Sandusky, MI — The Sanilac County Community Foundation (SCCF) will host the next convening of the Thumb Food Security Workshops: What More Can We Do? on Thursday, January 22, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Maple Valley Community Center, located at 138 Maple Valley Street, Sandusky.
This regional workshop is part of a multi-county initiative funded by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund, with Four County Community Foundation serving as the primary community foundation responsible for overseeing the grant funding. The initiative is implemented in partnership with community foundations and food security leaders across Michigan’s Thumb to strengthen collaboration and advance rural food security solutions. The Thumb Food Security grant program serves organizations located within the service areas of the participating community foundations, including Tuscola County Community Foundation, Sanilac County Community Foundation, Lapeer County Community Foundation, and Huron County Community Foundation.
The series is designed to bring together volunteer and paid food pantry leaders to connect with peers, share challenges and successes, and collaboratively problem-solve strategies to improve food access across the region. The January 22 convening will feature Jennifer Garner, a food security researcher and policy expert with the University of Michigan, as the guest speaker. Garner will share insights from her team’s food security work in Appalachian Ohio, highlighting innovative collaborations that support community food security through reliable procurement pathways for locally grown foods. She will also provide an overview of the federal food security policy landscape, outlining policy trends that may influence pantry demand and community food insecurity in the years ahead.
Because the workshop takes place during the winter months, participants may attend in person or virtually. In-person attendees will receive a complimentary Farm-to-Plate lunch and snacks, and volunteer pantry leaders are eligible to earn a $20 per hour stipend for their participation. Stipends and meals may be limited to those who RSVP in advance; however, attendance is not limited to RSVP’d participants. All pantry partners are encouraged to attend if able and to connect with peers across the region. Notes and key takeaways from each convening will be shared with all participants throughout the series.
The Thumb Food Security Workshop series includes five convenings hosted across different Thumb counties. The first four focus on shared learning and relationship-building. A fifth and final convening, scheduled for May 2026, will serve as a Food Security Pitch Event, where participants may apply to present innovative food access projects. Multiple $20,000 grants will be awarded to selected projects based on innovation, rural relevance, feasibility, community impact, and clarity of vision. Registration for the January 22, 2026, Sanilac County workshop is available online: https://FoodSecurityMtg2.eventbrite.com
Additional upcoming workshops include: March 19, 2026 in Tuscola County and April 15, 2026 in Lapeer County. Participation is free, and attendees may choose to attend multiple workshops. For questions about the January 22, 2026, convening, contact the Sanilac County Community Foundation at (810) 648-3634 or Kathy Dickens of the Four County Community Foundation at (810) 444-8852.
