Framing the Future: A Photovoice Exploration of Food Justice
Welcome to Our Exhibit!
Thank you for joining the Guilford County Food Security Team, with support from UNCG Recipe for Success, for this inspiring exhibit highlighting the powerful visual stories shared by community members.
Our Photovoice project invited participants to take photos and compose accompanying narratives in response to the prompt:
“What does food security or insecurity look like in your neighborhood?”
Together, we are advancing meaningful change infood justice.
Photovoice is a participatory research method that merges photography with narrative storytelling to empower individuals and communities – especially those whose voices are often unheard – to share their experiences, perspectives, and insights.
Participants take photographs that capture their views on a specific issue or theme; using these images as a basis for group discussions, storytelling, and reflection.
With permission from the photographer, selected photographs and narratives were curated for a public exhibit aimed at engaging policymakers, community leaders, and residents.
Photovoice is effective because the use of photos eliminates barriers such as language, technology, and culture.
This project documents community perceptions of food justice, with the aim to amplify and include marginalized voices, as well as inform local policy and intervention efforts.
- Identify the Focus - Work with community partners to identify the issue to focus on.
- Recruitment and Training - Learn about the Photovoice process and camera use ethics.
- Take Photos - Look for examples of food insecurity, food access, and hunger.
- Follow Up Discussions - Focus groups discuss the photos and reflect on the experience.
- Write a Narrative - Write a short narrative about the purpose of the photo and how it addresses the issue.
- Community Engagement - With photographer consent, share the artists' perspective with the public.
These photos were captured by residents of Guilford County, representing zip codes: 27406, 27262, 27401, 27263, 27260, 27358, 27265, and 27214. Some photos come from individuals affiliated with specific groups, such as the youth aged 12-17 from the Leos Club and veterans from the Arthur Cassell Memorial House.
While you experience the photos, consider the following question:
What themes weave these experiences together?
Our Photos
Eva Rosa Harvesting Blueberries
By: Eli Saavedra Villatoro
The Teaching Garden at the High Point Library is such a wonderful place to explore and learn about vegetables, herbs, other plants, and berries! I personally love blueberries, so I could not wait to take my daughter (2 years old at the time) to share a special moment together. As a Dietitian, I love having the opportunity to visit and support community spaces that offer hands-on lessons on how to grow your own vegetables.
Community Kitchen
By: Eli Burnette
Food availability means little if access is denied. While some have resources, many struggle to even prepare a meal, trapped by a system that overlooks their needs. With billions in government funds, we must demand better solutions for the homeless and vulnerable — more shelters, more support, more compassion. Every one of us is just a paycheck away from hardship, and it’s time to recognize that we all share a responsibility to uplift one another. Compassion and action are essential; let’s build a society where no one goes hungry, and every individual is valued.
More Than a Harvest
By: Nallah Muhammad
This photo shows the power of mutual aid and community buy in. Community members are making a time investment to support their community by harvesting cucumbers at Peaceful Seeds Community Farm of Warnersville. The volunteers are also gaining knowledge and skills of growing their own food, especially as existing systems continue to prove unreliable and increasingly inaccessible to disenfranchised communities.
One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure
By: Nallah Muhammad
In this photo we see college student and Peaceful Seeds Community Farm of Warnersville intern, Kristen Smith, placing donated prepared meals into the community Freedom Fridge maintained by GSO Mutual Aid. Kristen organized the pickup, repackaging and redistribution of leftover foods at Guilford College and brought them to the Freedom Fridge where houseless individuals can come to get food and water when they need it. A college student is doing her best to eliminate waste in the spaces she has access to.
We all waste so much more food on a regular basis than we’d like to admit. Her actions are a reminder that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. There are great hearted people like Kristen, who see hunger and want to support even if they are hungry in their own way — i.e. college students. Mutual aid is a logical community solution that supports local leaders and an example of why we need to enable and normalize established organizations helping to develop the initiative of smaller organizations through partnerships.
A Melon Can Go A Mile
By: Nallah Muhammad
We grew watermelons this year at Peaceful Seeds Community Farm of Warnersville. This watermelon didn’t make it to a market, but it served its purpose —to nourish someone in need. The unhoused and displaced individuals who visit and frequent the land.
