Topic: Utilization

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This Week's Episode

What if we’ve been looking at food insecurity through only one lens?

Dr. Christopher Harris joins Food Secure Nation to explore how Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and the Person-in-Environment framework complement one another. Rather than choosing between personal responsibility and systemic change, this conversation challenges us to see both—and to ask better questions that lead to stronger, more lasting solutions.

 

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On This Episode

For generations, hunger has been understood through Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. But what if that’s only part of the picture?

Dr. Christopher Harris, Chair of Social Work at Kutztown University, introduces the Person-in-Environment perspective—a framework that asks not only what people need, but why those needs exist in the first place. Together with Dr. Phil Knight and Gerry Brisson, the conversation explores how people, communities, and public policy intersect to shape food security—and why better questions lead to better solutions.

This conversation won’t simply change how you think about hunger. It may change how you think about people.

 

“Charities fill a gap temporarily, but policy is what fixes the system.”

Dr. Christopher Harris

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This Week's Guest

Dr. Christopher Harris

Dr. Christopher Harris is Chair of Social Work at Kutztown University, where he teaches at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. A licensed clinical social worker and researcher, his work focuses on trauma, resilience, and how people interact with the communities and systems around them. His Person-in-Environment perspective offers a powerful new lens for understanding food security.

Dr. Christopher Harris

Chair of Social Work at Kutztown University

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Dr. Christopher Harris

Chair of Social Work at Kutztown University

Dr. Christopher Harris is Chair of Social Work at Kutztown University, where he teaches at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. A licensed clinical social worker and researcher, his work focuses on trauma, resilience, and how people interact with the communities and systems around them. His Person-in-Environment perspective offers a powerful new lens for understanding food security.

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This Week's Episode

What does it really mean to be Better Together?

In this special episode of Food Secure Nation, Dr. Phil Knight and Gerry Brisson welcome Dr. Dawn Opel as they reflect on her six and a half years of leadership, innovation, and service with the Food Bank Council of Michigan before she begins a new chapter.

 

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On This Episode

This conversation explores how influence, insight, innovation, and integrity combine to create stronger teams, better decisions, and lasting impact. Through stories of Michigan’s response to COVID-19, the growth of Food Is Medicine, and groundbreaking partnerships, the three leaders demonstrate how trust, humility, and diverse perspectives can transform both organizations and communities.

Whether you’re leading a business, nonprofit, or community initiative, this episode offers a powerful reminder that Better Together is more than a slogan—it’s a choice to value different strengths in pursuit of a mission greater than ourselves.

 

“Better Together is a choice, and the most important choice you can make is who you choose to surround yourself with. Because risk is inherent in innovation. There’s no way to avoid that, and in fact, it is often much riskier to try something new than to stay with the status quo.”

Dr. Dawn Opel

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This Week's Guest

Dr. Dawn Opel

Dr. Dawn Opel is a nationally recognized leader in food security, health innovation, and systems change. During her six and a half years with the Food Bank Council of Michigan, she served as President and Chief Innovation Officer, helping advance groundbreaking work in Food Is Medicine, senior nutrition, health equity, and cross-sector partnerships that have influenced organizations across Michigan and beyond.

Known for her ability to connect research with real-world solutions, Dr. Opel has challenged leaders to think differently about addressing complex problems. As she begins a new chapter in her career, we celebrate her remarkable contributions, her commitment to innovation, and the lasting impact she has made on the fight to build a more food-secure future.

Dr. Dawn Opel

Chief Innovation Officer & General Counsel of the Food Bank Council of Michigan

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Dr. Dawn Opel

Chief Innovation Officer & General Counsel of the Food Bank Council of Michigan

Dr. Dawn Opel is a nationally recognized leader in food security, health innovation, and systems change. During her six and a half years with the Food Bank Council of Michigan, she served as President and Chief Innovation Officer, helping advance groundbreaking work in Food Is Medicine, senior nutrition, health equity, and cross-sector partnerships that have influenced organizations across Michigan and beyond.

Known for her ability to connect research with real-world solutions, Dr. Opel has challenged leaders to think differently about addressing complex problems. As she begins a new chapter in her career, we celebrate her remarkable contributions, her commitment to innovation, and the lasting impact she has made on the fight to build a more food-secure future.

