Food Studies

Dickinson College Food Studies Certificate Program

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Project SHARE and the Scope of Food Insecurity

September 29, 2025 / / 2 Comments

Wide view of inside Project SHARE, a local food pantry.

Fox 43 (2023). [Photo]. Project Share, Carlisle, PA. https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/project-share-is-feeding-around-500-families-in-cumberland-county-for-thanksgiving/521-375e351d-ccff-4390-8a52-97db1cea2aea

Over the years, food insecurity has been redefined to more completely describe its affected populations. Presently, food insecurity is described “as a lack of access to the kinds and amounts of food necessary for each member of a household to lead an active, healthy lifestyle…” (Smith et. al 2023). Over the past decades, the definition has expanded to more completely encapsulate the food needs of a person, household or culture. How do food access needs vary from culture to culture? Are people food insecure if they have access to food, but not food that meets nutrient and cultural requirements? One particular focus of Project SHARE and other nonprofit food pantries is providing food need of individuals and households who do not meet eligibility for the federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) but still struggle to consistently provide nutritious meals for their families.  

Barriers to Assistance

Image of a window with a sign stating, "We Accept SNAP"

FRAC (2016). USA. https://frac.org/programs/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap

SNAP defines eligibility for their program by income: “… a household’s income (before any deductions) must be <130% of the poverty line” (Gunderson 2013). Due to the nature of a federal assistance program, they must outline eligibility even if it means excluding those who still struggle with affording and finding time to acquire groceries. In addition to income restrictions, SNAP, even for those who do meet requirements, can be challenging to apply to and navigate. Primarily, the application process can be confusing, time-consuming, and inaccessible to all populations (e.g. language barriers, attending in-person appointments, or making various phone calls) (Hossfeld 2018). Lower income individuals may be struggling with poorness in more than one aspect of their life, leading to both a lack of time and money to engage with otherwise beneficial assistance programs. 

 

The Importance of Nonprofits

While SNAP does have widespread benefits to those enrolled (about 70 billion dollars of benefits per year), there are still gaps that need to be filled by other aid (Gunderson 2013). One of these groups that falls through the cracks of governmental assistance is the Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) population. Originally presented as an ‘emergency food source,’ food pantries based out of churches, warehouses, and vehicles provided short-term relief for families struggling to make their benefits last. Nonprofits such as Project SHARE which have developed permanent residence in the Carlisle area are among the few means of assistance for the ALICE population, as well as others who are eligible for SNAP. Project SHARE works with the community to boost these families into food security without the use of supplemental assistance. 

 

More than Just Food Insecurity 

While hunger and food insecurity are both challenges unto themselves, chronic food insecurity can lead to a variety of other complications that can permanently affect the livelihood of people and their families. These complications include but are not limited to higher chance of hospitalization, physical health problems, greater chance of developing diabetes and other chronic illnesses (Gunderson 2013). Recently, ‘hunger’ has been removed from many documentations referring to the access an individual has to food (Allen 2007). How do the words we use to refer to marginalized groups affect their real-life situations? In addition to the physical challenges a chronically hungry person may face, they are also not referenced to in a way that recognizes the difficulty and significance of their hardships. Ultimately, there is a disparity between the needs of lower-income groups and the provisions of local and federal governmental benefits.

 

Works Cited 

Allen, P. (2007). The disappearance of hunger in America. Gastronomica the Journal of Food and Culture, 7(3), 19–23. https://doi.org/10.1525/gfc.2007.7.3.19

Gundersen, C. (2013). Food insecurity is an ongoing national concern. Advances in Nutrition, 4(1), 36–41. https://doi.org/10.3945/an.112.003244

Hossfeld, L. H., Kelly, E. B., & Waity, J. F. (2018). Food and poverty: Food Insecurity and Food Sovereignty Among America’s Poor.

Smith, T. A., & Gregory, C. A. (2023). Food insecurity in the United States: measurement, economic modeling, and food assistance effectiveness. Annual Review of Resource Economics, 15(1), 279–303. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-resource-101422-090409

 

Introduction to Food Studies Oral History of Food Showcase by Justin Wong, Class of 2025

December 12, 2024 /

Welcome sign to Food studies showcase. Photo by Justin Wong.

This week’s class offered a rich exploration of foodways through the lens of individual projects. Foodways are the cultural, social, and economic practices that surround production, preparation, sharing, and consumption of food. Food is more than just a means to make yourself full; it carries a deeper meaning for many. The presentations illuminated the deeply personal and cultural connections we have with food, as well as the broader societal dynamics that shape these relationships.

