Insights from our Chief Strategy Officer After Attending the Food As Medicine Conference

Jonathan Hansen, Chief Strategy Officer at Hunger Task Force, attended the 5th annual Food As Medicine Summit in Chicago from June 4-5.

Hundreds of representatives from food banks, healthcare providers, food companies, technology developers, insurers, government officials and more gathered to discuss and highlight the latest developments in nutrition security, medically tailored meals, food prescriptions and innovative strategies to improve public health through the lens of food.

The two-day conference focused on the theme of “From Promise to Implementation to Scalable Impact.” Many of the featured speakers highlighted innovative delivery models that open the door to food as medicine for populations facing hurdles and barriers. These speakers included Daniel Riff, Head of Government and Nonprofit Operations at DoorDash, a key partner in Hunger Task Force’s Stockbox DoorDash’s program. Riff spoke on Project Dash’s nationwide initiatives to bring healthy food and produce boxes directly to the doors of seniors and families in need.

Other panels brought together experts who have worked to create public-private partnerships that make Food As Medicine programming more impactful at the state and federal level. One panel in particular included Alan Shannon, former Public Affairs Director at the USDA’s Midwest Regional Office, who had a long history of partnership with Hunger Task Force in his role at the USDA. Shannon focused on the storytelling and education that is needed to bring to light the importance of federal nutrition programs at the intersection of Food As Medicine.

Hunger Task Force has many programs operating at the intersection of the Food As Medicine movement, including our food bank’s commitment to providing only healthy and culturally responsive foods within the local emergency food pantry network, our Farm, the Mobile Market and our nutrition education efforts. The conference was an excellent opportunity to learn new ideas for furthering our work and establishing new partnerships in our mission to end hunger.

Hunger Task Force is Milwaukee’s Free & Local food bank and Wisconsin’s anti-hunger leader. The organization’s core values are Dignity, Justice, Equity, Compassion and Stewardship. Hunger Task Force feeds people today by providing healthy and culturally appropriate food to hungry children, families and seniors in the community absolutely free of charge. Hunger Task Force also works to end future hunger by advocating for strong public policies and nutrition programs at the local, state and federal level.