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This Week's Episode

This episode goes beyond inspiration and gets to the real challenge at the heart of food security: not a lack of caring, not a lack of ideas, but a lack of connection.

Dr. Phil Knight and Gerry Brisson reflect on decades of experience to unpack why so much good work struggles to scale, and why better frameworks, shared learning, and the Six Dimensions of Food Security may be the key to moving from isolated effort to real national progress. If you want to understand what connects the voices, vision, and momentum behind Food Secure Nation, this is the episode that brings it all together.

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On This Episode

This episode of Food Secure Nation pulls back the curtain on a hard truth: food insecurity has never been a problem of caring, or even a lack of good ideas. It has been a problem of connection.

After decades of experience across communities, systems, and even continents, Dr. Phil Knight and Gerry Brisson confront a reality many in the field feel but rarely name. Progress is happening, but the system still feels stuck. Why? Because some of the best thinking is still happening in isolation. Great ideas emerge, inspire, and then disappear before they can be shared, tested, and scaled.

This conversation marks a turning point, because it does more than name the problem. It begins to name the path forward.

Through the lens of Know Better, Do Better, we introduce a more powerful way ahead, rooted in shared learning, practical application, and a unifying framework: the Six Dimensions of Food Security. From something as simple as winter squash to complex healthcare partnerships, they show how better thinking can sharpen decisions, strengthen systems, and unlock better outcomes, often without adding cost.

This is where the conversation moves beyond commentary. It becomes an invitation.
With a vision to connect leaders, ideas, and real-world pilots across the country, this episode lays the groundwork for a new kind of progress, one that turns insight into action and isolated effort into collective impact.

Because the future of food security will not be built by working harder in silos.

It will be built when we learn together, act together, and scale what works.

And as the guys remind us:
“The challenge was never knowledge… it was connection.”

Hope is a dangerous thing… if it never turns into strategy.

Gerry Brisson

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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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This Week's Episode

Dr. Phil Knight and Gerry Brisson sit down with Tory Martin, leader at the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy.

Our guest, Tory Martin, is a leader at the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy, where she helps study and interpret national trends shaping the nonprofit and philanthropic world. Her work looks beyond headlines to examine how trust, technology, and data are reshaping how nonprofits operate and how the public experiences their work.

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On This Episode

Wake-Up Call to the Nonprofit Sector: Trust Is the New Currency

In this compelling episode of Food Secure Nation, Dr. Phil Knight and Gerry Brisson sit down with Tory Martin, Director of Engagement and Knowledge Building at the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy, to unpack the implications of the 11 Trends in Philanthropy report and what it means for nonprofits navigating a season of profound change. The conversation is both candid and urgent. The central message is unmistakable: good intentions are no longer enough. Nonprofits must demonstrate good work.

Trust, as discussed in the episode, is not soft sentiment—it is an accelerant. Drawing on leadership insights from Stephen R. Covey and John C. Maxwell, the hosts frame trust as the fruit of real relationship. Yet the Johnson Center’s research highlights a troubling reality. While nonprofits continue to rank high in perceived ethical behavior, they do not consistently rank high in perceived competence. That distinction matters. In an environment where public expectations are rising and scrutiny is intensifying, organizations must not only care deeply about their missions—they must clearly show measurable, credible impact.

One of the most practical insights from the report centers on language. Nonprofits often speak in sector-specific jargon that creates distance rather than connection. Trust grows through proximity and clarity. When organizations communicate in language that everyday people can understand, they reduce barriers, strengthen transparency, and reinforce credibility. Talking like a neighbor instead of an industry insider is not a branding tweak—it is a trust-building strategy.

The episode also confronts the unavoidable rise of artificial intelligence. AI is not a future consideration; it is a present reality. Organizations that ignore it risk falling behind. At the same time, AI without human oversight carries serious risks, including bias amplification and ethical blind spots. The Johnson Center emphasizes that responsible innovation requires strong data infrastructure and human-led judgment. AI is a tool—not a replacement for wisdom, compassion, or accountability. Used well, it can accelerate knowledge and deepen insight. Used poorly, it can undermine trust.

Closely connected to the AI conversation is the growing need for data with context. Numbers alone do not tell the whole story. Participatory approaches—where communities help interpret and give meaning to the data they generate—build legitimacy and shared ownership. When lived experience informs analysis, competence becomes more visible and trust becomes more durable.

