(P24-119-23) “We Didn’t Turn Away People”: Perspectives of Key Informants at Stakeholder Agencies in San Diego County, CA in Meeting the Food Insecurity Demands During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objectives: Food insecurity (FI) prevalence in the U.S. increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to elucidate the perspectives and experiences of key informants from diverse food- and nutrition-related stakeholder agencies in addressing FI in San Diego County, CA in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Framed by the Socioecological Model and a capacity-oriented approach, trained researchers conducted semi-structured interviews in 2021 with key informants at stakeholder agencies (n=16) providing food or nutrition services and programs across San Diego County, CA. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and checked for accuracy. The research team conducted thematic content analysis to identify emergent themes by applying codes from a developed codebook to the transcripts and conducting peer debriefing.

Results: Key informants from all agencies reported changing the format of at least some services in response to the pandemic, such as using technological adaptions and providing direct client services for the first time, instead of going through other agencies. Four preliminary overarching themes emerged related to addressing FI during the pandemic: 1) the drastic increase in hunger relief funding (financial capital) permitted agencies to increase the volume of services provided; 2) volunteers (human capital) and agency attributes (flexibility, creative and innovative strategies) were important within-agency capacities applied to mitigate pandemic-related barriers; 3) agencies prioritized their strengths, often partnering with agencies that complemented those strengths, to improve service efficiency, meet the high demand, and extend reach; and 4) the pandemic facilitated most agencies to prioritize future long-term strategic goals centered on being more intentional and innovative in their services.

Conclusions: Stakeholder agencies addressing FI in San Diego County, CA confronted the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic by leveraging existing multi-level within-agency and partnership capacities to expand the reach and impact of their services. Future research should consider the long-term impact of the pandemic on agency effectiveness in addressing FI.

Funding Sources: NIH- NHLBI K01HL150406; 2021 SDSU Emergency Funding to Hire Student Assistance with RSCA Program; 2021 SDSU Summer Undergraduate Research Program