Authored by NLC Strategic Partner Chick-fil-A
According to Feeding America, food insecurity affects every city, town and village in the United States. Every day, restaurants, grocery stores and other food businesses have surplus food that could nourish people in their communities. At the same time, nonprofit organizations are working to address food insecurity and provide meals for neighbors in need. Food recovery allows these two groups to do more than just move surplus food from one place to another. For restaurants and other food businesses, strong local partnerships can help turn surplus food into a meaningful community resource while supporting broader efforts to address food insecurity.
Effective food recovery is rooted in strong local partnerships. However, it requires coordination across businesses, nonprofit organizations and community partners to build systems that can reliably connect available food with neighbors who need it. City leaders are uniquely positioned to bring these partners together around a shared goal. While cities may not operate food recovery programs themselves, they often play an important role in helping the right partners connect and collaborate.
The Power of Local Partnerships
At the 2026 City Summit in Nashville, leaders will hear firsthand how community partnerships can help expand access to food while reducing waste.
The “Feeding the Future: How Cities and Local Businesses Can Collaborate to Rescue Food” Solution Session will feature local Chick-fil-A Owner-Operators and Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee. Together, they will share how their partnership helps redirect surplus food to local nonprofit organizations serving individuals and families throughout the Nashville area.
Their experience highlights an important lesson for cities: effective food recovery is built on local relationships. Businesses, nonprofit organizations and community leaders each bring unique strengths, and sustainable solutions often emerge when those stakeholders work together.
What Makes Food Recovery Work?
Through Chick-fil-A Shared Table®, participating restaurants donate surplus food to nonprofit organizations in their communities. The program demonstrates how businesses and nonprofit partners can work together to address local needs while reducing food waste.
In Nashville, the partnership extends beyond the donation itself. Restaurant teams, nonprofit staff and community organizations each play a role in ensuring food reaches neighbors who can benefit from it. Success depends on communication, trust and an understanding of local needs.
These are the same elements that can help food recovery efforts succeed in communities of all sizes. While every city’s circumstances are different, lasting partnerships often begin with a shared commitment to solving a local challenge and a willingness to bring the right stakeholders together.
A Unique Role for Cities
Cities do not need to operate food recovery programs to help drive positive outcomes.
Local government leaders can play an important convening role by identifying potential partners and fostering connections that might not otherwise occur. In many communities, city leaders can bring together conversations among businesses, nonprofit organizations and other stakeholders interested in addressing food insecurity.
That role may include:
- Connecting organizations that have not previously worked together
- Identifying barriers that make collaboration difficult
- Creating opportunities for dialogue among local partners
- Sharing community priorities and local insights
- Encouraging solutions tailored to local needs
Because every community is different, there is no single model for success. What works in one city may not work in another. The most effective approach is often the one rooted in local relationships, community assets and resident needs.
Questions to Take Home
Food recovery is not a one-size-fits-all solution, but city leaders can begin exploring opportunities by asking a few simple questions:
- Who has food available to share?
- Which organizations can safely distribute it?
- What partnerships already exist in the community?
- What barriers are preventing organizations from working together?
- How can local leaders help facilitate connections?
These questions can help municipalities assess existing resources and identify opportunities to strengthen collaboration among community partners.
Continue the Conversation at City Summit
If you are attending the 2026 City Summit, join Chick-fil-A, Inc., Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee and local Nashville Chick-fil-A Owner-Operators for “Feeding the Future: How Cities and Local Businesses Can Collaborate to Rescue Food.”
The session will explore how local partnerships can support food recovery efforts and provide practical insights that attendees can apply in their own communities. Participants will hear directly from organizations engaged in this work and learn how collaboration can help create solutions tailored to local needs.
After the session, visit Chick-fil-A at Booth 1025 in the Expo Hall to continue the conversation. Attendees can learn more about Chick-fil-A Shared Table®, discuss strategies for building local partnerships and exchange ideas with others interested in strengthening food recovery efforts in their communities.
You can learn more about Chick-fil-A’s commitment to caring for communities in the 2025 Global Impact Report and explore how Chick-fil-A supports hunger relief efforts and local food recovery partnerships.
Visit the NLC Strategic Partnerships page to learn more about organizations like Chick-fil-A dedicated to making NLC the premier resource for local governments.
Connect with Chick-fil-A at City Summit
At City Summit 2026, be sure to attend the Solution Session, “How Cities and Local Businesses Can Collaborate to Rescue Food,” on Wednesday, Nov. 18. You can also visit Chick-fil-A at Booth 1025 in the Expo Hall.
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