Deservingness on the Front Lines: How Volunteers Navigate Moral Judgments in Emergency Food Distribution

The COVID-19 pandemic marked a significant shift in the landscape of social assistance in Canada, as emergency support became more widely accessible. Faced with the prospect of rapidly distributing aid during an international crisis, this study draws on interviews with 19 volunteers from an emergency food program in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside to explore how they determined which free food distribution strategies were appropriate. Findings show that decisions were shaped by cultural assumptions about deservingness and moral worth. Specifically, volunteers compared traditional food bank lineups, which were seen as stigmatizing and dehumazing, to the at home delivery service they implemented, which was considered more dignified. The decision to enact this free food distribution strategy also aligned with the neighborhood's ethos of social solidarity. By foregrounding how volunteers navigate moral judgments in their roles, this study contributes to broader sociological debates about the distribution of social assistance and the everyday moral labor involved in volunteer work.