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.
Coming Together to End Hunger in Clay County
In June 2026, CFIT hosted its inaugural Hunger and Food Access Summit at Baptist Health Clay, bringing together a cross-section of our community to confront one of Clay County's most persistent challenges: food insecurity. Representatives from food pantries, schools, local government, healthcare, nonprofits, and businesses gathered to share what they're seeing on the ground and to explore real, collaborative solutions.
Over the course of the summit, partners exchanged key insights, aligned on shared goals, and began mapping the gaps that leave too many of our neighbors without reliable access to food. This first-of-its-kind gathering marks the start of a coordinated, county-wide effort—and we're just getting started.
What's Coming Next?
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SNAP enrollment learning sessions
Training for community food partners so they can help residents understand eligibility requirements and guide them through the qualifications needed to apply for benefits
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Crisis budgeting workshop
A multi-phased workshop for people living in minute-to-minute crisis. Unlike traditional financial literacy, it starts by helping people break out of the day-to-day crisis cycle before building toward longer-term financial stability
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Comprehensive food distribution guide
A full listing of food distribution times and locations across Clay County
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Filling the gaps with Waste Not Want Not
Coordination with Waste Not Want Not partners to direct resources into the regions with the highest levels of food insecurity.
Conveners
- Kathleen N. Spears, PhD, Executive Director – Waste Not Want Not, Inc.
- Alexandra Reinhardt, Community Partnership Coordinator – Baptist Medical Center Clay
Original Members
- Jennifer Knight, Vice President, Clay Kitchen
- Patrick Flanagan, Director, Food for Clay at Challenge Enterprises
- Hannah Graham, Chief Health Strategist, Florida Department of Health
- Kyerstin Meeks, Health Educator/Minority Health Liaison, Florida Department of Health
- Daniel Schmidt, Health Planner, Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida
- Robert Bass, Pastor, Celebration Church
Current Members
Committee on Systemic Change | Chair: Alexandra Reinhardt Members: Kathleen Spears, Andrea Crowder, Brooke Davies, John Nelson, Avery Cecere, William Miller, Heather Obermiller
Food Access Committee | Chair: Jennifer Knight Members: Daniel Schmidt, Alexandra Reinhardt, Kathleen Spears, Avery Cecere, Pastor Rob Bass, Anya Kasasa, Janey Fox, Charlotte Sohm, Stephanie Arroyo
Self-Sufficiency Committee | Chair: Kathleen Spears Members: Amy Houston, Rev. Carey Morford, Alexandra Reinhardt, Avery Cecere, Courtney Buchman
