“From the lens of people feeling like they belong”
Board President shares how childhood shaped his perspective
Omar Irizarry, President of the Board at the Food Bank, says that he has had a rebellious spirit since childhood. And as he grew older, that same rebelliousness developed into a profound sense of injustice over the poverty and hunger that once deeply affected his family.
Today, Irizarry is putting that same spirit and his early awareness of food insecurity and other related social injustices to good use through his work with the Food Bank and as Director of Cross Area Initiatives at the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health.
Omar brings a perspective that goes beyond just getting food to people. In his words: “When we think about food insecurity, oftentimes, we only solely think about the action of lacking food, needing food. …to be more equitable … we have to think about food insecurity from the lens of people feeling like they belong. … like they have a sense of value.”
“It’s been an honor for me to serve as not only as a board member… [it’s] really giving me a space to elevate my lived experience, because I know I’m not alone in this.” Irizarry has been a leader and ally to the Food Bank in support of our mission of creating lasting food security for everyone in Western Massachusetts.
This video is a conversation about what equity in this work actually looks like, and why belonging matters just as much as food on the table.