Agenda

8 a.m.

Registration Opens

Light breakfast available and networking among exhibit tables

9 a.m.

Welcome

Mashal Husain | President, World Food Prize Foundation

Thomas J. Vilsack | Chief Executive Officer, World Food Prize Foundation

9:15 a.m.

Morning Plenary Sessions

Speakers and Sessions: To Be Announced

12 p.m.

Iowa Hunger Summit Luncheon Begins

12:30 p.m.

Luncheon Keynotes and the Robert D. Ray Iowa SHARES Humanitarian Award Presentation

Mashal Husain | President, World Food Prize Foundation

Thomas J. Vilsack | Chief Executive Officer, World Food Prize Foundation

Ann McGlynn | Executive Director, Tapestry Farms

1:15 p.m.

Breakout Sessions

Feeding Health, Growing Hope: The Power of Rural Partnership | Live Well Montgomery County (LWMC) and Montgomery County Memorial Hospital (MCMH)

In small towns and rural communities, relationships are everything. This session will highlight how Live Well Montgomery County (LWMC) and Montgomery County Memorial Hospital (MCMH) have come together—alongside local schools, public health, ISU Extension, and community groups—to tackle food access at every stage of life.
We’ll share how partnerships have helped us launch and sustain programs like:
•        Mobile meals delivered to patients after hospital discharge
•        A Food Farmacy connecting patients with healthy food
•        Kids garden program and community gardens 
•        Emergency food bags and mobile pantry support
•        Community fridge program aimed at increasing 24/7 access and eliminating food waste 
These programs aren’t built on big budgets—they’re built on trust, shared goals, and local people who care. By working together, we’ve been able to meet people where they are, respond to real needs, and build a healthier, more food-secure future for our community.
This session will offer practical ideas and takeaways for how rural communities can:
•        Build strong partnerships across sectors
•        Connect hunger relief efforts with healthcare 
•        Use what they have to create something that lasts
•        Ground their work in the strengths of their people and place

Fueled by Students: Unlocking the Full Potential of School Meals to Address Hunger | Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) and GENYOUth

School meals are critical components in the fight against hunger, and they improve children’s health and support academic achievement. Schools, partners, advocates, and policy makers are working tirelessly to increase children’s access to healthy school meals. As a result, significant strides have been made to expand access, such as breakfast after the bell and the Community Eligibility Provision, and state policies that support Healthy School Meals for All. But our work is far from over. Join this session to discover school meal participation trends, gaps, and best practices for increasing equitable access. Hear directly from youth as they share what school meals mean to them, and ways we can engage students to create a more equitable and enjoyable school meal experience. This session will explore recent data – national and state specific to Iowa - and policy initiatives and feature a panel of speakers, including a current high school student as they discuss the power of school meals.

2:30 p.m.

Breakout Sessions

Interactive Meal Packing Event | Meals from the Heartland

Better Together: Power of Partnerships in the Charitable Food System | Iowa Food Bank Association (IFBA) and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach

Partnerships enable organizations serving Iowans to work more efficiently and effectively to enhance services to Iowans. In this session, audience members will discover lessons learned in developing strong partnerships and tips to make partnerships more successful.

The Iowa Food Bank Association and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach have partnered together for six years to provide coaching for healthy food pantries and high level food bank support. Over the years, the two organizations, as well as food banks, have learned the value of partnerships with similarly aligned goals.

Iowa Food Bank Association and Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s Choose Iowa program completed one year of partnership with the Choose Iowa Food Bank Purchasing Program in 2024. The program allowed locally grown Choose Iowa products to be purchased by Food Banks serving Iowa and distributed to Iowans experiencing food insecurity.

Networking Iowa’s Community-Based Food Groups | Center for Rural Affairs, Iowa Farmers Union, Iowa Food System Coalition

The Iowa Food System Coalition is a coalition of more than 40 organizations and individuals committed to collective action to advance a thriving and equitable food system in Iowa. Many groups in counties and cities around the state have started organizing themselves around food (e.g. Food Policy Councils, Food Coalitions, Hunger Coalitions). This workshop and presentation aims to connect existing and prospective community-based food groups with the Iowa Food System Coalition to ensure that all partners can work together to share capacity and resources between the state and local level movements.

3:45 p.m.

Closing