1. Food Pantry Outreach and Research Ethan Snow, Department of Biological Sciences, Department of Psychology
Findings
Introduction
Discussion
Food Insecurity and the Pantry System: an Overview
Food security is the ability for a family or an individual to have reliable access to enough food at all times for an active, healthy life. When such reliable access is absent due to low or insufficient incomes, the household is considered food insecure. Food insecure households have to rely on alternative sources of food. One alternative source is local food pantries. These agencies serve a wide variety of low-income clients: elderly, disabled individuals, homeless, and working families with young children. Research into the different needs and struggles of low-income households is vital in order to best aid such a diverse client base.
Although there are no tangible results as of yet, the information gleaned from the literature review invites speculation on the outcome of the current study. Some major highlights from the previous literature that I expect will be reflected in the new results are:
Importance of SNAP (Food Stamps) and other alternative sources of food
Alarming rate of necessary spending trade-offs
Alarming rate of food insecurity in households with children
Other findings from the new study that might prove of interest:
Importance / desire of transportation for easier access to community resources
Desire for other types of service and outreach presence at food pantries. This should underline the influence of spending trade-offs (i.e. utility or medical assistance)
Food Insecurity (Coleman-Jensen, et al., 2016):
42.2 million Americans lived in food insecure households in 2015
13.1 million of these people are children
11.8% of Rhode Island households are food insecure
Food Pantries Nationwide – Feeding America (Burger, et al., 2014):
200 associated Food Banks
46,000 agencies
Aids 46.5 million people each year
Food Pantries in RI – RICFB (Status Report on Hunger in Rhode Island, 2016):
RICFB serves 59,000 people each month
RICFB is the source of 9% of meals annually for low-income RI households
33.2 million (15%) missing meals in low-income RI households per year
Source: Coleman-Jensen, et al., 2016
Final Thoughts
Figure 1 - Nationwide (top): The % of Feeding America households nationwide that make at least one of the five major spending trade-offs each year. The most common trade off is deciding to pay for food or utilities at 69%
I initially started this project with the focus on the undergraduate student researchers. My final product was going to be a self-help guide targeting undergraduates for professional development or help getting into graduate school. Eventually, I realized this narrow focus would not let me do justice to the other aspect of my project, hunger and the community. So, in the end, I went with the hybrid approach seen here. I did get some great feedback from the student researchers but can only fit a few of the quotes here due to space:
“This research project has definitely pushed me out of my typical comfort zone… I gained a great amount of confidence.”
“[I was] surprised [at] the wide range of people who use food pantries and their reasons why.”
“Communication is key to successful management of a data collection team.”
“[This research] helped me gain skills on data collection, professional interaction, and social skills.”
Source: FeedingAmerica.org
Approach
Figure 2 – Rhode Island (bottom): The different sources of meals for low –income RI households annually. SNAP provides the most at 44% of meals, the Food Bank provides 9%, and 15% of meals are missing
The approach used for this project was twofold. First, a literature review was conducted regarding:
The nature and extent of food insecurity in the U.S
The nature and extent of food insecurity in Rhode Island
The role of local food pantries in providing an alternative source of food for low-income households.
The second aspect of this project took the form of field research. During the Spring 2017 semester, an undergraduate Psychology class, PSY302 (Applied Methods in Psychological Research) administered a hunger research survey in food pantries across Rhode Island. The results of the survey will be used by the RI Community Food Bank (RICFB) to identify the best strategies to better help their clients. I worked as part of the team supervising this research endeavor. My participation included:
Assisting in the design of the data collection plan,
Conducting outreach and sensitivity trainings
Coordinating with RI food pantries to facilitate data collection opportunities.
Also of interest to me for this project was the student researchers themselves. For many of them, this was their first experience in the community or with field research. I aimed to examine the effect of this experience on professional development and research skills.
Source: Status Report on Hunger in Rhode Island, 2016
Current Study
The current study that was conducted this semester consisted of a 45 question survey. It was administered with the goal of investigating potential strategies and policies to better help low-income Rhode Islanders who visit RICFB associated food pantries. Modules of questions were intended to collect data on:
Demographics
Food pantry visitation habits
Quality of service at food pantries
Different types of services or outreach that clients would like to see at pantries
Other sources of food
Occurrence of spending trade-offs (i.e. buy food or buy medicine)
Level of food insecurity
Accessibility to community resources
Since data collection is ongoing for this research, there are currently no results to be shared here. Once the data collection is complete and the results analyzed, the RICFB and individual food pantries in the state will be able to implement corresponding policies and strategies to better service low-income Rhode Islanders.
Literature Cited
Borger, C., et al. (2014). Hunger in America: Executive summary. (2014). Feeding America.
Coleman-Jensen, A., Rabbit, M.P., Gregory, C.A., Singh, A. (2016). Household food security in the United States in USDA. ERR 215.
Status Report on Hunger in Rhode Island (2016). Rhode Island Community Food Bank.
Acknowledgements
Sponsor - Kathleen Gorman, Feinstein Hunger Center
Andrea Paiva, Department of Psychology
Sally Cottrill, Department of Psychology