Graduation Date
Fall 2018
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Master of Arts degree with a major in Applied Anthropology
Committee Chair Name
Rebecca Robertson
Committee Chair Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Marissa Ramsier
Second Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Third Committee Member Name
Mary Scoggin
Third Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Fourth Committee Member Name
May Patino
Fourth Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Subject Categories
Anthropology
Abstract
Food banks are antithetical to the food justice movement because they usually rely on government commodity surplus to alleviate need and promote notions of dependence through the charity model. This research examines Food for People, the only food bank in Humboldt County, within the context of local food security and patron perception using ethnographic observation, surveys, literature review, and interviews to generate data that would allow the food bank to fulfill its mission of ending hunger. Through ethnographic approaches, this thesis focuses on food security, what affects perception and actual food security in the context of food justice and food sovereignty, and the power dynamics discovered in the food bank. Questions to the study include: Does the food bank empower its patrons and does it fit under the food justice model? What are the patrons’ perception of their food security, and what are their attitudes and beliefs about their shopping locations? This ethnography critically examines the food banking system and attempts to place Food for People within the spectrum of food justice/sovereignty and dependence. To contribute to the food bank’s mission of ending hunger, this research suggests the organization could create an environment more conducive to self-empowerment by an integration of horizontal power structures, and addressing patron needs that affect food security beyond the immediate distribution of food.
Citation Style
Chicago
Recommended Citation
Fernandez, Edward, "Banking for the future: An ethnographic study on the local food bank, its role on food justice, and patron perception" (2018). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 206.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/206