Bowls, Banter, and Belonging: Emergency Food as a Third Space
After COVID-19, social spaces are reported to be dwindling, barred by memberships, buying expectations, underfunded, or completely shut down. Now, four years post-pandemic, how are communities coping? Analyzing food banks shows part of the answer. This thesis explores how communities are responding to the decline of traditional "third spaces" by examining the growing social role of food banks. It investigates whether these sites, typically associated with emergency food aid, are also becoming key places for social connection and community life. Using ethnographic methods, including participant observation and interviews, alongside spatial analysis through ArcGIS mapping tools, this study analyzes how food banks foster social bonds, particularly among vulnerable populations. It considers factors such as shared experiences of hunger, poverty, and the emotional dynamics of volunteering and social work to understand how food banks serve as alternative infrastructures of care and community. While food banks may support social cohesion, they also operate within extremely precarious conditions, raising concerns about the long-term viability of charity-based systems as replacements for public investment in social infrastructure. This research contributes to broader discussions about social isolation, inclusion, and the future of communal spaces in a post-pandemic society.
Food banks, Social infrastructure, Post-pandemic recovery, Third Spaces, Community building
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations