been in the food and beverage industry. That’s the equivalent of 5.9 million jobs lost.

According to the same study, if no direct aid is provided some 85 percent of independent restaurants will likely close by the end of this year.

The pandemic-related crisis hit a small business sector that could ill afford such a challenge.

“Even in normal, non-pandemic years it is difficult to run a restaurant and keep it in the black,” the Pledge to Preserve webpage points out.  “Many restaurants generate as much as half their annual income from  weddings, parties, and  holiday-related events (Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day, Christmas). This year all that has been cancelled.” 

What is more, even though Long Branch’s restaurants have so far managed to keep their doors open, there is no guarantee they will all survive the coming months without vigorous and, indeed, greatly increased support from private persons and the public sector.

---

FY 2021 Funding Opportunity Announcement via OMH

 

The Office of Minority Health (OMH) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services administers grant programs to support projects that implement innovative models to improve minority health and reduce health disparities.

OMH has released the following notice of funding opportunity for which applications are now being accepted.

Announcement Number: MP-CPI-21-006
Opportunity Title: Advancing Health Literacy to Enhance Equitable Community Responses to COVID-19
Award Amount: up to $4,000,000 for urban communities; up to $3,000,000 for rural communities
Estimated Total: $250,000,000
Application Due Date: April 20, 2021, 6:00 PM ET

This notice solicits applications for projects to demonstrate the effectiveness of local government implementation of evidence-based health literacy strategies that are culturally appropriate to enhance COVID-19 testing, contact tracing and/or other mitigation measures (e.g., public health prevention practices and vaccination) in racial and ethnic minority populations and other socially vulnerable populations, including racial and ethnic minority rural communities. Applicant eligibility is limited to localities (e.g., cities, counties, parishes, or other similar subdivisions). OMH encourages applicants to partner with a Minority Serving Institution for quality improvement activities and program evaluation.

Click here to access the notice of funding opportunity.

The technical assistance webinar for potential applicants was held on March 17. Watch the Replay .

Visit our Promotional Resource Page for resources to help you share this funding opportunity.

Thanks to our SSCAB member John Seelke for bringing this grant to our attention!