A team of students from recreation, park, and tourism management as well as other disciplines will be conducting remote research under the direction of Amit Sharma, Ph.D., and the Penn Stage College of Health and Human Development’s Food Decisions Research Lab. As students of the hospitality industry, they will be engaged in the collection of primary data from Philadelphia neighborhoods regarding food access and insecurity during the current crisis.
Even before the spread of COVID-19, the percentage of food-insecure households in Philadelphia was higher than the national average. During this period, the Center has worked with local leaders and chefs to develop a community kitchen that addresses food security by employing chefs and other restaurant workers to make free meals for people in need. Students will obtain a critical perspective of how people are impacted during the current crisis as well as the social justice-based innovations that are emerging as community-driven interventions.
Awarded: 2019–2020