Michigan Public Health fellowship program equips parents to shape policies, improve food security

At her local Women, Infants & Children (WIC) office in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Tosha Mason dedicates her days to helping others access essential nutritional resources. Yet, the married mother of five finds herself grappling with a similar struggle at home. Despite her hard work, inflation and rising food prices have made it increasingly difficult to provide nutritious meals for her family, and their income disqualifies them from many food assistance programs.

"During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were food policies that expanded to middle class families in these situations, but those have since gone away, making it extremely hard to buy enough food," she said. "I want to advocate for families that are middle class and still struggle to make ends meet.”

Empowering parents to advocate for change

Mason was one of 19 individuals who recently participated in a fellowship program at the University of Michigan School of Public Health to empower Michigan parents to become food advocates in their communities and beyond. The Feeding MI Families Community Food Advocacy Fellowship (CFAF) program is an outgrowth of yearslong statewide food insecurity work led by Kate Bauer, an associate professor of Nutritional Sciences at Michigan Public Health.

During a research collaboration with the W. K. Kellogg Foundation and the Michigan Farm Bureau Family of Companies to elevate Michigan families’ experiences of food insecurity and access, Bauer realized that many parents not only had interest in sharing their personal experiences, but they wanted to learn how to advocate for their communities and lead policy change. This idea served as the framework for the fellowship’s development.

“I started building relationships with parents who have experienced food insecurity as part of our Feeding MI Families research project. The goal of their involvement was to make sure that we were asking the right questions and building survey and interview tools that made sense to parents,” said Bauer. “However, the parents we were working with kept saying, ‘When are we going to do something, Kate? We need to take action to solve these problems.’ That’s when I realized the enormous need for community-based food advocacy training and support.”

To support development of the fellowship, Bauer worked with the Michigan Health Endowment Fund to secure more than $300,000 in grant funding to establish the curriculum and provide stipends to the fellows. Recognizing the potential of the fellowship, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation and University of Michigan’s Poverty Solutions initiative contributed to this effort, providing resources to invite even more parents to participate.

“If we want to develop strong programs and policies that connect families to nutritious foods, there’s no substitute for the expertise of people who have to navigate these systems every day,” said Dr. Tayo Moss, policy and program officer at the Michigan Health Endowment Fund. “That’s what we love about the fellowship. It puts knowledge and tools in the hands of people with real experience of food insecurity to influence the kinds of change that will help families like theirs.”

High demand for advocacy training

The fellowship received nearly 100 applications from parents across the state for 19 fellowship positions. Applicants wanted to build skills and confidence in areas that include improving the quality of school meals, ensuring food pantries are welcoming, and reducing administrative barriers to accessing food stamps. They came from diverse professions and occupations—ranging from community outreach professionals to stay-at-home parents and caretakers. In selecting fellows, the program aimed to support individuals who were relatively new to food advocacy and had the passion to make change but did not yet have the professional network to do so, Bauer said.

“I never expected to receive so many applications from highly motivated parents,” Bauer said. “After an initial review of the applications, we interviewed our top applicants thinking that would make our decision of who to select easier. In reality, it just made it harder because we got to know all these incredible people.”

Comprehensive training curriculum

The eight-month training program, which started with an in-person kick-off event at the University of Michigan in March 2024, provided the 19 fellows with monthly training sessions that cover a range of topics, including storytelling for advocacy, overcoming imposter syndrome, and the basics of federal and local food assistance programs. 

Fellows’ interests also guided some of the training session topics, Bauer said. For example, leaders from the United States Department of Agriculture and Michigan Department of Education joined training calls to meet the fellows and share knowledge about specific programs and resources.

In addition, fellows participated in monthly group-based and individual sessions with professional coaches to reinforce training information and help clarify their goals, intentions, and actions within a safe, supportive environment. 

“We were really intentional in building our curriculum to ensure our fellows are provided with the knowledge, skills, and financial and social support they need to become successful community food advocates,” notes Bauer. 

“Ultimately, the Feeding MI Families CFAF program sought to give individuals the tools and confidence to advocate for improvements in food law, regulation, practices, and programs. The historical lack of community inclusion in the development of food access and assistance programs and policies leaves great opportunity for individuals, like the fellows in this program, to utilize their lived experiences to improve food security throughout the state.”

By the conclusion of the fellowship in October 2024, fellows had facilitated sessions at statewide policy conferences, applied for grants to support their local food pantries, distributed food to children through the Meet Up and Eat Up program, and taught classes at their community garden.

For Tosha Mason, the program served as that opportunity to improve the lives of her family and of her community. 

“I want everyone to have access to the food resources that they deserve and need, no matter their situation,” Mason said.