Finally, the conversation recognizes that this moment of instability may also be a moment of innovation. As government roles shift and funding landscapes change, nonprofits will need to deepen cross-sector partnerships and rethink traditional approaches. Clear-eyed honesty about what nonprofits can—and cannot—solve alone is critical. Overstating impact erodes credibility. Clarity strengthens it.

The overarching takeaway is simple but demanding: credibility is built when claims match capacity. Strong missions do not require exaggeration; they require integrity. In a time when expectations are rising and trust is fragile, the nonprofit sector must speak plainly, show competence, embrace innovation responsibly, and align words with work. That alignment is not just good communications practice—it is the foundation for building lasting food security and a stronger nonprofit sector.

Credibility is built when claims match capacity. Strong missions do not require exaggeration, they require integrity

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This Week's Guest

Tory Martin: Director of Engagement and Knowledge-Building for the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy

Tory Martin brings a unique blend of strategic communications expertise and cross-sector experience to the table, currently serving as the Director of Engagement and Knowledge-Building at the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy.

With a background that includes key roles at National Public Radio (NPR) and the Smithsonian Institution, Tory acts as an “integrative force” in the center’s mission to bridge the gap between academic research and real-world nonprofit practice. She provides creative oversight for the center’s digital strategy and funder stewardship, while also spearheading major knowledge-sharing initiatives like The Foundation Review and the annual 11 Trends in Philanthropy report.

In this episode, Tory offers a candid look at the evolving expectations for the nonprofit sector, emphasizing that “good intentions are no longer enough”. Drawing from her leadership in tracking sector-wide shifts, she discusses the critical need for organizations to move past industry jargon and build trust through clarity, proximity, and measurable impact. Tory highlights how responsible innovation—particularly the integration of AI and participatory data—can help nonprofits navigate a season of profound change and strengthen the social safety net for the long term.

Tory Martin

Director of communications and engagement

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Tory Martin

Director of communications and engagement

Tory Martin joined the Johnson Center in October 2017 as director of communications and engagement. In 2022, her role expanded to include strategic partnerships, and in 2025 she was named director of engagement and knowledge-building.

Tory responsibilities at the Johnson Center have always included creative oversight for the Johnson Center’s communications and marketing efforts across publications and digital channels. This work includes overall strategy, content development, and tracking engagement metrics. She also has ongoing responsibility as coordinator and catalyzer for the center’s fund development efforts and funder stewardship, in close partnership with the executive director, senior leadership, and GVSU’s University Development team. She is the primary strategic staff support for the Johnson Center’s Leadership Council.

Tory further serves as an integrative force in the Johnson Center’s mission to build, share, and activate knowledge in the sector to improve practice. Her work includes providing leadership for The Foundation Review, overseeing the annual publication of the center’s 11 Trends in Philanthropy report, supporting the development of research-to-practice curriculum and learning programs, and facilitating partnerships that position the Johnson Center to bring more research-informed knowledge and strategies to bear on the practice of community change.

Previously, Tory served as grants manager for National Public Radio (NPR) and held several roles in the audience and education departments of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History (NMAH), where she was a founding member of the staff diversity advisory council.

Tory is originally from the Washington, D.C. area and is a proud graduate of both the University of Virginia, earning a B.A. in American Studies and History, and Georgetown University, where she completed an M.A. in liberal studies, concentration: American Studies.

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Dr. Phil Knight and Gerry Brisson sit down with Melissa Cherney, CEO of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank and Chair of the Public Engagement Advisory Committee for Feeding America.

Together, they explore what real influence looks like in the fight against hunger—not headline-making power, but steady, principled leadership grounded in lived experience, operational excellence, and a national policy perspective

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On This Episode

The Six Dimensions Revealed

Although the Six Dimensions of Food Security were not explicitly named during the conversation, each one surfaced naturally through the lived experience, operational insight, and policy leadership shared by Dr. Phil Knight, Gerry Brisson, and Melissa Cherney.

Availability emerged through the practical realities of moving food across vast geography—from serving more than 70,000 square miles in North Dakota to leveraging federal commodity programs like TEFAP. The discussion made clear that food security begins with ensuring food is physically present in communities, whether through local purchasing, national procurement, or coordinated federal investment.

