Talking about hunger: mediating between purpose and practice : a case study of food provision in Athens, Georgia

As access to affordable and nutritious foods has become increasingly difficult for those living in poverty in the U.S., emergency food provision - specifically prepared-meal provision has become increasingly important. Hunger and food insecurity in cities like Athens, Georgia, have left many people in need of alternative food sources to supplement their diets.This study examines two prepared meal programs in Athens, Georgia which act as alternative sources of food for those in need the Athens chapter of the Food Not Bombs movement and Oconee Street UMC's Our Daily Bread soup kitchen. Both of these groups are preparing and serving food to people who are food insecure. The purpose of this study is to explore the moral philosophies informing these groups' work and the ideological and structural contexts within which they operate in order to reveal the mediating entities linking each of these groups to their food programs. Doing so highlights the paradoxical similarities as well as differences between these two groups, and lends insight into debates over emergency food provision.