Shaping a Sustainable Food System

WITH WESTERN WAYNE FOOD POLICY COUNCIL

Strategic planning to align a coalition’s goals, priorities, and actions over three years.

The Western Wayne Food Policy Council is a coalition of organizations working to strengthen the local food system and ensure that all residents in Western Wayne County, Michigan — Inkster, Westland, Romulus, and Garden City — have access to fresh, nutritious, and culturally relevant food. Formed in 2019, the coalition brings together healthcare providers, advocacy groups, and grassroots organizations to address food equity and advocate for systems change.

In 2022, the Western Wayne Food Policy Council partnered with The Work Department to develop a strategic plan. During two collaborative work sessions we guided council members to align around three goals: collaboration, community engagement, and advocacy.

For the first session, we leveraged learnings from their past community listening sessions where residents shared challenges to food access, like proximity to grocery stores, transportation barriers, and the high cost of fresh food. These learnings informed areas where coalition members could collaborate more effectively. Between sessions, we conducted a member survey to pinpoint organizational priorities, ensuring the final strategic plan reflected both community needs and coalition capacity. In the second session, we guided members in refining and prioritizing actions, shaping the coalition’s work for the next three years. Throughout the process, we ensured that voices from institutions, grassroots organizations, and lived experience were all heard and valued.

The Western Wayne Food Policy Council 2022-2025 Strategy formalized commitments to coalition-building, community-led programming, and policy advocacy. It also provided a framework for creating shared resources, engaging residents, and advocating. Designed as a living tool, the strategy has enabled the coalition to adapt to emerging needs while strengthening its impact across the region. 

Organizations that participated in the strategic planning process:

  • A Better Westland

  • Beaumont Health System

  • Corktown Health

  • Eastern Michigan University Center for Health Disparities Innovations and Studies

  • Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan

  • Healthy Wayne Westland

  • Henry Ford Health System Generation With Promise

  • Leaders Advancing and Helping Communities

  • Michigan State University Extension

  • National Kidney Foundation of Michigan

  • Soil2Service

  • St. Mary Mercy Livonia / Healthy Livonia

  • Wayne County Healthy Communities