Building Pathways to Economic Opportunity
WITH FEEDING AMERICA
Landscape assessment and cohort facilitation for strategic support and deeper peer-to-peer learning.Across the U.S. a growing number of food banks are evolving their traditional roles in food recovery and distribution to include more holistic strategies that work to address the root causes of hunger in their communities. Increasingly, food banks are providing holistic supports—like workforce development, access to community food systems, and housing—to help people move from crisis to stability and create pathways to lasting mobility.
These strategies are built on the understanding that ending hunger requires more than just free food, it requires supporting individuals to achieve economic mobility, which is defined by the U.S. Partnership on Mobility from Poverty, supported by the Urban Institute as achieving financial success, having power and autonomy, and feeling a sense of belonging within one’s community.
Since 2022, The Work Department has partnered with Feeding America to support this evolving work across their network of food banks. Rooted in grassroots learning and collaboration, we have worked with them to co-create programs and tools that center peoples’ lived experiences, amplify food banks’ expertise, and foster peer-to-peer learning. Through cohort facilitation, regional convenings, the development of logic models, and storytelling, we have helped build spaces for shared learning, surfaced innovations, and developed strategies to measure collective impact. Together, we are advancing food banks’ capacity to drive systems change and empower people to thrive.
Workforce Development Cohort Facilitation
Over three years, The Work Department facilitated grant-supported cohorts of food banks involved in workforce development. These cohorts included food banks who operate job training programs, such as culinary or warehousing, have closed-loop referral strategies with external workforce development partners, or have an intentional approach to workforce development with food bank staff. Our work connected food banks for peer learning, program development, and strategic alignment.
At the cohort’s annual convening in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2022, we designed and facilitated collaborative sessions to help food banks strengthen their workforce development strategies. We guided participants through discussions, peer learning activities, field trips, and data analysis exercises to identify equity gaps and explore strategies to address systemic barriers. By creating structured opportunities for idea exchange and alignment, we supported food banks in building shared priorities and laying the groundwork for deeper collaboration and innovation.
During the 2023 convening in Rochester and Buffalo, New York, we used role-playing exercises to refine employer engagement strategies and facilitated peer-sharing sessions to address systemic barriers like housing instability and transportation. Participants co-created action plans to strengthen employer partnerships and connect people to good jobs. These activities advanced practical solutions and deepened workforce program impact.
At the 2024 summit in Cincinnati, Ohio, we facilitated sessions that brought together 32 food banks to refine their workforce development strategies. We guided participants through workshops addressing systemic challenges, fostering the exchange of local innovations, and developing tools to evaluate alumni success. Using interactive exercises like mapping partnership ecosystems and collaborative feedback sessions, we helped food banks strengthen strategies and enhance long-term program impact.
Economic Mobility Assessment
The Work Department conducted an in-depth assessment of Feeding America network activities that aim to increase economic mobility. We engaged stakeholders through interviews, surveys, and a series of five in-person convenings designed to foster open dialogue, surface local innovations, and strengthen community partnerships. Our facilitation methods included structured discussions, collaborative exercises, and peer-to-peer learning opportunities to ensure diverse voices were heard and actionable solutions were identified.
Our conversations highlighted promising practices, such as collaborations with community colleges and housing agencies to address employment barriers. They also surfaced key needs: stronger data infrastructure, flexible funding, and opportunities to align regional strategies. These insights informed actionable next steps for food banks to scale programming and align with Feeding America’s Economic Mobility Framework.
Workforce Development Logic Model Development
To support food banks in aligning their activities with long-term outcomes, we collaborated with a select group of food banks to iteratively develop Workforce Development Logic Models. These tools serve as roadmaps, connecting program activities like in-house training, wraparound supports, and employer partnerships to measurable outcomes, including certification attainment, employment rates, and career progression.
Through a series of co-creation sessions, we worked closely with food banks to document their strategies, test assumptions, and refine models based on real-world feedback. This iterative process ensured each model reflects the unique needs and aspirations of participating food banks while maintaining alignment with Feeding America’s broader economic mobility goals. The resulting logic models empower food banks to make data-driven decisions, refine programs, and effectively demonstrate their value to funders and community partners.
Impact
Through cohort facilitation, regional convenings, logic model development, and storytelling, The Work Department has partnered with Feeding America to strengthen food banks’ capacity to develop and scale inclusive workforce development programs. By centering lived experiences and amplifying local expertise, we have supported the creation of tools to measure outcomes, align programs with long-term goals, and foster peer-to-peer learning.
Together, this work advances a vision where food banks empower people to achieve financial stability, power and autonomy, and a sense of belonging within their communities.
