2025 Iowa Hunger Summit
2025 Iowa Hunger Summit
Wednesday, July 16, 2025 | Des Moines, Iowa
The Iowa Hunger Summit is a free, public event held annually, bringing together hundreds of food security leaders from across the state. Participants include representatives from community organizations, businesses, government agencies, social services, faith-based communities, academic institutions and other groups that lead or participate in projects to eradicate hunger.
The day-long event features inspiring speakers, interactive exhibits and engaging panel discussions with experts tackling nutrition insecurity from a variety of angles. Hosted by the World Food Prize Foundation, this event offers a platform to explore collaborative solutions and drive meaningful action to combat hunger in Iowa.
The 2025 theme, From the Ground Up, underscored the importance of nurturing sustainable solutions to food insecurity at every stage of life. Lasting change requires a lifelong commitment to nutrition, from infancy to older adulthood and every moment in between. By engaging in conversations about the root causes of hunger and seeking best practices from around Iowa and the country, we can strengthen the foundation of Iowa’s food systems to support health and well-being across generations. From early childhood development to aging with dignity, ensuring access to nutritious food across the lifespan is essential for building a resilient, food-secure future.
Meal Packaging
In partnership with Meals from the Heartland, more than 35,000 meals were packed for Iowans facing food insecurity.
Breakout Sessions
Breakout sessions offered opportunities for participants to engage in in-depth conversations about local, statewide and national food security challenges and solutions. Hosts prepared 45-minute sessions that offerde practical insight and tools for attendees to further involve themselves in combating hunger in Iowa.
Exhibitors
Exhibitors represented their organization, connected with fellow food security professionals and inform edlike-minded leaders about their organization's goals, projects and vision.
Robert D. Ray Iowa SHARES Humanitarian Award
Since 2013, the World Food Prize Foundation has been honored to present the Robert D. Ray Iowa SHARES Humanitarian Award—known as the “Iowa SHARES Award”—to recognize Iowans who demonstrate exceptional leadership in uplifting their communities with dedicated humanitarian service that confronts hunger either at home or abroad. In 2025, the Foundation presented the award to Ann McGlynn.