Access revealed itself through deeply personal stories. Both Melissa and Dr. Knight shared experiences navigating SNAP during seasons of vulnerability, highlighting the administrative burdens, eligibility thresholds, and bureaucratic friction that often stand between families and the assistance designed to help them. The conversation underscored that access is not simply about eligibility—it is about reliability, dignity, and trust in the systems that deliver support.

Utilization surfaced in the evolution of food banking itself. The shift from distributing whatever food could be recovered to ensuring the right food, at the right time, in the right quantities reflects a growing understanding that nourishment—not just calories—matters. Every household has unique needs, and effective food security must consider health, culture, and usability.

Stability ran throughout the episode in discussions of federal shutdowns, SNAP policy shifts, and the fragility of benefit continuity. When programs pause or change abruptly, families experience instability that erodes trust and planning capacity. Advocacy, even when imperfect, plays a critical role in protecting that stability and lessening harm.

Sustainability appeared most powerfully in the conversation about aligning food banking with local agriculture. By investing millions of dollars annually into local growers, food banks can strengthen regional economies while preventing hunger upstream. Food security and agricultural viability are not separate systems—they are interdependent.

Finally, Agency was woven through the personal narratives shared. Hunger was described not as an identity but as a circumstance. Applying for SNAP required courage; leaving it behind restored independence. At the national level, Melissa’s leadership of Feeding America’s Public Engagement Advisory Committee reflects collective agency—ensuring that those closest to hunger solutions have a voice in shaping policy.

Taken together, this episode demonstrates that the Six Dimensions are not abstract theory. They are already embedded in how thoughtful leaders approach hunger—intuitively, holistically, and systemically. When the dimensions align, communities move closer to the next threshold of food security.

Perhaps most encouraging, this episode demonstrates that the Six Dimensions are no longer theoretical constructs — they are becoming instinctive lenses through which experienced leaders evaluate policy, operations, and human impact.

Policy Impact

This Is What Leadership Looks Like

As Chair of the Public Engagement Advisory Committee for Feeding America, Melissa Cherney helps shape federal policies that impact families in every county in the United States.

From this conversation, three national imperatives rise:

Align Agriculture & Hunger Policy for Prosperity for All
Invest in farmers. Strengthen local economies. Prevent hunger upstream.

Safeguard and Evaluate SNAP but First Do No Harm
Stability builds trust. Trust builds resilience.

Create Program Alignment to Achieve Desired Outcomes
No one should lose food assistance because of bureaucratic misfires.

We are not here simply to move food. We are here to strengthen the system that determines who gets it, how much they receive, and for how long. That is how a nation becomes food secure.

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This Week's Guest

Melissa brings a rare combination to the national stage:

  • Nearly two decades of food bank leadership—from the rural expanse of North Dakota to the densely populated communities of Rhode Island.
  • Firsthand experience with food insecurity as a college student navigating SNAP benefits.
  • A deep understanding that hunger does not define a person—it reflects a circumstance.

Her story reinforces a critical truth: hunger hides in plain sight. The face of food insecurity looks like any one of us.

Melissa brings a rare and powerful combination to the national stage. With nearly two decades of food bank leadership spanning the rural expanse of North Dakota to the densely populated communities of Rhode Island, she understands both the geographic and systemic realities of hunger in America. Her leadership is informed not only by executive experience, but by personal history. As a college student navigating a season of food insecurity and receiving SNAP benefits for a short time, she learned firsthand that hunger does not define a person—it reflects a circumstance. That lived experience did not limit her; it shaped her.

Her story reinforces a critical truth that echoes throughout the conversation: hunger hides in plain sight. The face of food insecurity looks like any one of us. It can be a farm kid from North Dakota, a struggling student trying to make tuition and rent work, or a working family navigating an unexpected disruption. This episode reminds listeners that the work of building a food secure nation begins with understanding the dignity, resilience, and agency of the people at the center of the issue.

Melissa Cherney

CEO of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank

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Melissa Cherney

CEO of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank

Melissa Cherney became the CEO of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank in August 2024, bringing over two decades of leadership from her home state of North Dakota, where she previously served as CEO of the Great Plains Food Bank. A veteran advocate in the “food banking” world, Cherney also serves as the chair of Feeding America’s Policy Engagement and Advocacy Committee. Her approach is rooted in the belief that hunger is a solvable equation, focusing on providing “culturally appropriate” and medically tailored foods rather than just standard food boxes. She is driven by a long-term goal to “work herself out of a job” by addressing the root causes of poverty, such as housing and healthcare costs.

