Share your food story with us!  What are some of the things we would like to see?

  • A local store, market, or farm stand you enjoy

  • A new food or ingredient you tried

  • A meal you prepared at home

  • A new cooking or food preparation skill

  • Changes you’ve made to the way you shop, cook, or eat

  • Something that makes healthy eating easier or harder

  • Ideas or resources that have helped you

  • Be creative! What else do you want to share about your food story?

Ready to share your story? Review the submission guidelines and complete the form below.

What is Photovoice?

How to share your food story:

What do you see when you shop for food in your community? What discoveries have you made while trying new foods or preparing meals at home? PhotoVoice gives you a chance to share your experiences through photos and short stories.

As part of Shop Local Eat Smart, your photos and comments can help us learn more about local food shopping and healthy eating practices, what works well, what makes eating healthy and shopping easier or harder, and what resources people find useful.

How It Works

  1. Take a photo of something you notice while shopping for food in a local establishment.
  2. Tell us about it with a few words or a short story.
  3. Share your photo with the Shop Local Eat Smart team.

Your photos and stories provide valuable information that numbers alone cannot show. They can help us better understand local food shopping and improve resources for consumers and local food businesses.

Your voice can help shape the program. Share what you see, what you experience, and what you think would make shopping for healthy, affordable foods easier in your community.

Photo Submission Guidelines

Thank you for sharing your food story with Shop Local Eat Smart! Before you submit a photo, please keep these guidelines in mind:

  • Take your own photos. Please do not submit photos taken from the internet or someone else’s work.
  • Protect privacy. Avoid showing people’s faces unless they have given you permission to be photographed. Each person shared in a photo will need to complete a photo wavier.
  • Photos and stories should be appropriate for all ages. 
  • Share your own experience. Tell us what you noticed, tried, learned, or changed.
  • Add a short description. A few sentences about your photo helps us understand what you are sharing.
  • Do not include private information. Avoid showing addresses, phone numbers, receipts with personal information, or other identifying details.

By submitting a photo or story, you give Shop Local Eat Smart permission to use your submission for program education, promotion, evaluation, and outreach.

Questions? Contact the Shop Local Eat Smart team before submitting if you are unsure whether your photo or story is appropriate to share. lmatava@umd.edu or (301) 226.7713

Photovoice Submission Form

Questions? Contact lmatava@umd.edu or (301) 226-7713