Responding to food insecurity and community crises through food policy council partnerships in a rural setting

**Published in Progress in Community Health Partnerships (PCHP) volume 16.2S. All rights reserved.**
ABSTRACT
Food insecurity is a constant struggle for many communities and food needs are often amplified during times of crisis. The objective of this paper is to describe the progress in our community food policy council partnership by presenting the elements of success in facilitating policy change and programs that have helped our community in rural Pennsylvania respond to a variety of challenges, including the COVID-19 crisis. We also critically examine ongoing challenges and implications for our work. The elements that have contributed to sustaining our collective work include having a common agenda; collaboration; maintaining independent but mutually supporting member organizational goals; valuing those who are most impacted; and continuous communication. By applying these elements of partnership, the council remains focused on healthy food access, particularly during this COVID-19 crisis and ongoing food-related inequities.