It was quite interesting to hear the various projects from my classmates. Each presentation revealed a unique perspective on how food intersects with identity, tradition, and history. For instance, one student shared their experience with ravioli making, emphasizing its role in family traditions passed down and cultural pride. Another highlighted the impact of cultural assimilation on foodways and the importance of access to cultural foods. These projects brought to light the intricate ways food reflects and shapes our lives, offering a glimpse into the diverse experiences that unite us through shared meals.

Students looking at posters from food studies showcase. Photo by Justin Wong.

A lot of the presentations connected to many of the various themes that we have covered throughout the semester. For example, themes of ethical consideration of food sourcing were echoed in stories about traditional and sustainable agricultural practices. We also had a class discussion about hunger, access, and sovereignty, which brought a deeper understanding of systemic barriers to food equity, a topic that surfaced in multiple presentations. Specifically, access to fresh produce versus cheaper canned alternatives highlighted the real-life challenges many face. These connections illustrate the interconnectedness of personal foodways and broader food systems, as well as the importance of addressing inequities within these systems.

My favorite part of the food studies showcase was seeing the visual aids from everyone’s presentation. The visual aid component really enhanced the experience of each listener. I loved that everyone had taken a different approach to visualizing their foodways projects. Some people used collages with attached 3D elements, some used maps to illustrate food origins, and even some people used high-level photography to show recipe steps. By the end of each presentation, I had a good idea about what food meant to the presenter’s interviewee and what each dish looked like. By the end of the event, I had even written down some of the dishes to try in the future.

I encourage you all to step out of your comfort zone and learn about your friends, family, or even a stranger’s foodway lens. It’s through these stories that we can appreciate the diversity and richness of each other’s foodways.  For more information about our class please read this recent article in Dickinson Today!

How Immigrants Are Taking Back Power Through Food Sovereignty and Food Justice

November 16, 2020 /

Introduction to Food Studies Class, Fall 2020

Post by Anna Conley

In the class Introduction to Food Studies, we’ve covered everything from how food is produced to how it impacts people directly. This past week, the classes took a more specific route, covering the ideas of food justice, food sovereignty, and how that impacts immigrant populations specifically.

On Monday, we read about and discussed the difference between food justice and food sovereignty. Food justice relates to the idea that institutional racism has led to major disparities within food access, and that these disparities must be fixed through proper racial justice. Food sovereignty is taking the power away from institutions that have monopolized the food system, such as Monsanto and the US government, and putting the power back with the people. Both of these ideas focus on people having equitable access to food and knocking down institutions that have stopped equity in the past.

On Wednesday, we were able to see a real-life example of how people are taking the power back in food systems. We met with Vietlead, a community organization that connects minority residents, mostly Vietnamese immigrants, to urban farming efforts in Philadelphia and Camden, New Jersey. Vietlead recognized the fact that many of the immigrant residents in these neighborhoods were food insecure, despite emigrating from an area where they always had access to fresh and healthy foods. In an attempt to provide fresh food to the residents, Vietlead started two urban farms where community members can grow their own food. Through this process, immigrants were able to control what foods they had access to, not what was dictated through America’s Eurocentric foodways. Within the farm, they grow a crop called water spinach which the U.S. has deemed as an invasive species, however Vietlead compares that label to a racist outlook on immigrants, both being seen as “competitive” and “unwanted”. Knowing how to grow the crop properly stops the seeds from spreading, stopping its danger to the environment and allows for immigrants to have power over their own food, not institutions that have monopolized the foodways. Vietlead has provided a clear example of how to implement food justice and food sovereignty into a community and restore food power to the people.

Our Final Day, January 18th

January 19, 2020 /

It goes without saying that over the last two weeks traveling throughout Israel, we have been extremely fortunate in the weather department. While the country experienced unprecedented rainfall in the north, our group was soaking up the dry desert climate. As we moved northward, forecasts predicting overcast skies and rain yielded to sunny and warm days. Our final hours in Israel were spent exploring some of the hidden and not so hidden highlights of Haifa, a hilly coastal city located two hours north of Tel Aviv.

Our first stop was the Baháʼí Gardens located at the top of one of the city’s hills. The Haifa Baháʼí Gardens represents a spiritual and administrative site for this unique religion. Though there are no practicing  Baháʼí in Israel, Haifa and more specifically, the city of Akko serve as important centers of this religion.  The founding spiritual leader, the Bab  foretold a new prophet the mid-19th century. Baháʼu’lláh, an exile from Iran was deemed this prophet although he spent he majority of his adult life in prison. A monotheistic religion, the Baháʼí believe in one god and believe that god is ever-present. With over seven million followers, similar to Muslims who pray in the direction of Mecca, the Baháʼí pray in the direction of Akko. The pristinely maintained gardens, including nine terraces and an equal number of fountains were landscaped with tropical flowers and semi-tropical trees culminating with a gold capped house of worship.

