The Clay County Food Insecurity Task Force – CFIT – was founded in June 2025 by community leaders committed to ending hunger in Clay County. Food insecurity is layered and complex, and CFIT exists to create a unified framework for tackling it together.
Pantries cluster in the same neighborhoods while other areas have nothing. Resources exist that people don't know about. Programs doing great work that could be amplifying one another. CFIT exists to fill in the gaps. Convened by Waste Not Want Not, it brings school board members, health officials, faith leaders, city planners, pantry directors, and community advocates into the same space – not just to discuss food insecurity, but to act on it. Together, the task force collects and analyzes data, builds strategic partnerships, and implements community-informed solutions to hunger across the county.
Mission, Vision & Call to Action
Mission: Reduce hunger and improve community health by expanding equitable food access, advancing education, and driving systemic change through collaboration and community voice.
Vision: A Clay County where every resident has reliable access to nutritious food, stronger health, and a community united against hunger.
Call to Action: Nourish a stronger and healthier Clay County – together.
Want to Get Involved?
CFIT is growing, and there's room at the table. If you're working on food access in Clay County – or you want to be – we'd love to connect! Reach out to Avery Cecere at avery@wastenotflorida.org.
Conveners
- Kathleen N. Spears, PhD, Executive Director – Waste Not Want Not, Inc.
- Alexandra Reinhardt, Community Partnership Coordinator – Baptist Medical Center Clay
Members
- Robert Bass, Pastor, Celebration Church
- Patrick Flanagan, Director, Food for Clay at Challenge Enterprises
- Hannah Graham, Chief Health Strategist, Florida Department of Health
- Jennifer Knight, Vice President, Clay Kitchen
- Kyerstin Meeks, Health Educator/Minority Health Liaison, Florida Department of Health
- Daniel Schmidt, Health Planner, Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida
Current Members
Committee on Systemic Change | Chair: Alexandra Reinhardt Members: Kathleen Spears, Andrea Crowder, Brooke Davies, John Nelson, Avery Cecere
Food Access Committee | Chair: Jennifer Knight Members: Daniel Schmidt, Alexandra Reinhardt, Kathleen Spears, Avery Cecere, Pastor Rob Bass, Anya Kasasa
Self-Sufficiency Committee | Chair: Kathleen Spears Members: Amy Houston, Rev. Carey Morford, Alexandra Reinhardt, Julius Johnson, Avery Cecere
