Ontario Food Collaborative Webinar with Clancy Harrison
Food insecurity is a global challenge, often discussed in terms of statistics, how many people are hungry, how much food is wasted, and how many resources are dedicated to addressing this crisis. However, we often overlook an essential part of the conversation: the hidden biases that shape how we perceive and respond to food insecurity. In a recent webinar hosted by the Ontario Food Collaborative, Clancy Harrison, a passionate advocate for hunger relief and leader in the non-profit sector, explored these biases and shared her unique approach to transforming humility into meaningful action.
Clancy Harrison: A Journey to Social Change
Clancy Harrison is not just a registered dietitian, food justice advocate, and community leader; she is also a mother, a wife, a blogger, and an author who balances family life with her mission to make a difference. Her journey toward becoming a social change maker wasn’t a straightforward path, rather, it was shaped by her lived experiences, her passion for nutrition, and her desire to understand the deeper, often hidden, aspects of food insecurity.
What makes Clancy’s work so impactful is her relatability. She didn’t start out as an expert in hunger relief, she began as a person who was willing to question her own biases and assumptions about the world. Like many of us, Clancy had to uncover her hidden biases, and it was this self-reflection that allowed her to transform her understanding of food insecurity.
Through her experiences, Clancy learned that food insecurity is not just a theoretical problem; it’s personal. Her approach to hunger relief is rooted in humility and action. It’s about creating long-lasting change by recognizing and challenging the biases we all carry.
Recognizing and Overcoming Barriers
In her talk, Clancy emphasized that our biases are just one of the many barriers to addressing food insecurity. Other barriers such as language, access, and discrimination also play a significant role in perpetuating hunger. Clancy’s approach encourages us to acknowledge and address these barriers, as overcoming them is crucial to building a more equitable and sustainable food system.
For instance, Clancy pointed out that language barriers often prevent marginalized communities from accessing resources and services. In addition, discrimination based on race, income, or geographic location creates further inequalities in access to nutritious food. Recognizing these barriers is the first step in overcoming them, and Clancy advocates for solutions that foster inclusivity and equal access to food for all.
In Canada, financial barriers to accessing healthy foods also play a critical role.
The Biases We Don’t Talk About
Food insecurity is often discussed as a problem that affects specific groups of people, but in reality, hunger touches many lives in ways that may not always be obvious. According to Clancy, the biases we hold toward those experiencing food insecurity significantly influence how we respond to the issue.
These biases often manifest in judgments about those who experience hunger, assumptions that they are somehow to blame for their circumstances. Such judgments foster a paternalistic approach to food relief, where food and aid are given but those experiencing hunger are rarely empowered to be part of the solution. Clancy stresses that this model is not sustainable; it leaves people dependent on charity rather than giving them the tools to build their own food security.
Clancy urges us to shift the narrative away from charity and toward community empowerment. Instead of viewing food insecurity as a problem to be fixed by outsiders, we need to view it as a shared challenge that requires collaboration, trust, and mutual responsibility.
Collaboration Over Competition: A Shift in Mindset
One of the key themes Clancy highlights in her work is the need for collaboration and Partnerships rather than competition in addressing food insecurity. Clancy points to the fragmented nature of the non-profit world, where many organizations are competing for the same limited resources, funding, attention, and media coverage. This competition often results in large, established organizations receiving the bulk of resources, leaving smaller, grassroots initiatives without the support they need to bring innovative solutions to hunger.
Clancy advocates for a more collaborative approach, where organizations share resources, knowledge, and power to maximize their collective impact. She emphasizes that collaboration is the key to building sustainable solutions and that by working together, organizations can create a more resilient food system.
Furthermore, Clancy encourages organizations to focus on building relationships with partners who are aligned with their mission and values. Rather than spreading themselves thin trying to convince high-profile partners who may not fully understand or care about the cause, she advises focusing on smaller, more committed partners who will help amplify the impact over time.
The Role of Farmers in the Solution
A significant aspect of Clancy’s work is her focus on empowering farmers. In her view, farmers should be viewed as partners, not just suppliers of food to be distributed. Traditional hunger relief efforts often treat food as a commodity to be distributed without considering the broader agricultural system or the farmers who produce it.
Clancy works closely with local farmers to ensure they receive fair market prices for their crops and are not expected to donate their surplus produce. By supporting farmers in this way, she helps reduce food waste, strengthens the local economy, and ensures that nutritious food is available to those who need it.
What makes this approach even more impactful is Clancy’s focus on local food systems. She talks about the importance of proximity, how food grown and harvested locally, then delivered directly to markets, not only supports local farmers but also avoids the emissions associated with refrigeration and long-distance transportation. Fresh produce, harvested in the morning and available to consumers shortly thereafter, is far superior in terms of both taste and nutritional value compared to what you typically find in grocery stores. By cutting down on the need for refrigeration or transportation, Clancy’s model of food distribution is more sustainable and reduces the carbon footprint of food systems.
A Sustainable, Proactive Approach to Food Insecurity
Clancy’s work also stands out because of its focus on sustainability, both for the environment and for the community. Rather than relying on a reactive model—where food is distributed in response to emergencies—Clancy advocates for a proactive approach to food insecurity. She believes we can prevent food insecurity by creating systems that anticipate and address needs before they become crises.
For example, Clancy works with organizations to invest in infrastructure like refrigeration, trucking, and storage to ensure that fresh, local food can be distributed efficiently. By building diverse markets for farmers, including partnerships with schools, non-profits, and retailers, she strengthens the entire food system, ensuring that food security is not just a temporary fix, but a long-term solution.
Clancy’s proactive approach aims to build a self-sustaining system, one that enables communities to thrive rather than simply survive. Her focus on creating opportunities for farmers and communities is at the heart of her philosophy for a sustainable food system and the importance of Food Literacy.
Transforming Humility into Action
At the core of Clancy’s approach is the idea of humility and collective action. By recognizing our hidden biases and acknowledging the barriers that prevent access to food, Clancy invites us to rethink how we approach hunger relief. Instead of relying on charity, she calls on all of us to focus on collaboration, community empowerment, and long-term solutions.
Clancy’s message extends beyond non-profit organizations. It’s a call to action for each of us to take responsibility for creating a more just, sustainable food system. By coming together, empowering farmers, and prioritizing collaboration, we can build a world where food insecurity is no longer a widespread issue.
Learn More and Take Action
The Ontario Food Collaborative webinar with Clancy Harrison served as a powerful reminder that solving food insecurity requires more than just providing food, it requires a fundamental shift in how we view the issue. By breaking down biases, overcoming barriers, and embracing a collaborative, proactive mindset, we can create a food system that is more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable for everyone.
As Clancy reminds us, true change happens when we work together. By focusing on collaboration, empowerment, and shared responsibility, we can build a healthier, more resilient world where food insecurity is no longer a reality for so many. Watch Clancy’s TEDx talk to learn more.
Contact Clancy Harrison: Clancy@clancyharrison.com
Ontario Food Collaborative: ofc@ontariofoodcollaborative.ca