Elevating Voices - Montana Food Bank Network

Who are lived experts?

A lived expert is a person who has personal experience living with food insecurity, poverty, and/or navigating public assistance programs, providing them with a unique set of skills and expertise that pertains to identifying solutions and collaborating to reduce food insecurity through policy advocacy.

Advocacy & Lived Experts

Centering lived experience is a core part of our advocacy work. Elevating the voices of neighbors with firsthand experience of food insecurity ensures our advocacy reflects real community needs. MFBN builds relationships with people who have experienced food insecurity, recognizing the invaluable insight and leadership they bring to hunger solutions in Montana. MFBN’s lived experience work is grounded in three pillars: Listening Sessions, a Lived Expert Board, and story collection.

Amplify History

MFBN facilitates the Amplify Montana initiative, which centers the voices and leadership of people with lived experience of poverty and food insecurity. Building on a strong foundation, Amplify Montana creates opportunities for Lived Experts to inform and influence policies, practices, and public narratives around hunger in Montana.

Amplify Montana launched in 2018 with No Kid Hungry, beginning as a pilot in Helena and later expanding to Bozeman and the Flathead Valley. Early efforts focused on partnering with local organizations to host community focus groups, where Lived Experts shared firsthand experiences and insights on food insecurity and related challenges.

From this work, participants were invited to deepen their engagement through leadership and advocacy opportunities. One of these efforts was the Big Sky Leadership Academy (BSLA), a multi-week program created to ensure Lived Experts had access to professional development, storytelling, and policy advocacy training rooted in real-life experience. BSLA was part of Amplify Montana’s broader commitment to following the leadership of those most impacted by hunger and public assistance programs.

While the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted in-person programming and contributed to a pause in formal trainings like BSLA, Amplify Montana continued to evolve. In 2022, the initiative transitioned to MFBN.

Today, we sustain and strengthen Amplify Montana through a Board of Lived Experts, Listening Sessions, story collection, and ongoing engagement with Amplify alumni. This approach ensures lived experience remains central to our grassroots advocacy and policy work across Montana.

Amplify Montana Advisory Board

Launched in April 2022, the Amplify Montana Advisory Board (AMAB) brings together Lived Experts whose experiences with food insecurity, poverty, and nutrition programs guide MFBN’s advocacy and policy priorities. Board members use their knowledge and leadership to guide the Amplify Montana initiative and help drive meaningful systems change across Montana.

If you or someone you know have lived experience with food insecurity, poverty, or navigating public assistance programs and are interested in using your voice to create change, we invite you to click here to learn more about joining AMAB or connect with Kiera Condon, MFBN’s Advocacy Specialist.

Listening Sessions

In collaboration with community partners, MFBN hosts two to three Listening Sessions each year in communities across Montana. These sessions create space for Lived Experts to share their experiences with food insecurity, poverty, and navigating public assistance programs.

Insights from Listening Sessions directly inform our advocacy work. By centering the expertise of those most impacted, we identify policy solutions and strengthen collaborative efforts to reduce food insecurity across the state.

Story Collection

Elevating the stories of people with lived experience of food insecurity, poverty, and navigating public assistance programs ensures real voices are at the center of our advocacy. These stories help educate policymakers, challenge harmful narratives, and drive policy solutions rooted in lived experience.

If you have a story to share, your voice matters. We invite you to share your experience and help shape a more just and hunger-free Montana. Click here to share your story or contact Advocacy Specialist Kiera Condon.