The Feeding Cities Group is a consulting firm that is also a social enterprise, invested in a shared mission with our clients to improve disaster preparedness at local levels. We center our work around thoughtful partnership engagement and transparent processes to ensure we deliver outcomes that generate lasting impact.
We draw from a comprehensive tool kit to deliver specialized, technical assistance and targeted, actionable project outcomes: data collection and analysis, stakeholder interviews and engagement, surveys, scenario planning, strategic planning, model and tool development, and group facilitation.
We leave behind strategic priorities, insights that are used to influence policy and secure funding, as well as an infrastructure to move the work forward. We are also thought leadership partners, advancing the field of disaster food planning and building a community of practice.
Our proprietary framework identifies points of vulnerability in food supply chains, interdependent systems (transportation, power, etc.) and food assistance networks where hazards (flooding, wildfire, ice, etc.) could create disruptions in local food availability and access. We help cities and regions identify critical points of vulnerability in the parts of the food system that matter most for feeding people after disasters, to help them prioritize strategic investments for mitigation.
Guided by our proprietary model, data analysis combined with local ground work quantifies demand for food in disaster scenarios, identifies reliable feeding partners and assets, and builds relationships/coordination to ensure plans are effective, operational and comprehensive. As auxiliary team members, we can also make sure plans lead to effective operations by maintaining relationships with community-based organizations and disaster relief partners, updating inventories of food assets, and performing ongoing vendor assessments. We also have expertise in designing strategies for scaling community-based organizations and local food businesses to become emergency food vendors.
We identify local food assets and assess the capacity of vendors, mass feeding/disaster relief partners and food assistance/community-based organizations to provide food services during emergencies in terms of quantity, type, duration and reliability. We utilize local business evaluation tools we developed for financial institutions and rigorous, tested community survey protocols. We have deep expertise in evaluation.
Our experience working across public, private and non-profit sectors in rural and urban areas means we know who to engage, how to get leaders from all the sectors to the table, and how to keep them engaged. We organize and facilitate individual, small group and large group meetings focused on problem solving and coordination. We are skilled at qualitative data collection and interview techniques.
Rather than treating recovery and response as distinct phases, our Sustained Disaster Food Planning model integrates them, embedding recovery support in response efforts. Our process builds public-private, cross-jurisdictional and community relationships before disasters happen, ensuring coordination and deployment of all food assets when responses are mobilized. We apply an emergency management lens to the concept of food system resilience, which surfaces distinct vulnerabilities, interventions and timelines for mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery planning.
We are thought leaders in disaster food planning and food system resilience, cultivating a distinct point of view through original research used to create reports, whitepapers, articles, educational content and webinars. We partner with our clients to produce content that ranges from rigorous policy research to accessible partnership engagement opportunities.
Our company works at the intersection of food systems, community and economic development, and emergency management in the following markets.
The Feeding Cities Group is certified as a Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) and a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the nation’s leading third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women.
Our company works with clients in many different sectors, on projects small and large, at local, state, and regional levels. We scope and lead most projects, but are also brought in as partners and subject matter experts.
Businesses in the food sector
Businesses that support disaster relief
Emergency management agencies
Disaster relief and emergency food organizations
Local and state governments
Financial institutions
Insurance companies
Economic development organizations
Philanthropy and foundations
Trade associations and consortiums
