Start Date
2022 12:00 AM
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic gave rise to a group of newly food insecure people and deepened hardship for those already food insecure. The crisis disrupted national food supplies and created challenges to accessing and utilizing the food that was available. As financial struggle deepened for people, and some became unable to shop for food or cook due to isolation requirements and illness, many turned to community organizations to obtain food. In Sheffield, England, small community food organizations soon became the leaders of the city’s emergency food response. One such organization is the Foodhall Project, a community food organization which had previously operated as a contribute-what-you-can café serving meals from surplus food. Following the onset of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in March 2020, Foodhall shifted to provide free food parcels through take-away and delivery services, requiring no proof of need. In collaboration with Foodhall, this research project explores the barriers to accessing food and the roles of community food responses during the pandemic. Quantitative data about food parcel deliveries was provided by Foodhall. Qualitative data about barriers to accessing food was based on interviews with fourteen adults receiving food parcels from Foodhall in August 2020. This research showed that participants experienced mainly physical and financial barriers to accessing food. The inability to see friends and family and the closure of many local support services severely limited the options available to cope with food insecurity. Having and maintaining a social network was important to find out about available support services during the pandemic. This research highlights how community food responses can play an essential role during times of crisis by being able to adapt to fit local needs. Outside of social distancing restrictions, social eating spaces like Foodhall provide opportunities to build support networks by bringing people together in an unstigmatized setting and encouraging interaction among people experiencing similar life challenges. These community spaces should be recognized and integrated as permanent parts of a city’s infrastructure to increase resilience in times of crisis.
Keywords
COVID-19, community, food security, food access, resiliency, crisis
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Kennard, Nicole (2022). "Community responses to food insecurity during COVID-19: A case study in Sheffield, England," Urban Food Systems Symposium. https://newprairiepress.org/ufss/2022/proceedings/10
Included in
Agriculture Commons, Food Studies Commons, Human Geography Commons, Nonprofit Studies Commons, Urban Studies and Planning Commons
Community responses to food insecurity during COVID-19: A case study in Sheffield, England
The COVID-19 pandemic gave rise to a group of newly food insecure people and deepened hardship for those already food insecure. The crisis disrupted national food supplies and created challenges to accessing and utilizing the food that was available. As financial struggle deepened for people, and some became unable to shop for food or cook due to isolation requirements and illness, many turned to community organizations to obtain food. In Sheffield, England, small community food organizations soon became the leaders of the city’s emergency food response. One such organization is the Foodhall Project, a community food organization which had previously operated as a contribute-what-you-can café serving meals from surplus food. Following the onset of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in March 2020, Foodhall shifted to provide free food parcels through take-away and delivery services, requiring no proof of need. In collaboration with Foodhall, this research project explores the barriers to accessing food and the roles of community food responses during the pandemic. Quantitative data about food parcel deliveries was provided by Foodhall. Qualitative data about barriers to accessing food was based on interviews with fourteen adults receiving food parcels from Foodhall in August 2020. This research showed that participants experienced mainly physical and financial barriers to accessing food. The inability to see friends and family and the closure of many local support services severely limited the options available to cope with food insecurity. Having and maintaining a social network was important to find out about available support services during the pandemic. This research highlights how community food responses can play an essential role during times of crisis by being able to adapt to fit local needs. Outside of social distancing restrictions, social eating spaces like Foodhall provide opportunities to build support networks by bringing people together in an unstigmatized setting and encouraging interaction among people experiencing similar life challenges. These community spaces should be recognized and integrated as permanent parts of a city’s infrastructure to increase resilience in times of crisis.
Comments
I have updated the references as needed, and also performed minor grammatical corrections in text. I have removed references not cited in text or no longer needed.