Nina Mennies

University of Pittsburgh

Nina Mennies is a third-year student at the University of Pittsburgh whose underrepresented background makes her particularly well-suited to understand the difficulties that people experience when undergoing food insecurity. Her work with community-based food services (most recently the Healthy Food Center administered by the Allegheny Health Network) grants her direct knowledge of the administrative context for this work, and key contacts that she can leverage as she develops her research on the overlapping spaces of food aid in the Pittsburgh region. She intends to draw on her existing networks to develop a study on the experience of food insecurity that can directly benefit the work of that organization while also building her capacity to understand how state, non-profit, and community-based food aid can generate more collaborative and resilient relationships in urban communities.

Patrick Gallagher
Chancellor
University of Pittsburgh

Personal Statement

As a toddler growing up in Russia, my favorite make-believe game centered around giving out food to people in need. As I grew older, I became more consciously aware of my passion for fighting hunger, and I knew that I wanted to dedicate myself to understanding the root causes of food insecurity and working to eliminate systemic gaps to food access. During my time at the University of Pittsburgh, I have seized every opportunity to learn more about food insecurity, gaining knowledge that will continue to guide me as I work towards becoming an agent of change to combat hunger in the Pittsburgh community and beyond. I spent this past summer working with food-insecure clients at the Allegheny Health Network Healthy Food Center and am currently developing a research thesis that will survey SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Access Program) recipients and directly engage with food service organizations to map the impacts of both government and street-level food aid in Pittsburgh. The Newman Civic Fellowship will help ensure that my community-based research will contribute to the growing field of food insecurity studies by providing me with the tools to shape public policy that holds food access and equity at its core.

Nina Mennies
Urban Studies: Class of May 2023
written 2022

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Amogh Bandekar, UNC Charlotte Karen De La Rosa De Alejandro, Universidad de Monterrey Jeromy Hunt, Jr., University of Central Arkansas Isabeau Tyndall, University of Central Florida Samantha Gove, University of Connecticut Lauren Bower, University of Dayton Ryan DeRosa, University of Delaware Kayla Mazariego, University of Houston-Downtown Kotomi Yokokura, University of Kentucky Drake Ingram, University of La Verne Katharine McDaid, University of Mary Washington Zoi Burns, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Fabrizio Darby, University of Miami Ben Leavitt, University of Michigan Sydney Drennen, University of Missouri-St. Louis Sophia Rodriquez, University of Montana Massimiliano Saitta, University of Nebraska at Omaha Kate Mathews, University of New Hampshire Grey Nebel, University of North Georgia Nixson Benitez, University of Northern Iowa Jessica Ford, University of Pennsylvania Nina Mennies, University of Pittsburgh Penny Hu, University of Richmond Shayla Rodriguez, University of San Diego Aaron Fontan, University of San Francisco Richard Bennett, University of South Carolina Beaufort Angela Maloney, University of Wisconsin-Madison Tess Dimler, University of Wisconsin-Parkside Zea Miller, UW Green Bay
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