Topic: Housing

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This Week's Episode

If we’re serious about outcomes, partnership isn’t optional. It’s essential.

In this episode of Food Secure Nation, Dr. Phil Knight and Gerry Brisson sit down with Brian McGrain, Executive Director of Michigan Community Action, for a conversation that models the kind of collaboration required to move to the next frontier of food security. Together, they explore how Community Action Agencies and food banks—alongside schools, health systems, and workforce partners—must move beyond parallel efforts and into coordinated, community-driven solutions.

At the center of the conversation is a defining truth: families do not experience our systems separately—they experience whether life works. When systems are disconnected, people are left to navigate the gaps. But when leaders align their strengths, they can blend those systems into coordinated solutions that meet real-life needs.

This episode is an example of what it looks like to lead beyond organizational boundaries—activating the six dimensions of food security in practice, not theory—and a challenge to leaders everywhere: if the goal is real outcomes, then partnership isn’t a strategy. It’s a requirement.

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On This Episode

Food security takes shape when communities align around the people they serve. In this episode of Food Secure Nation, Dr. Phil Knight and Gerry Brisson welcome Brian McGrain, Executive Director of Michigan Community Action, for a conversation that models the kind of partnership required to move to the next frontier of this work.

McGrain represents 27 Community Action Agencies across Michigan, part of a national network of nearly 1,000 agencies working to address the conditions that keep families in crisis. Serving all 83 counties, these agencies operate across housing, food access, utility assistance, early childhood programs, financial empowerment, and more—bringing a comprehensive, community-based approach to stability and self-sufficiency.

At the center of the conversation is a defining truth: families do not experience our systems separately—they experience whether life works.

A parent trying to put food on the table may also be facing housing instability, rising utility costs, transportation challenges, and wages that are not keeping up with the cost of living. When systems are disconnected, people are left to navigate the gaps. When leaders align their strengths, they can blend those systems into coordinated solutions that meet real-life needs.

That is where real progress happens.

Food banks, Community Action Agencies, health systems, schools, workforce programs, and local leaders each bring something essential. When those strengths are intentionally connected, communities begin to activate the six dimensions of food security—availability, access, utilization, stability, sustainability, and agency. No single organization carries all six, but together, they can.

McGrain highlights that Community Action Agencies are locally governed, deeply connected to the communities they serve, and grounded in lived experience. That perspective ensures that solutions are shaped with people, not simply delivered to them.

The conversation also acknowledges the real-world tension leaders face—local governance, funding structures, contracts, and service boundaries. These realities matter, but they cannot become barriers. The work ahead requires leaders who are willing to navigate the gaps and blend systems into something better for the people depending on them.

The closing challenge is clear: if we’re serious about outcomes, partnership isn’t optional. It’s a requirement.

People don’t experience our programs—they experience whether life works. If we’re making it harder to be poor, it won’t matter who delivers the service—only whether the need gets met.

Brian McGrain

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This Week's Guests

Brian McGrain

Brian McGrain is the Executive Director of Michigan Community Action, representing 27 Community Action Agencies serving all 83 counties across the state. Part of a national network, these agencies work across housing, food access, and financial stability to help individuals and families move from crisis toward self-sufficiency.

With more than 20 years of experience in community development and public policy, Brian brings a practical, people-centered approach to his leadership—focused on connecting systems and strengthening communities through collaboration.

Brian McGrain

Executive Director of Michigan Community Action

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Brian McGrain

Executive Director of Michigan Community Action

Brian McGrain is the Executive Director of Michigan Community Action, representing 27 Community Action Agencies serving all 83 counties across the state. Part of a national network, these agencies work across housing, food access, and financial stability to help individuals and families move from crisis toward self-sufficiency.

With more than 20 years of experience in community development and public policy, Brian brings a practical, people-centered approach to his leadership—focused on connecting systems and strengthening communities through collaboration.

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This Week's Episode

What does food security actually look like when you zoom out and see the whole system?

In this episode, Joree Novotny and Mandy Pullaro return to unpack the six dimensions of food security—not as theory, but as lived reality from a statewide lens. From balancing limited resources with dignity and choice, to redefining the role of people experiencing hunger as partners in the solution, this conversation challenges how we think about impact. Along the way, they connect food insecurity to economic stability, health, and housing—revealing that lasting progress doesn’t come from doing more of the same, but from aligning systems around the people they serve.

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On This Episode

In this powerful follow-up conversation, Joree Novotny and Mandy Pullaro move beyond theory and into the real-world tension of building food security across all six dimensions—availability, access, utilization, stability, sustainability, and agency. What becomes clear quickly is this: food security isn’t a checklist—it’s a balancing act.

From their vantage point leading statewide systems, Joree and Mandy unpack the hard truth that these dimensions don’t always align neatly. Limited resources can strain the ability to prioritize dignity and choice. Systems built for emergency response are now carrying the weight of chronic need. And yet, within that tension lies opportunity—if we’re willing to rethink the system itself.

A defining theme of the episode is agency—not as a luxury, but as a multiplier. When people experiencing hunger are treated as participants rather than recipients, outcomes improve—not just for individuals, but for entire households and systems. The conversation challenges long-held assumptions and reframes food insecurity as deeply connected to economic stability, health, and housing—not just food supply.

The episode also brings a powerful shift in perspective: the people we serve are not problems to be solved—they are essential partners in the solution. Through listening sessions, policy engagement, and lived-experience storytelling, both leaders demonstrate how systems become more effective when they are built with people, not for them.

And then comes the gut-check: we reveal what we truly believe by how we behave. Whether it’s how we treat donors, partners, or neighbors seeking support, the system reflects our values in action. That question lingers—and it should.

This episode doesn’t offer easy answers. Instead, it offers something more valuable: a clearer lens. One that shows food security as an interconnected system requiring alignment, humility, and leadership at every level.

Because when those six dimensions begin to move together—that’s when transformation becomes possible.

Our network was built for emergencies—but today, we’re part of people’s ongoing strategy for stability.

Mandy Pullaro

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This Week's Guest

Joree Novotny

Executive Director, Ohio Association of Food Banks

Joree Novotny leads the Ohio Association of Food Banks, where she works at the intersection of policy, partnership, and large-scale food distribution to strengthen food security across the state. A respected voice in the national hunger relief network, Joree is known for aligning diverse stakeholders—from food banks to government leaders—around practical solutions that improve access and outcomes for families. Her leadership reflects a deep commitment to systems change, ensuring that resources move not just efficiently, but with purpose and impact.

Mandy Pullaro

Chief Executive Officer, Feeding Colorado

Mandy Pullaro serves as CEO of Feeding Colorado, where she brings together a statewide network of food banks to advance coordinated solutions to hunger. With a strong focus on collaboration, advocacy, and innovation, Mandy helps bridge the gap between local service and statewide strategy. She is recognized for elevating the role of state associations as critical connectors—turning shared insight into unified action that strengthens the entire food security system.

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