From the Baháʼí Gardens we joined Ado, a Jerusalem-born illustrator who leads food and art tours through Haifa on the side. The Beit Hagefen Gallery, with which Ado works is a Jewish-Arab Cultural Center that seeks to bring artists together in ways that help to open dialogue and understanding by honoring different religious, cultural and ethnic identities. After providing an overview of some of the gallery’s current exhibits, Ado took our group through lesser known neighborhoods with unique outdoor installations created by local artists, many of whom integrate political, cultural and social narratives in their works. One of Israel’s more ethnically mixed cities, Haifa offers artists a canvas on which to depict some of the many challenges that Israeli’s have and continue to confront.

Ado was a tremendous guide, shepherding our group through bustling thoroughfares all the while rousing our minds and stomachs with conversations on ethnically diverse foods, inter-cultural conflict and the ways in which art and food are guiding processes for dialogue. A poignant moment of our tour included Ado’s personal story as the daughter of a German holocaust survivor whose family took up residency in an abandoned Palestinian home as part of the establishment of the state of Israel. Recognizing that the dwelling that Ado calls home was once the home of a Palestinian family most likely forced out of their residence is something that Ado struggles with. Her story was quite reminiscent of Sandy Tolan’s The Lemon Tree that our class read over the course of last semester. Witnessing our guide, Ado convey her conflicted and uncensored feelings to us, and our Palestinian logistics guide, Nairoos was quite moving. Seeing two progressively minded young people navigate a tense and tremendously complicated topic was powerful to witness.

After a quick stop over at the beach to bid farewell to the Mediterranean Sea, we continued on to the airport and boarded our plane for the trip home. What a wonderful journey this has been! We are grateful to the many people who shared their homes, farms, kibbutzim, bakeries, gardens, kitchens and most importantly, their stories to us. We have learned so much and are indebted to our many hosts for their hospitality, patience and willingness to help broaden our minds and perspectives – thank you!

January 16th

January 18, 2020 /

Hi everybody!

Today was a big day. We woke up in the youth hostel in Pki’in, and after a big breakfast, walked across the town to the internationally renowned cosmetic store Gamillas Secret famous for their herb medleys.  Today was the windiest day of our trip, with a little bit of rain. During the walk we were able to explore the town more and see exquisite architecture and beautiful fruit trees that were grown inside the town, especially lemon trees.

At 10:00, we left Pki’in for our next adventure at Klil- an off-grid, eco-community settlement located in Western Galilee. Upon arrival, we met our wonderful host and founder of the company HomeBiogas, Yair Teller.  As we drank tea in the communal guest house, we learned about the foundation of the  off-grid eco-settlement, and what daily life could be like. The primary goal of the settlement was for the people to be close to the earth, to do this, none of the houses were made to be permanent. The settlement was very different from any of the farms we had previously visited, and acted very differently from a kibbutz, as all families lived independently from each other in comparison to a Kibbutz. Next, we walked over to Yair’s house, where we drank our first ever biogas tea(!) and heard from Yair how he founded HomeBiogas.

Next, we walked to the neighbors property and learned how he worked with the landscape to increase the soil and create green land with  40 trees on his area. We then returned to the guesthouse and ate an incredible lunch with two salads, Kubbeh Salek (beet) soup, and mujadara that was prepared for us.

Next, we had had a great surprise- Yair offered  the rare and exciting opportunity to get some hands on experience and set up a HomeBiogas system and toilet at the Klil communal bathroom! The first step was attach the 4(?) separate biogas components to the main digester, a VERY easy and straightforward process. Next, we had to collectively decide the best place to situate the HomeBiogas digester so that it was on a) level ground, and b) close enough the tubing could reach the indoor toilet. After we chose our spot, we removed the rocks, shoveled, and added compost to make the ground as even as possible. Next, we filled 30 bags of soil, as we filled the biogas digester up with water. When the biogas digester was filled with water, we added the bags of soil into the flaps on the top part of the system to act as weights. Lastly, we collected sheep manure from the neighboring farm, mixed it 1/2 with water, and poured the solution into the system. At this time of day, it was getting quite dark, and upon deciding it would get messy if we continued working in the dark, decided to call it for that day.

After the long day, we reheated the fantastic lunch we had and  listened the album Cosmic Journey, performed by community member Noam Teller as we fell asleep in sleeping bags next to a fire in the communal room. When we woke up the next morning, we did not have time to further work on the HomeBiogas, however, to complete the system and have the biogas toilet working would have only required attaching the system to the toilet and only a  couple of more simple jobs. It was a great experience to set up HomeBiogas with the creator, and seeing how easy it was to to build a working biodigestor I am now motivated more than ever to incorporate biogas into my future!

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