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TL;DR
The central finding is that participant-led actions of reciprocal exchange, resource sharing, and collaboration increased program access, enhanced social bonds, and promoted community advocacy.
Agriculture and Human Values · 8 authors, 4 centres
This summary was generated by AI from a single paper. It has not been reviewed by a clinician and is not clinical advice. Verify against the source before acting on it.
The central finding is that participant-led actions of reciprocal exchange, resource sharing, and collaboration increased program access, enhanced social bonds, and promoted community advocacy.
The study used qualitative interviews with 36 customers of the Produce Plus Direct (PPD) program in Washington D.C. to understand experiences with program changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers partnered with program staff to recruit returning customers, completing 35 interviews in September and October 2020. The analysis, conducted via open and focused coding, revealed how social solidarity—defined as reciprocal exchange, resource sharing, and collaboration—functioned as a form of group-level social infrastructure. This mobilization helped increase program access and reach, enhance social bonds through food sharing, and promote community development through advocacy. The study highlights that program structures, such as recruiting participants as volunteers and holding feedback meetings, supported this flow of social solidarity. A key limitation is the small, relatively homogenous sample, which may limit the generalizability of the conceptual model.