Cherney’s passion for the mission is deeply personal, informed by her own experience using SNAP benefits during a difficult year in college. This lived experience fuels her commitment to changing the narrative around hunger and ensuring that the social safety net provides a “hand up” to those in need. Now a resident of the Edgewood neighborhood in Cranston, she has quickly embraced the Rhode Island community—and its local pizza—alongside her two rescue golden retrievers, Cece and Nilla.

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The Six Dimensions of Food Security

Policies, programs and being people centric helps create a stable food supply chain. Scott Piggott, a farmer discusses with Gerry and Phil the realities of how programs designed to support agriculture need to be stable so our access to food is as well.

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On This Episode

In this episode of Food Secure Nation, Dr. Phil Knight and Gerry Brisson lay down the framework that will guide the entire series: the Six Dimensions of Food Security.

They start by naming what most people in this work already feel in their bones: food insecurity persists not because people don’t care, not because we lack food, and not because we lack committed organizations, donors, volunteers, and public servants. Food insecurity persists because it doesn’t live in just one place. It shows up differently depending on where you stand—access, affordability, nutrition, dignity, reliability—and when we focus on only one piece, we might make progress, but we rarely make it last.

That’s the point of the six dimensions: not to tell people what to think, but to help all of us think better—to step back, see the whole system, and understand where misalignment creates gaps families can fall through.

Gerry walks through the six dimensions in plain language:

  • Availability – Is there food at all?
  • Access – If it exists, can you reach it and afford it?
  • Utilization – Is it the right food for your life, culture, and health—and can you actually use it?
  • Agency – Do you have the capacity, choice, and control to turn what’s available into food security for your household?
  • Stability – Will it be there when I need it?
  • Sustainability – Will it be there as long as it’s needed?

A key insight lands hard: we need solutions in each dimension, and we must design any solution with all six dimensions in mind. Build a grocery store? Great—unless it’s unaffordable, unreachable, culturally mismatched, too complex to use, unstable, or dependent on fragile funding.

Phil and Gerry make it memorable with two analogies: a marching band (you can’t build a band out of only tubas) and a football team (a great quarterback without a line gets crushed). Translation: your lane matters—but your lane isn’t the whole road.

The episode closes with the heart of the show’s mission: communities become food secure when strong efforts stop operating in isolation and partners understand how their work fits together. The next episodes bring experts to each dimension—starting with Claire Babineaux-Fontenot on Agency, then voices like Stacy Dean and Dr. Dawn Opel to deepen the conversation.

Food for Thought: You don’t have to do everything to create a food secure community, but everything does have to get done. The question is: Which dimension am I strongest in, and who do I need beside me for the rest?

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This Week's Guest

Scott Piggott shares his insights on Food Security.

As the Executive Director of the Michigan Corn Growers Association and a veteran leader in agricultural policy, Scott brings over 20 years of expertise to our discussion on the Stability of our food systems.

He joins the show to talk about how policies designed to support farmers are the bedrock of a reliable food supply chain for every American household. From his work with the Michigan Farm Bureau to his role on the Food Bank Council of Michigan, Scott reveals why a stable agricultural framework is essential to moving from awareness to bold action.

Scott Piggott

Executive Director of the Michigan Corn Growers Association

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Scott Piggott

Executive Director of the Michigan Corn Growers Association

Scott Piggott has served as Executive Director of the Michigan Corn Growers Association and the Corn Marketing Program of Michigan since March of 2025.

Prior to his current responsibilities, Scott built a 24-year career with Michigan Farm Bureau. Scott began his career with Michigan Farm Bureau in 2000 as the Natural Resources and Right to Farm Specialist and became manager of the newly created Agricultural Ecology Department in 2002 where his responsibilities included all environmental issues that impact agriculture.  Beginning in 2012, Scott served as Chief Executive Officer of the Michigan Farm Bureau.  As CEO, Scott was responsible for planning, managing, and supervising all ongoing services and programs provided by Farm Bureau for members.

