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Volunteers for a Food Secure Community: Perceptions of Food Insecurity and Motivation of Volunteers

Barton, Alisha N
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1606988316842237

Abstract Details

2020, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Agricultural and Extension Education.
Food insecurity is an issue faced by one in nine Americans. It is faced by people of all demographics, living all over the United States. Communities have created food councils to help address food insecurity in their communities. Often the work of the food council is completed by volunteers. The purpose of this research is to explore food council participant motivations to volunteer with food insecurity related issues and their perceptions of potential causes of others’ impoverished condition. This study will address the following research objectives: 1. Explore volunteer’s motivation to work with food insecure individuals. 2. Explore volunteer’s perceptions of the causes of food insecure individuals. 3. Explore correlation relationship between volunteering and perceptions of food insecure individuals. The objectives will be explored using social determination theory and the basic psychological needs that are met when engaging in volunteer work. Two quantitative instruments were implemented in a survey to measure volunteer perceptions of people in poverty and another to measure volunteer motivations. The study’s population was the Miami County Food Insecurity Alliance. They survey was sent by email to all members. The results showed that most volunteers were motivated to spend their time in causes that they valued. Volunteers are also motivated to understand their valued causes more than they desire to receive career or other benefits. Volunteers also attributed poverty to a variety of structural and cultural reasons, placing less emphasis on individual causes contributing to poverty. When the two were correlated only a negatively significant correlation was found between career motivations in relation to structural and cultural poverty causes. To meet the needs of volunteers, organizations should seek to understand the motivations of their volunteers. This will help them to provide opportunities and training for volunteer’s values to be satisfied and their understanding increased, thus creating motivated and passionate volunteers.
Mary Rodriguez, Dr. (Advisor)
Amanda Bowling, Dr. (Committee Member)
Jera Niewoehner-Green, Dr. (Committee Member)
99 p.
Agricultural Education
food insecurity; volunteers; motivations; poverty; volunteer values; food insecurity volunteers; perceptions of poverty; volunteer motivations

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Barton, A. N. (2020). Volunteers for a Food Secure Community: Perceptions of Food Insecurity and Motivation of Volunteers [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1606988316842237

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Barton, Alisha. Volunteers for a Food Secure Community: Perceptions of Food Insecurity and Motivation of Volunteers. 2020. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1606988316842237.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Barton, Alisha. "Volunteers for a Food Secure Community: Perceptions of Food Insecurity and Motivation of Volunteers." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1606988316842237

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1606988316842237
387
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