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All Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone
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Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects
2016
Fruit and Vegetable Availability, Nutrition
Education and Access Amongst Food Pantries in
California, Maine, Mississippi and South Dakota
Sarah L. Fowler
Minnesota State University Mankato
Follow this and additional works at: http://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/etds
Part of the Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Commons, and the Public Health Education and
Promotion Commons
Recommended Citation
Fowler, Sarah L., "Fruit and Vegetable Availability, Nutrition Education and Access Amongst Food Pantries in California, Maine,
Mississippi and South Dakota" (2016). All Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects. Paper 598.
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FruitandVegetableAvailability,NutritionEducationandAccessAmongstFoodPantries
inCalifornia,Maine,MississippiandSouthDakota
By
SarahFowler
AThesisSubmittedinPartialFulfillmentofthe
RequirementsfortheDegreeof
Masters
In
CommunityHealthEducation
MinnesotaStateUniversity,Mankato
Mankato,Minnesota
May2016
03/30/2016
GraduateStudent
SarahFowler
Thisthesishasbeenexaminedandapprovedbythefollowingmembersofthestudent’s
committee.
____________________________________
Advisor–Dr.AmyHedman
____________________________________
CommitteeMember–Dr.JudithLuebke
____________________________________
CommitteeMember–Dr.MarkWindschitl
ABSTRACT
Thisdescriptivestudyexploredtheviewsoffoodpantrydirectorsinfourstates
regardingpantryfruitandvegetablestockandsupply,nutritioneducationoffered,and
currentpracticesandperceivedbarrierstoprovidingaccesstofoodpantriestolowincomeindividualsandfamiliesinneed.Thisstudyexaminedthesevariablesby
surveyingstaffatthefoodpantrieswhohavedirectcontactwiththeindividualsand
familieswhoutilizethepantries.AllsurveyresponseswerecollectedutilizingQualtrics
softwareandthenanalyzedinSPSS.Therewere87respondentsfromfourdifferent
states,California,Maine,Mississippi,andSouthDakota.
Thereportingforbothfreshfruitsandfreshvegetableswassimilaracrossstates,
withCaliforniaandMainehavingahighersupplyoffreshproduce.Mississippiand
SouthDakotareportedthatthepercentageoftheirfreshfruitsandvegetableswas
between0-25%atallparticipatingpantries,nopantriesreportedthattheirstockof
freshproducewasover25%inthesetwostates.
Overall,thelargestneedwasfordark-greenvegetables,43%(n=37),redand
orangevegetables,46%(n=40)andfruit,38%(n=33)reportedaninsufficientsupply.
Themajorityreportedasufficientsupplyofstarchyvegetables,70%(n=61)other
vegetables,60%(n=52)andlegumes,beansandpeas,62%(n=54).
Thereweremultiplebarriersreportedacrossstatesthathavemadeitchallenging
toprovideindividualsandfamiliesaccesstotheirpantry.Theprimarybarriersin
California,MaineandMississippiwere:limitedstaffingandvolunteers,limited
operatinghours,andlackoftransportationtothepantry.
Allpantriesinthisstudyreportedtakingstepstomakeiteasierforclientstoaccess
theiragency.Someofthewaystheyhavedonethisisthroughexpandingoperating
hours,increasingstaff,providinginformationonpublictransportationtopantryclients,
reducingthedocumentationrequirementsandprovidingdeliverytohomeservices.
Itisveryapparentthroughthisresearchthatfoodpantriesareawareofthe
challengesthatboththeyandtheirclientsface.Theparticipatingpantriesinthisstudy
reportedthattheyhavemadechangesinordertobetteraccommodateindividualsand
familiesinneed.