During his career, Scott has served on over 20 boards and committees including co-chairmanship of the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program and the Michigan Groundwater Conservation Advisory Council.  Scott represented Great Lakes Basin agriculture in the development of the Great Lakes Compact that was eventually codified in state and federal law. Scott has been an invited fellow at Michigan State University, University of Michigan, and the University of Toronto.  He currently serves as a director for several non-profits and financial institutions including the Food Bank Council of Michigan and the Farm Bureau Family Credit Union.

Scott earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in Biosystems Engineering from Michigan State University.  He received the 2013 Distinguished Alumni Award from the MSU Agricultural Engineering Department and the Distinguished Alumni Award in the College of Engineering in 2019.  Scott received the Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award from the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources in 2023.

Scott farms with his family near Fowler, Michigan with his wife Donna.  They have 4 grown children, Danielle, Kaitie, Tony, and Andrew.

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Featured Issue

  • The Six Dimensions of Food Security
    No.
    1
    Food Safety Infrastructure | Utilization

    The Six Dimensions of Food Security

    If our goal is a food secure America, changemakers need to consider all six pillars of food security when we think about our work.

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KBDB’s Influence

Food insecurity in America is not simple, and it is not inevitable. It is a complex, multi-layered, human-made challenge—spread across systems that too often operate independently of one another such as: health care, education, agriculture, philanthropy, and public policy.

Operating in silos we can accomplish a lot of good.  But without a shared understanding of community need, or a common way to measure progress, even good work can produce fragmented results and limited impact.

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On this Episode

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"The first responsibility of leadership is to define the problem."

— John Maxwell

Phil and Gerry reflect on what it means to lead in a way that actually produces change. At the heart of that approach is a commitment to meeting people where they are—not where we wish they were. They describe this as leadership by proximity: raising the relationship, honoring dignity, and solving real problems rather than imagined ones. It’s not about lowering expectations; it’s about grounding solutions in lived experience.

One truth anchors this discussion:

If you’re hungry, you only have one problem.

Hunger collapses everything else—learning, healing, working, parenting, and planning for the future. The episode is clear: people experiencing hunger are not lacking character, intelligence, or resilience. Hunger is the barrier. Remove it, and everything else becomes more possible.

The conversation then clarifies the relationship between the two platforms driving progress:

  • Food Secure Nation is the place to listen, reflect, and engage with leaders committed to building a food-secure America. It is a place where you can become familiar with all six dimensions of food security in a conversational and thought-provoking way, learning from people who are doing the work today.
  • Know Better Do Better (KBDB)—through com—is the learning hub that helps people go deeper: framing issues clearly, accessing credible research, and translating understanding into action.

Different tools. One purpose: moving the nation to the next threshold of food security.

Listeners are also introduced to Vera, KBDB’s AI partner—designed not to replace human judgment, but to support it. Vera helps surface reliable information, distinguish evidence from opinion, and meet people at the level of knowledge they need, whether they are just beginning or working at the highest levels of expertise.

The episode closes by introducing two core KBDB frameworks that will guide future conversations:

  • Four Levels of Knowledge: familiar, conversant, experienced, expert
  • Six Dimensions of Food Security: availability, access, utilization, stability, sustainability, and agency—with dignity running through all six

These frameworks exist for one reason: to help people understand where they fit, how they can contribute, and what it means to move from awareness to impact.

KBDB represents the next step in the work—not working harder in isolation, but thinking better together. Food insecurity was created by human systems. That means it can be undone—but only if leaders are willing to define the problem honestly, learn together, and act with intention.

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Additional Resources

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This Week's Episode

Why Food Insecurity Still Exists in America

The United States has more than enough food in aggregate and one of the world’s most sophisticated food systems. Yet food insecurity persists year after year. The reason is not a single failure. It is a set of reinforcing pressures that keep many households one missed paycheck, one medical bill, or one rent increase away from running out of food.

This inaugural episode invites listeners to step back and look honestly at how our food system evolved. From the agricultural breakthroughs that made the United States a global breadbasket, to the birth of food banking as a way to distribute surplus, the system did what it was designed to do. But the world changed—and the conversation didn’t keep up.

Food Secure Nation exists to change that conversation.

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About the Episode

This show begins with a simple but uncomfortable truth: food insecurity is something we created—and therefore something we can solve. Not with slogans. Not with blame. But with better thinking, better alignment, and better courage.