This moment — this eaten watermelon — reminds us that even small acts of cultivation can have a lasting impact. It is also a reminder of why public community gardens matter: they provide more than food; they offer dignity, access, and a sense of belonging.
Plowed Over One Last Time
By: Alicia Caldwell
On the corner of Elm and Vail used to sit a garden in an unoccupied field. Residents of Elm Towers, a senior and disabled affordable housing community, would plant and work the field. It was never authorized; However, one or more residents would plant it almost every year. Seeing it on the Southside was a given, every Sunday as we drive to church.
Among the wreckage that indicate construction and "progress," is the chair that an older woman would sit in, husking corn. It was not authorized for use by the community, but it was for food. Free food - needed food in an underserved, food insecure, poor community just one block from the booming furniture market.
Some Have It and Some Don't
By: George Drawdy
In a world where food abundance exists alongside hunger, it's unacceptable that many people lack consistent access to basic nutrition. Society must take action to ensure that everyone can meet their daily dietary needs. By improving food preservation methods, reducing waste, and fostering a culture of sharing, we can create a more equitable food system where no one goes hungry. Together, we can turn excess into sustenance, bridging the gap between those who have and those who do not.
Free of Charge
By: Scarlett Hill
All families deserve access to nutritious food, which is why I'm thankful our community has Backpack Beginnings. Backpack Beginnings is a place where families can go to shop for the food they need free of charge.
How Significant is $6?
By: Nadia Nicholson
How significant is $6? That is the cost of a Food Lion Feeds box containing non-perishable food items. The boxes are distributed to local food banks, which helps families in need. Through its partnership with Feeding America, Food Lion guarantees a minimum donation of 1 million meals. This picture illustrates the significance of $6 and its impact on our community.
Food Waste
By: Calvin Lin
This picture shows that people often buy food products that are too much and end up buying more before finishing them. This results in many products expiring and having to be thrown out. This affects many people even myself, since often I buy food and forget about it while I go out and buy more. We need to try and combat this since it wastes a lot of food that shouldn’t be wasted. A way to combat this would be to not buy new products until your old ones are used up to prevent forgetting about a food or just not eating it and letting it expire.
Take What You Can Consume
By: Elina Pandey
This shows how people buy more than they need, which leads to food waste. Instead of wasting the resources other people could have eaten, we should only take the amount we can consume. In this way, perfectly good food isn't being thrown out.
Honor our Elders
By: Alicia Caldwell
My nonprofit, LIVE Better, received money through the food security fund granted by the Greater High Point Food Alliance, to provide 15 gardens to residents living in 27260. The intention of the small, raised gardens was to allow participants to explore gardening, decide about whether it is something they can continue, and the reward of having some measure of food security and hopefully eat more vegetables. My mother enjoyed when we were a part of a community garden but has thoroughly enjoyed the self-sufficiency her garden bed has brought, sharing the harvest with her neighbors and helping put food on our table.
Auntie at the Farmers Market
By: Alicia Caldwell
My aunt, going through the process of using the Senior Nutrition Program's vouchers at the High Point Farmers Market. Another important program that offers seniors the ability to supplement what they can or can't afford, themselves.
Do-Good-Pantry, Keeping Hope Alive
By: Winnie Merritt
Our mini pantry project was initiated by my grandson, Paul Sealy. It is located at my house on Bridges Drive, High Point, 27262. Our road isa thorough-fare between busy Eastchester Dr. and Lexington St. I have lived in this neighborhood since 2008, it is middle to low income, with a mix of homeowners and rentals. When we first got here there were more homeowners who had been here for some time before we moved in. As the years passed, people either moved away or died. Rentals became more prevalent. Crimes increased, such as drug sales,(which were already happening) and others more violent. Recently, two houses have been made into Air BnBs — easy to rent as the University is nearby. Pantry has frequent donations as well as many visitors. People come in cars, walking, bicycles and a motorized wheelchair. You may wonder why I stay here? I love this neighborhood and have gotten to know several of the newer arrivals. Next week I am hosting a backyard gathering to encourage them to know each other better.
The Sacrifices Parents Make
By: Alicia Gu
These pictures are of a small, child’s table with a singular bowl of what used to be food. Parents suffering from hunger rarely get the chance to feed themselves, being that they are required to give whatever food they must feed their children and families. These photos are one example of the innumerable sacrifices involved in the painful struggle many families have to deal with.
