 Being served while serving others: Effect of a community café on college students’ food insecurity and sense of communityLori Borchers and Don Mills Community Development, 2026, vol. 57, issue 2, 291-310 Abstract: Far from simply being hungry, college students with food insecurity often feel shame and stigma because of their predicament. While existing research has examined various food security interventions, little is known about models that integrate both nutritional support and community building. This study uses a qualitative case study design to examine the association of a pay-what-you-can café on food insecurity and how it can create community among college students. Pay-what-you-can cafes are unique in that people who are food secure and food insecure cannot be readily distinguished from each other in the café. Therefore, by not identifying who is paying and not paying for their meal, the café provides a welcoming environment which can erase the isolation and stigma that food insecure students often feel. This study found that the students value the food they receive and the sense of community that develops from eating and volunteering at the café. Date: 2026 Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:comdev:v:57:y:2026:i:2:p:291-310 Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from DOI: 10.1080/15575330.2025.2505161 Access Statistics for this article Community Development is currently edited by John Green, Rhonda Phillips and Anne Heinze Silvis More articles in Community Development from Taylor & Francis Journals |
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