In America, 42 million people live with food insecurity. Not because we lack food—we waste nearly 40% of what we produce—but because access, systems, and priorities don’t line up. Hunger is visible. Food insecurity is quieter, more complex, and far more consequential.

Food insecurity touches everything:

  • A child’s ability to learn
  • A parent’s health and mental well-being
  • A worker’s productivity
  • A community’s stability

And yet, we often talk about it as if it’s someone else’s problem—or worse, a personal failure. It’s neither.

This is not a show about charity. It’s about responsibility. Not about guilt, but possibility.

Not about having all the answers but about asking better questions—together.

We believe dignity matters. Nutrition matters. Consistency matters. And solutions only work when they meet people where they are, without judgment. Solving food insecurity isn’t about doing more of the same; it’s about doing the right things, at the right level, with the right partners.

Our commitment is simple: to bring forward the evidence, the voices, the wisdom, and the urgency needed to prove that food insecurity in America can be solved—and to invite anyone who cares about their community, their workforce, their children, or their future to be part of that work.

Because hunger may be loud—but food insecurity is quieter, deeper, and more dangerous.

And when we know better, we can do better. That’s how we build a Food Secure Nation.

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Know Better

What the numbers say (recent years)

  • Roughly 12 to 14% of U.S. households (over 15 million households, about 40 million people) have experienced food insecurity in recent years.
  • The rate rose sharply after pandemic-era supports tapered and inflation surged: 10.2% (2021) to 12.8% (2022) to 13.5% (2023).
  • More than half of food-insecure households include a full-time worker, showing this is also a working-family issue.

SNAP participation reduces the likelihood of being food insecure by about 30%, but many eligible households are not enrolled, and benefits can fall short by month-end.

 

What it would mean to solve this

“Solved” means that every person can reliably obtain enough nutritious food in every season and region, including when shocks hit. In practice, that would look like:

  • Food insecurity becomes rare, not cyclical. Rates do not spike with recessions, disasters, or policy rollbacks.
  • Disparities narrow and then disappear. Households with children, single-parent families, and Black, Hispanic, and Native American households are no longer systematically more at risk.
  • Support systems catch people quickly. Short-term hardship does not become long-term instability.

 

Why it persists: a system that reinforces itself

Food insecurity is best understood as a set of linked loops. Low resources reduce food purchasing power. Food insecurity then increases stress and worsens health, which can reduce work capacity and raise expenses, deepening the original problem. Safety net programs counteract this loop, but gaps in access, adequacy, and coordination limit their ability to offset the pressures fully.

The evidence points to a consistent set of persistent barriers:

  • Low income and low wages: Households cut food first when money is tight.
  • High essential expenses: Housing, utilities, transportation, and healthcare costs force trade-offs.
  • Safety net gaps and shortfalls: Under-enrollment, eligibility limits, and benefit adequacy issues persist.
  • Administrative burden and stigma: Complex processes deter enrollment and consistent use.
  • Unequal burden across communities: Rates remain higher among Black, Hispanic, and Native American households.
  • Physical access barriers: Distance and transportation can make affordable, nutritious food harder to reach.
  • Fragmented governance: Programs seem to create gaps and diffuse accountability.

 

What’s changing now and the questions worth watching

Recent years have shown how quickly food insecurity can move when policy and prices change. Several changes are reshaping the landscape:

  • Policy whiplash as a driver: What happens when temporary supports expire, and which supports become durable over time?
  • The post-2021 SNAP benefit baseline is higher due to the Thrifty Food Plan update, but does it keep pace with local costs and end-of-month gaps?
  • Summer nutrition: With Summer EBT beginning in 2024 and more states adopting universal free school meals, will child food hardship stabilize outside the school year?
  • Access is evolving: SNAP online purchasing is now nationwide, but will delivery reach rural areas and households with limited digital access?
  • National ambition meets local execution: The federal goal to end hunger by 2030 is a strong signal, but which actors are accountable for measurable progress and equity in outcomes?

 

Why this matters for the conversation

If food insecurity were only about food supply, it would already be solved. The hard part is the system: income, costs, access, program design, and resilience through shocks. Bring your view of what is most underestimated, what is working, and where the real trade-offs show up in practice.

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Additional Resources

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About the Video

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