COVID-19 has upended our food system, and its effects have been felt along the entire supply chain. Forced closures, labor shortages, operational changes, social distancing, and other safety requirements have created new barriers to access and distribution – and have highlighted challenges that have been there all along.

Food security and recovery organizations on the front lines quickly adapted to this new reality, implementing new initiatives to rescue healthy food in danger of going to waste and delivering it to the increasing number of people struggling with food insecurity – all while evolving their own operations to ensure the safety of their employees and the people they serve. And funders have recognized the urgent need for support and are providing the capital necessary to scale and spread these solutions.

Now, as businesses around the country are ramping up their operations or reopening entirely, we're left with an unexpected opportunity – to learn from the struggles we've faced, build on the innovation we've seen, and create a sustainable, inclusive, and resilient food system that's ready to meet the next big challenge it faces.