Come to the Table Blog

172 posts

Pantry Pivots | Technical Assistance Spotlight

August 17, 2026
Centering food pantry clients' ability to choose their own foods is about more than nutrition, it’s about being neighborly. Many pantries pre-select which products are given to its clients. For the food programs themselves, this can be time-consuming and physically demanding on staff and volunteers, and agencies may be investing their money on the wrong products. Neighbors, on the other hand, receive things that they may not use or not know how to prepare.
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A Reflection on Food & SNAP

July 22, 2026
 In June, Come to the Table partnered with Dr. Sarah Bowen and Dr. Annie Hardison-Moody of N.C. State University to host a workshop on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), its history, and how communities can respond in light of recent cuts of the program. The RAFI team led participants through a timeline of the last year as it relates to SNAP. Since October 2025, the food assistance space has taken blow after blow from significant changes and cuts to federal policy.
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Magnolia Cafe in Dunn, NC | Where Dignity Meets Delicious

July 9, 2026
When you walk into Magnolia Cafe in Dunn, North Carolina, you are greeted by a friendly kitchen and the smell of comfort food. A mural of colorful magnolias covers one wall while another showcases the phrase, “Where Dignity Meets Delicious.” Despite being a new cafe, it feels like a place where the locals are regulars. Behind the locally sourced ingredients and the display case of banana pudding, there’s something that makes this cafe extra special.
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Come to the Table Technical Assistance Opportunities

June 8, 2026
In the midst of increasing grocery prices and decreasing nutrition assistance benefits, food security and access challenges are multiplying by the day across North Carolina. As food security organizations and emergency food assistance programs continue to help their neighbors, Come to the Table (CTTT) is here to help, too.
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A Reflection on the Food & The Common Good Panel

April 6, 2026
“What I’d like to see is a shared vision and strategy of how we are going to end hunger with good food together.” The conference opened with a panel who answered the question “where are we seeing threats to the common good? And where are we seeing glimpses of hope?” Panelists included Patrick Brown, Dr. Derek Hicks, and Wendy Peters Moschetti. Each brought their own perspectives on the food system to the conversation. 
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2026 Come to the Table Conference Retrospective

April 1, 2026
This March, RAFI held its tenth Come to the Table Conference in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, tackling the theme “Food & The Common Good.” Through keynote conversations, panels, workshops, and a storytelling night, the conference was a place for stakeholders to discuss the ways in which our food systems are failing to meet this shared goal and how to take steps together to make a difference.
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Fostering Opportunity For Connection and Creativity 

October 13, 2025
As part of a year of programming under the theme Food &, Come to the Table hosted a pair of retreats for food and faith leaders to gather for two days of training, networking, and reflection. These groups of 30 - 40 participants engaged in a variety of learning opportunities, including small group conversations, individual reflection, and topical presentations.
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Food & Control Event Recap

July 14, 2025
On July 8, Come to the Table hosted a Food & Control gathering in Rocky Mount, NC alongside RAFI’s policy team. We addressed the topic of corporate power and competition in the food system, particularly in rural areas across NC. Using RAFI’s Grocery Gap Atlas, participants explored their own area and discussed the impacts and solutions to market consolidation.
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Food & Stigma

June 13, 2025
Listen, and don’t respond.  These were the instructions given to the food and faith leaders that gathered in Asheville to learn about Food & Stigma with Come to the Table. . The opening activity prompted participants to share about a place they loved growing up and then about a time they received hospitality with a small group – none of whom could respond in any way until they were finished. Listeners were to offer only a simple “thank you” at the end of each story.
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Food & Control: A Q&A With RAFI's Melanie Canales

June 10, 2025
Learn from RAFI's Melanie Canales on how corporate consolidation in the U.S. grocery industry impacts food access, food prices, and food security. Utilizing the Grocery Gap Atlas to map grocery consolidation, Canales shows how corporate dominance manipulates our food systems.
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