The Food Summit: Turning Uncertainty into Collective Action

Friday, March 6 | 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Food access organizations across our region are facing a period of growing uncertainty—and the full impact has not yet been felt. We also know that food access impacts all people and all organizations in the sector.

Rising food costs driven by inflation, potential tariffs, and supply chain pressures are already straining household budgets. At the same time, changes to SNAP benefits and recertification requirements are expected to reduce purchasing power for families who rely on food assistance.

The combined effect threatens not only food-insecure households, but also the local farmers, grocers, and nonprofit food providers that serve our neighbors.

That is why Nonprofit Network is convening the Food Summit on Friday, March 6.

This half-day summit is designed to move beyond surface-level discussion and provide a structured space for nonprofit organizations, public partners, and advocates to clearly identify challenges, align resources, and prioritize next steps that can be implemented in communities across our region.

Who This Summit Is For

The Food Summit is intentionally focused on:

• Nonprofit organizations that provide food as part of their mission or a focused program;
• Food pantries, meal programs, and food access providers offering food at low or no cost;
• Advocacy, policy, and systems partners from across the nonprofit sector.

All are welcome to attend, but the agenda is centered on the realities faced by organizations working on the front lines of food access and their partners.

Why This Moment Matters

Food systems are being impacted on multiple fronts at once:

• Inflation and rising food costs are stretching household budgets, increasing demand for food assistance while simultaneously raising costs for providers.
• Potential tariffs and ongoing supply chain pressures may further increase food prices, affecting both nonprofit purchasing power and consumer access at grocery stores.
• SNAP benefit changes and cuts could reduce the amount of money flowing into local food economies—impacting not only families, but also local farmers and grocery stores that depend on SNAP dollars as a reliable revenue source.
• SNAP recertification requirements may unintentionally cut eligible individuals and families off from benefits. Confusing processes, documentation barriers, or frustration with changing rules can lead people to lose assistance—not because they no longer qualify, but because the system is difficult to navigate.
• Rural communities are likely to feel these impacts most acutely, with fewer food outlets, longer travel distances, and limited-service capacity.
• Food pantries and providers may be unable to meet anticipated increases in need through no fault of their own, particularly if resources are misaligned with where demand is growing fastest.

Taken together, these pressures create ripple effects across the entire food system—from households and nonprofits, to farmers, distributors, and local retailers.

The Purpose of the Food Summit

Nonprofit Network, as a capacity-building and support center for nonprofits, seeks to provide a space where people can move from concern to clarity.

The Food Summit is designed to help participants:

• Understand what changes are coming and where uncertainty remains
• Identify shared challenges across policy, service delivery, and local economies
• Surface opportunities for coordinated advocacy and systems change
• Prioritize solutions that offer the greatest impact with the most efficient use of resources

This is not a one-size-fits-all conversation. It is a focused effort to align people who are seeing different parts of the same system—and to determine where collective action can make the greatest difference.

What to Expect at the Food Summit

8:30 a.m. – Gathering and Grounding
A thoughtful opening to connect participants and set shared intentions for the day.

9:00 a.m. – Panel Discussion: Where Should We Invest Our Advocacy Power?
Hear from leaders working at the intersection of policy, funding, and food access:

• Michigan Department of Human Services
• Michigan League for Public Policy
• South Michigan Food Bank
• Michigan Association of United Ways
• U-M's Poverty Solutions and Institute for Social Research

The panel will explore anticipated SNAP changes, economic pressures, and advocacy opportunities—followed by Q\&A.

10:15 a.m. – Small Group Reflection: What Opportunities Did We Hear?
Participants will process key insights and identify emerging opportunities and risks.

11:00 a.m. – Small Groups: Me / We
A focused discussion on prioritization:

• What solutions offer the biggest wins?
• Where can we achieve the greatest gains most efficiently?
• What actions make sense at the organizational level—and what requires collective effort?

11:55 a.m. – Feedback Loop
Participant feedback to strengthen future convenings.

12:00 p.m. – Lunch
Soup and salad bar with informal networking and continued discussion.

12:30 p.m. – Gratitude and Send-Off

Why You Should Attend

You should attend the Food Summit if you want to:

• Prepare for the downstream effects of inflation, SNAP changes, and rising food costs
• Understand how policy shifts impact nonprofits, local farmers, and grocery stores alike
• Reduce the risk of people losing SNAP benefits due to system barriers rather than eligibility
• Help ensure limited resources are aligned with real, emerging community needs
• Be part of coordinated solutions rather than isolated responses

This summit is about anticipating what’s coming—and acting together before gaps widen.

Join Us
The challenges ahead are complex, interconnected, and urgent. But they are not insurmountable when nonprofit leaders, advocates, and systems partners work together with shared purpose.

This Food Summit offers a rare opportunity to step back from day-to-day crisis response and engage and listen in on strategic, collaborative thinking about what comes next.

We invite you to join us at no-cost on March 6—and be part of shaping a more resilient, equitable food system for our communities.   Please Register HERE 

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