34th Annual Student Research Conference
Combating Food Insecurity Stigma on College Campuses
Rachel E. Whitehouse
Dr. Brian Ott and Dr. Bridget Thomas, Faculty Mentors
Food insecurity is a rapidly growing problem facing many college students in America. In recent years, hundreds of food pantries have sprung up around universities in an attempt to help combat hunger among their students. While these pantries do their best to help students, their mere existence does not completely address all of the barriers college students face that contribute to food insecurity (El Zein et al., 2018, Freudenberg, Goldrick-Rab & Poppendieck, 2019, Henry, 2017, Peterson & Freidus, 2020). Lack of transportation, time to grocery shop, proper cooking utensils, as well as the stigma surrounding food insecurity are some of the hindrances that prevent students from being able to regularly eat quality meals. Many of these impediments ask for simple solutions, however, the stigma and shame associated with being food insecure require ongoing attention if they are to be broken down. This research describes current programs and provides concrete solutions for university pantries to implement in order to combat the stigma behind food insecurity.
Keywords: Food Insecurity, College Students, Stigma
Topic(s):Interdisciplinary Studies
Sociology
Justice Systems
Presentation Type: Asynchronous Virtual Oral Presentation
Session: 13-1
Location: https://flipgrid.com/d0254fde
Time: 0:00