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Hunger Action Coalition of Michigan's (HAC) mission is to mobilize all segments of the community to focus on and actively shape a just society relative to food and nutrition.

Description:
HAC is composed of four program concentrations: Advocacy/Activism, Training/Education, Agriculture/Food Security, & Youth/Nutrition.

Advocacy:
The essence of the Coalition is advocacy. The organization is committed to supporting the rights of the poor and promoting social justice through awareness and activism.

Training and Education:
HAC offers training opportunities for emergency food providers, non-profit or for profit organizations, faith-based agencies, and those interested or involved in hunger reduction, nutrition, and programs that advocate for the poor. The Training Department also provides information on community resources, coalition building, opportunities for volunteerism and volunteer training, and myriad related workshops.

Agriculture and Food Security:
The focus of the Agriculture and Food Security Department is to promote activities and initiatives that allow a community or individual to supplement their food supplies and budgets with fresh produce.

Youth and Nutrition:
HAC recognizes that youth cannot learn or develop adequately without a healthy start, which includes good nutrition. The programs involving youth center on teaching healthy eating habits and helping youth to understand that no one should ever be hungry. Leadership training includes preparing young people to advocate on behalf of the hungry, teaching youth how to initiate programs in their schools and communities, and offering volunteer and paid activities related to the reduction of hunger in and around the Detroit metropolitan area.

History:
HAC has been an anti-hunger education/advocacy organization for 28 years, initially formed as the Southeastern Michigan Food Coalition (SEMFCO) in 1977. In 1988, after completing a three-year review of hunger in metro Detroit, the community-based Hunger Task Force recommended that SEMFCO expand its initiatives to address public education, public policy monitoring, advocacy, and coordination of hunger relief efforts. SEMFCO took a new name, Hunger Action Coalition for Southeastern Michigan in 1989 and became a United Way Agency.

The Hunger Action Coalition has conducted and particpated in several research projects over the years that have led to significant public policy change. Its 1990 Community Childhood Hunger Identification Project in Pontiac led the Hunger Action Coalition to promote the passage of the school breakfast mandate in the Michigan Education Reform Acto of 1993. A pilot study in 1997, examining food insecurity in a Detroit neighborhood, indicated the need for innovative community planning projects that work toward food security. A 1999 Wayne State University study of the Emergency Food Provider network showing increasing numbers of persons in need of emergency food relief was based on surveys of 92 providers in the Hunger Action Coalition.

Contact person: Genevieve Clark, Executive Director, (313) 962-0677, (email)
Office fax number: (313) 962-0682

Address:

2727 Second Avenue, Suite 333 Detroit, MI 48201 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.hacmichigan.org

Directions:

HAC is located on Second Avenue off Temple (near Masonic Temple) in Detroit. From the Lodge freeway, take the Casino (Grand River) exit and continue left on Temple to the right on Second. Heading South on Woodward (before. . . (more)   Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: Grand River / Woodward   Nearest Bus Stop: Grandriver, Cass, Woodward, 5-10 minute walk