Ƶ students and community leaders, supported by the Center for Design Thinking, delved into conversations surrounding food systems in Alamance County.
The Center for Design Thinking and the Power+Place Collaborative hosted a screening titled “Food and Food Pathways” this past spring at the local Alamance County bookstore, . This screening brought together Ƶ students and professors, Power+Place storytellers and local community leaders to participate in a discussion on issues of food justice and local food infrastructure.
The Power+Place Collaborative collects oral histories from surrounding Alamance County community members to record, preserve, present and celebrate diverse perspectives. For this project, Ƶ students interviewed eight different storytellers. These diverse storytellers showcased their stories, focusing on the communal impact of food, addressing the disparities in food justice and discussing the structural aspects of our food systems.
Not only did the storytellers highlighted by Power+Place represent a diverse sample of Alamance County, but the screening participants also provided an opportunity for interracial and intergenerational communities to interact. An audience of approximately 90 people, with over 80 residing within Alamance County, listened to these impactful stories and participated in meaningful conversations surrounding the inequalities, effects, and workings of the local food system.
Screening participants were prompted to enter discussions with their group members after each pairing of video stories. From the session focused on the communal impacts of food and food systems, one sample group said, “Food facilitates community and interaction between individuals both in the creation of meals and enjoyment of them.”
This idea was shared by several participant groups, with others highlighting how social inequalities, such as financial hardships and lack of governmental support to combat hunger, affect how various communities have relationships with food.
Not only do social inequalities affect communal relationships with food at a broader level, but discussion groups were also prompted to analyze the disconnects within the local Alamance County systems.
In one discussion, participants analyzed the disconnect between corporate and small food companies, saying that the “prohibitive costs associated with ethical consumption (buying local, organic, etc.) have also hindered inclusivity and accessibility, making it difficult for people that represent different demographics to participate equally in food.”
While these questions prompted analysis of these disconnects at the local level, participants were also prompted to discuss how food systems could be improved to increase inclusivity and equitable access. Participants provided a variety of powerful answers, including ideas on how to promote ethical food consumption, encouraging collective action and larger community efforts to address these issues and advocating for local government intervention.
While the Power+Place Collaborative, in partnership with the Center for Design Thinking, successfully aimed to bring awareness to these food systems, they also achieved a broader goal of increasing community engagement at a broader level. Participants and storytellers from the food and food pathways screening reportedly left the event feeling like they had a better understanding of the food systems in Alamance County, had engaged with diverse perspectives, and felt a stronger connection with the community.
This storytelling initiative continues this fall with a countywide screening and dinner scheduled for Dec. 1, 2026, from 5:30-7:30 PM. Interested community members can register at the following .
If you would like to view a full analysis of the Spring 2026 screening, a report is available online.