TABLEOFCONTENTS
CHAPTER1:StatementoftheProblem..............................................................................1
BackgroundoftheProblem.........................................................................................1
StatementoftheProblem...........................................................................................6
SignificanceoftheProblem.........................................................................................7
QuestionstobeAnsweredAmongParticipantsinFourSelectedStates..................10
Limitations.................................................................................................................10
Delimitations.............................................................................................................11
Assumptions..............................................................................................................12
DefinitionofTerms....................................................................................................12
CHAPTER2:ReviewofRelatedLiterature........................................................................14
Introduction...............................................................................................................14
FruitandVegetableConsumptionandAvailabilityinFoodPantries........................15
NutritionEducation...................................................................................................19
AccesstoHealthyFoods............................................................................................20
Summary...................................................................................................................21
CHAPTER3:Methodology................................................................................................22
Introduction...............................................................................................................22
ResearchDesign........................................................................................................22
ParticipantSelection..................................................................................................23
SurveyInstrument.....................................................................................................24
DataCollection..........................................................................................................25
DataAnalysis.............................................................................................................26
CHAPTER4:Findings.........................................................................................................27
DataAnalysis.............................................................................................................27
FoodPantriesStockandSupplyofFruitsandVegetables.........................................29
NutritionEducation...................................................................................................35
BarrierstoProvidingAccesstoFoodPantries...........................................................37
StepsTakenbyFoodPantriestoAddressIssuesofAccesstotheirFoodPantry......40
Summary...................................................................................................................42
CHAPTER5:Summary,RecommendationsandConclusions............................................44
Summary...................................................................................................................44
InterpretationofFindings.........................................................................................45
Recommendations....................................................................................................47
Conclusions................................................................................................................48
REFERENCES......................................................................................................................50
APPENDIXA:IRBApproval................................................................................................57
APPENDIXB:Permissiontouse2014HungerinAmericaSurveyQuestions...................58
APPENDIXC:AgencySurvey.............................................................................................59
APPENDIXD:InternetEmailMessageandInformedConsent.........................................65
LISTOFTABLES
TableI:ImportanceofGivingOutandServing“Healthier”FoodstoPantryClients........28
TableII:PercentageoftheTotalFoodatthePantriesthatConsistsofFruitsand
Vegetables........................................................................................................................29
TableIII:PercentageofFreshFruits.................................................................................30
TableIV:PercentageofFreshVegetables........................................................................30
TableV:PercentageofCannedFruits...............................................................................31
TableVI:PercentageofCannedVegetables.....................................................................31
TableVII:SupplyofFruitsandVegetablesbyCategory...................................................32
TableVIII:ActivitiesPerformedbyFoodPantriestoOfferNutritionEducation..............36
TableIX:ChallengeswithProvidingAccesstotheFoodPantrytoIndividualsinNeed...38
TableX:StepsthathavebeenTakentoMakeitEasierforIndividualstoAccessFood
Pantries.............................................................................................................................41
1
CHAPTER1
StatementoftheProblem
BackgroundoftheProblem
Accordingtorecentdata,70%oftheAmericanpopulationislivingwithachronic
diseaseand2outof3Americanslivewithmorethanonechroniccondition(Kuebler,
2015).Whilephysiciansprescribemedicationsformanyoftheseconditions,each
individualhastheabilitytoimprovetheirhealththroughahealthierdietandincreased
exercise(CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention[CDC],2015).
Fruitandvegetableconsumptionisonedietaryapproachinwhichindividuals
havetheabilitytopreventandtreatchronicdiseasewithnutrition(Salinardietal.,
2013)andyetsomanypeoplefailtodoso.Dietshighinfruitandvegetables,nuts,
wholegrains,andsoyproteinconsumptionhavebeenshowntobeanti-inflammatory
andhaveaprotectiveeffectonhealthduetoincreasedamountsofantioxidantsand
phytochemicalsinthesefoods(Winston,2010).Individualswhoeatamoreplant-based
diethavelowerbloodlipidlevelsandlowerriskofchronicdisease(Winston,2010).In
theUnitedStates,thereisaveryhighrateofchronicdiseaseincludingdiabetes,
metabolicsyndrome,hypertension,hyperlipidemia,coronaryarterydisease,peripheral
arterydisease,heartfailureandmanymorecommonmedicalconditions(CDC,2015).
Thereisevidencethatthesefoodsimprovehealthandpreventdisease.Inastudy
conductedonpeoplewithadvancedheartdisease,patientswhofollowedaplant-based
2
diet,primarilylowinfatandcholesterol,diedatarateoffourtimeslowerthanthose
whodidnotfollowtheplant-baseddiet(Campbell&Campbell,2006).
Therecommendedamountoffruitsandvegetablesadayis8-10servingsfor
adultsor4-5servingsfromeachgroup(AmericanHeartAssociation,2016).Theaverage
Americanisnotgettinganywherenearthisamount.Inasurveyof2126womenand
1911menintheUnitedStates,thereportedconsumptionoffruitswas1.04timesaday
forwomenand.98adayformen.Thereportedconsumptionofvegetableswas1.98a
dayforwomenand1.88adayformen(Tamers,Agurs-Collins,Dodd&Nebeling,2009).
Thosewithhigherlevelsofeducationconsumedmoreservingsofbothfruitsand
vegetables(Tamersetal.,2009).
IntheUnitedStatesthereareagreatnumberofadultswhoarebothoverweight
andundernourished,whoarenotconsumingthevitaminsandnutrientstheirbodies
needandinturnaredevelopinghealthproblemsataveryyoungage.Infact,one
researchstudyexaminedprevalenceratesoftype2diabetesinUSadolescents,aged
10-19yearsofage;researchersfoundthatbetween2001and2009therewasa35%
increaseintype2diabetesprevalenceamongstthisagegroup,(Dabeleaetal.,2014).
Thisisoneexampleofarapidlyincreasingchronichealthdiseaseovertheshortspanof
9yearsthatcanbepreventedthroughnutritionandlifestyle(Dabeleaetal,2014).
