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Nutrients
Volume 13
Issue 12
10.3390/nu13124267
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Article

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Distribution at Emergency Food Assistance Organizations in the Southwestern United States: A Qualitative Investigation

by
Alexandra N. Castro
1,
Mamie A. White
1,
Ariun Ishdorj
2,
Debbe Thompson
1 and
Jayna M. Dave
1,*
1
USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, 1100 Bates Street, Houston, TX 77030, USA
2
Department of Agricultural Economics, Texas A&M University, 2124 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Nutrients 2021, 13(12), 4267; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13124267
Submission received: 4 October 2021 / Revised: 16 November 2021 / Accepted: 26 November 2021 / Published: 26 November 2021
(This article belongs to the Section Nutritional Epidemiology)
Versions Notes

Abstract

This study aimed to identify changes in food distribution operations at emergency food assistance organizations (EFAOs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. EFAOs across the Houston metro area, TX (human service centers and food pantries) as well as the Houston Food Bank (HFB) participated in the qualitative study. Data were collected via individual semi-structured interviews and focus group (December 2020–February 2021), and coded using semi-structured thematic analysis. Categories were pre-identified based on the interview questions. Direct quotes supported subcategories. Directors from 18 EFAOs were interviewed; 8 HFB leadership staff participated in a focus group. Four major categories of change due to COVID-19 included new safety measures, changes in food distribution process, changes in volunteerism and staffing, and changes in amounts of food distributed. This study helps identify susceptibilities in EFAOs’ food distribution chain should be addressed to manage future emergency food insecurity crises more effectively. An understanding of the changes/challenges incurred by EFAOs during the COVID-19 pandemic can inform policymakers to ensure local food distribution organizations are prepared to fill the needs during future a crisis of food insecurity.
Keywords: food insecurity; food distribution; emergency food assistance organizations (EFAOs); food pantry; COVID-19 food insecurity; food distribution; emergency food assistance organizations (EFAOs); food pantry; COVID-19

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MDPI and ACS Style

Castro, A.N.; White, M.A.; Ishdorj, A.; Thompson, D.; Dave, J.M. The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Distribution at Emergency Food Assistance Organizations in the Southwestern United States: A Qualitative Investigation. Nutrients 2021, 13, 4267. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13124267

AMA Style

Castro AN, White MA, Ishdorj A, Thompson D, Dave JM. The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Distribution at Emergency Food Assistance Organizations in the Southwestern United States: A Qualitative Investigation. Nutrients. 2021; 13(12):4267. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13124267

Chicago/Turabian Style

Castro, Alexandra N., Mamie A. White, Ariun Ishdorj, Debbe Thompson, and Jayna M. Dave. 2021. "The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Distribution at Emergency Food Assistance Organizations in the Southwestern United States: A Qualitative Investigation" Nutrients 13, no. 12: 4267. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13124267

APA Style

Castro, A. N., White, M. A., Ishdorj, A., Thompson, D., & Dave, J. M. (2021). The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Distribution at Emergency Food Assistance Organizations in the Southwestern United States: A Qualitative Investigation. Nutrients, 13(12), 4267. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13124267

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