Social Bonding

The following are a selection of images, captions, and quotes from Flint residents who participated in the photo project on food access in Flint and the impact of COVID-19. Most of the photos show intersecting themes, for example one photo and caption might illustrate family, cooking and healthy eating. Photos on these pages are just shared in one category to help show the breadth of data we received.

These data illustrate the theme of social bonding.

This theme appeared 68 times in the data.

We define the social bonding theme as using food to personally connect with others.

Flint Residents Shared

“Two people, I think they're from Flushing, started a Facebook little group. And I think it was actually called "The crap I cooked in quarantine." But it was, it was like a few people. And then pretty soon it was thousands. I mean, I had to quit getting it in my newsfeed because I flipped on Facebook sometimes and there'd be 50 people going “I learned how to bake bread…[Overall people are] getting to know each other more, and getting to know about the food they eat. So I think it was pretty good learning curve for a lot of people.” - Participant Interview

Crisy taco flavored Lay's potato chips
“I have a friend and for five years now we buy each other and try the new Lay’s flavor of chip and critique them like food critics. Was so happy to get this porch present.”
Variety of cheeses in a cheese counter
“After getting some bread, I often stop by Hills’ Cheese. Smoked gouda is one of our staples, and sometimes we decide to try one of their other cheeses for fun as well. The woman who’s usually behind the counter recently moved into our neighborhood. She knows us by now and instinctively reaches for the smoked gouda whenever we walk up.”

To learn more about the Flint Leverage Points Project, watch our Flint Food System Video.

To learn more about this photo project, visit our Briefing Notes page.

Explore other themes, images, and data.

*Note: The statements provided here represent the voices of the Flint residents who participated in this research project. They are not necessarily reflective of the values or opinions of Michigan State University or its affiliates.

Photo Project