Sam Polk, leader of Everytable and founder of the advocacy organization Groceryships, discusses his journey to addressing the connection between economic inequality and nutrition challenges. His innovative approach makes prepared healthy meals accessible to working families while providing education and community support around food and wellness.

Devita Davison, communications leader at FoodLab Detroit, tells the compelling story of Prince's Hot Chicken Shack, illustrating the ongoing obstacles faced by food entrepreneurs from communities of color. FoodLab Detroit works to reshape Detroit's food economy by empowering a diverse network of food businesses and advocates dedicated to making quality food accessible throughout the city.

Loren Cardeli, founder and leader of A Growing Culture, advocates for centering farmers in food system conversations. He emphasizes the critical importance of farmer independence and rights, connecting environmental and social justice, and fostering community connections. Loren challenges us to reimagine the food movement by placing farmers at its core. Learn more at #IStandWithFarmers.

Martina Lynch, hip hop poet and leader of Taharka Brothers ice cream enterprise, explores how narrative and cuisine spark meaningful dialogue. Taharka Brothers leverages their celebrated frozen desserts and social initiatives to celebrate while advocating for a brighter future. Experience her performance of Boundaries, inspired by August Wilson, which was also reimagined as a signature Taharka Brothers flavor.

Daniel Blake, co-creator of OpenAg, questions current global food production methods, from intercontinental shipping to disconnecting people from cultivation. Does it need to be this way? Imagine if we could make climate control accessible and enable food production anywhere in the world, regardless of local conditions. OpenAg works to share knowledge and reconnect people with food production.

Cary Junior, operations leader at SEMPA, a rural farmer cooperative for farmers of color, works to establish regional food systems that bring quality food to underserved Detroit neighborhoods. They generate employment, support agricultural producers, and forge connections between urban and rural farmers across Detroit and Ann Arbor. Two essential principles guide their mission: "cooperative production + food hub + markets = regional food system" and "sustainable agriculture + regional food systems + nutrition education = food sovereignty."

When communities forge meaningful relationships with their regional food sources and local growers, the idea of "supporting local" transforms from abstract concept into lived reality and sustainable practice.

Becoming Glocal (Global Local) extends beyond business terminology – it describes our existence as individuals rooted in our communities while simultaneously being citizens of planet Earth. Drawing from her latest expedition, Jennifer explores this interconnected perspective.

The Please Pick Project demonstrates how we can reimagine our relationship with food and address widespread health and hunger challenges affecting communities nationwide and globally. This initiative aimed to transform Nyack, NY into an edible community, reconnecting residents with authentic food cultivated in real soil throughout urban and suburban spaces, and removing the numerous barriers we all encounter in accessing the nutritious, organic food we need consistently.

Ron Finley cultivates vegetable gardens throughout South Central LA — on vacant lots, traffic medians, and along sidewalks. His motivation? Joy, resistance, beauty, and to provide alternatives to fast food in a neighborhood where "the drive-thrus are causing more deaths than the drive-bys."