The Food Equity Collaborative is excited to host a Capstone team for the 2025-2026 Academic Year!
In partnership with the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, the FEC will host a team of second-year Master of Public Health students. Capstone is a year-long, community-led, group-based, mentored, critical (i.e., explicitly focused on social justice) service-learning course where students have the opportunity to synthesize and apply their MPH training to community designed public health projects. Capstone serves as a master’s thesis substitute for MPH students in the Health Behavior and EQUITY concentrations.
Our Project
This project will explore and strengthen the impact of the FEC’s programs and partnerships, including our collaboration with Equiti Foods. The student team will support our work by evaluating how Good Bowls affect the wellbeing of local communities and the local food economy, and by developing tools and resources to help the FEC and other organizations expand their reach and effectiveness.
A visual synthesis of the human, economic, and environmental impacts of Good Bowls and related Equiti Foods programs. Existing data will be analyzed and presented through infographics designed to communicate key findings clearly and accessibly.
A deeper dive into the impact of Good Bowls based on new data collected from Good Bowls recipients, farmers, and meal producers. Findings will be shared through a presentation to highlight how locally sourced, healthy meals affect individuals and communities from farm to fork.
A practical evaluation framework and adaptable survey tools to help the FEC and partners track the ongoing impact of meal delivery programs. Instruments will measure outcomes for recipients, food providers, and meal producers and can be adapted for use over time.
A set of actionable resources for farmers, food hubs, and organizations looking to buy or sell local food. This guide will include outreach templates, sourcing tips, and tools to strengthen partnerships across the local food economy.
Meet the Team
-
Tori Wierzchowski, MPH
Preceptor
Tori graduated from UNC with her MPH in Health Behavior in 2024. With experience from her own Capstone and other food systems work, she is excited to mentor the student team as they complete their project!
-
Marissa Hall, PhD
Faculty Advisor
(Coming soon!)
-
Thea
(Coming soon!)
-
Simei
(Coming soon!)
-
Sabina
(Coming soon!)
-
Meredith
(Coming soon!)
Thea, Tori, Sophie, Sabina, Meredith, and Alice