Tenth International Conference on Food Studies

Abstract

Food insecurity, or the inability to access nutritious food regularly or with ease, has been increasing substantially in the United States in recent years. As of 2016, 15.8 million Americans were identified as experiencing food insecurity. In hopes of combating this statistic, initiatives on federal and institutional levels, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, campus food pantries, and dining point exchanges have been created and implemented. Specific to Towson University, the Food Insecurity Support Fund (FISF) was created in 2016 to provide immediate assistance to students with difficulties accessing adequate food by providing on-campus dining points to students to have immediate access to food. In fall 2017, 169 students accessed this resource. This study aimed to understand the impact of the FISF through a series of face-to-face, semi-structured interviews from recipients of the FISF. A total of fourteen students were interviewed and asked questions about the process of obtaining the help and the overall impact of the service on their life. Example questions included: “Please describe the impact this entire process had on you,” and “What were your expectations when you sought the fund?” The interviews were recorded and transcribed. The responses were analyzed using Atlas.ti software where three major themes emerged, which are: 1) Appreciation, 2) Helpful, and 3) Increasing access and variety of meals. These findings can help improve services offered at this university and serve as a template for other universities to implement a food assistance program on their campus.