Collaborative Hunger Initiatives in Iowa
Iowans pride ourselves on knowing our neighbors and helping each other whenever we have a chance. What does it look like when we apply those values to our work alleviating hunger?
Quick Guide to Collaborative Hunger Initiatives in Iowa
County | Initiative | More Info |
---|---|---|
Boone | Boone Hunger Coalition is working on a directory of food pantries in Boone County and a travelling exhibit on hunger and how to help. They are a subcommittee of the Boone County Homeless Prevention Board. | Link |
Buena Vista | Buena Vista Hunger Dialogue convened by SALUD!, a multi-cultural health coalition. | Link |
Crawford | Crawford County Hunger Fighters is a network of communities in Crawford County, Iowa working together to provide assistance to needy kids and bulk food distribution to needy families. | Link |
Dallas | Hunger-Free Dallas County is a loose network of health and human services providers that regularly releases a guide to food pantries and meal sites in Dallas County, Iowa. Dallas County Public Health coordinates this effort. | Link |
Johnson | Johnson County Hunger Taskforce is a coalition of local governments and nonprofit service providers dedicated to alleviating hunger through research, collaboration and targeted action. | Link |
Madison | Madison County Cares is a network of health and human services providers that holds monthly information-sharing and networking meetings. | Link |
Polk | Partnership for a Hunger Free Polk County is a public-private collaboration to ensure all residents have access to needed food. The Partnership is led by the Polk County Board of Supervisors. | Link |
Scott | Quad Cities Food Rescue Partnership is a community-focused coalition committed to rescuing food throughout the Quad Cities that would otherwise be thrown away, by informing and engaging the public and by fostering partnerships among food establishments, the Foodbank, food pantries, meal sites, and shelters. | Link |
Story | Story County Food Pantry Collaboration engages representatives from area food to educate staff and volunteers, coordinate efforts, and share best practices. United Way of Story County provides a forum for these quarterly conversations. | Link |
Story | Story County Hunger Collaboration addresses the root causes of hunger to improve access to healthy food in Story County. United Way of Story County provides a forum for these conversations. | Link |
Wapello | Growing Wapello Together is a collaborative initiative focused on increasing access to fresh and healthy food and reducing food insecurity in Wapello County. | Link |
Please email Madeline at mgoebel@worldfoodprize.org if there are collaborations we’re missing and we’ll add them to the quick guide.
Types of Collaborative Hunger Initiatives
At first glance, there seem to be two stable configurations when organizations rally together to address hunger: Hunger Networks and Hunger Coalitions.
Type of Initiative | Primary Function | Common Outputs | Typical Inputs |
---|---|---|---|
Hunger Network |
1. Know who is addressing hunger in a community 2. Know how to contact them 3. Have a general idea of what everyone is doing |
|
|
Hunger Coalition |
1. Agree on common goals 2. Pool resources 3. Align activities |
|
|
Does the classification make sense? Are there other stable ways to structure a collaborative hunger initiative? Email Madeline at mgoebel@worldfoodprize.org with your feedback!
Search the Iowa Hunger Directory to find organizations near you!