AlongitudinalstudybyTuckerandcolleagues(2005)researchedtheimpactofa
diethighinfruitsandvegetablesandlowinsaturatedfatson501menbeginningatage
3
34-80andthroughdeath.Theresearchreviewedtheimpactoffruitsandvegetables
andsaturatedfatintakesseparatelyandtogether.Findingsindicatedthata
combinationofboththehighfruitandvegetableconsumptionandlowlevelsof
saturatedfatshadthegreatesthealthimpactasevidencedinlowerriskofdeathtoall
causes(Tuckeretal.,2005).Theriskofdeathduetoanycausewasthirty-onepercent
lessandtheriskofdeathduetocoronaryheartdiseasewasseventy-sixpercentless
amongthegroupofmenwhoconsumedadietbothhighinfruitsandvegetablesand
lowinsaturatedfats.Fruitandvegetableintakealoneindicatedthattheallcause
mortalityriskdecreasedbysixpercentandthecoronaryheartdiseaseriskofmortality
decreasedbytwenty-onepercentforeachadditionalservingoffruitsandvegetables
consumed(Tuckeretal.,2005).Thesefindingshelptohighlighttheimpactthatadiet
highinfruitsandvegetablesandlowinsaturatedfatscanhaveonhealth,also
suggestingasavingsofhealthcaredollarsinpreventingnon-communicablediseasesand
minimizinghospitalizations.
Many,ifnotmost,low-incomeindividualsandfamiliesarenotgettingsufficient
fruitsandvegetablesintheirdiets,astepthatcouldhelpwardoffillness,combat
diseaseandalsoreducecostlymedicalbills(Mirmiran,Noori,Zavareh,&Azizi,2009).
Onestudylookedatthecostofmedicalcareamonghospitalpatientsbasedontheir
nutritionalstatus;researchersfoundthathospitalpatientswhoweremalnourishedhad
increasedmedicalcostsupto308.9%(Correia&Waitzberg,2003).Thisstudyhelpsto
highlighttheimpactthatlackofnutritioncanhaveonmedicalcostsalone.
4
Haynes-Maslow,Parsons,WheelerandLeone(2013)investigatedthebarriersto
fruitandvegetableconsumptionamongstlow-incomecommunities.Sixbarrierswere
identifiedandtheseincluded:“cost,transportation,quality,variety,changingfood
environmentandchangingsocietynormsonfood”(Haynes-Maslow,Parsons,Wheeler,
&Leone,2013,p.3).Ofthesesixbarriers,costwascitedfourtimesmorethanany
otherbarrier(Haynes-Maslowetal.,2013).
Duetothegreatneedforimprovednutritionamongstlow-incomeindividuals
andfamilies,FeedingAmericadevelopedaframework,knownasFoodstoEncourage
(F2E).Thisframeworkconsistsoffruits,vegetables,wholegrains,leanmeatsandlowfatdairyproductsandwasdevelopedforfoodbanksandfoodpantriestouseasa
guidelineforcollectinganddistributingfoodsandservesasarecommendation,rather
thanarequirement(FeedingAmerica,2015).
Inadditiontoofferinghealthyfoodoptions,nutritionaleducationisone
importanttoolthatcanbeutilizedtoimprovehealthoutcomesandfoodchoicesinlowincomeindividualsandcommunities.AccordingtotheNationalHealthcareDisparities
Report(UnitedStatesDepartmentofHealthandHumanServices[USDHHS],2012),lowincome,obeseadultswerelesslikelytoreceiveadvicefromtheirphysicianabout
healthyeatingthanhigh-income,obeseadults.Ofallagegroups,obeseadultsbetween
theagesof18-44yearsweretheleastlikelygrouptoreceiveadvicefromtheirdoctor
onhealthyeating(USDHHS,2012).Oftentimes,thedecision-makerformealsandfood
choicesinafamilyistheparentwhofallswithinthisagerange.Theimportant
5
discussiononhealthandnutritionalguidancefromtheirphysicianthatlow-income,
obeseadultsarereceivinglessfrequentlythanhigh-incomeobeseadults(USDHHS,
2012),inturn,notonlyaffectstheindividualbutoftentimestheirfamily.
Evidencehasshownthatpeoplewholiveinareaswithlessaccesstogrocery
storeshaveincreasedratesofobesity.Onestudyconductedon1,372householdsin
Pittsburgh,Pennsylvanianeighborhoodsfoundthatforeachadditionalmileneededto
traveltogettoagrocerystore,obesityriskincreasedby5%(P<.05)(Ghosh-Dastidar,
Cohen,Hunter,Zenk,Huang,Beckman&Dubowitz,2014).
Manypeopleinlow-incomecommunitieslacktransportationandaccessto
nearbygrocerystores(Algert,Agrawal&Lewis,2006).Theyliveinfooddesertswhich
arecommunitieswithlow-accesstogrocerystores,specificallymorethan1milein
urbanareasandmorethan10milesinruralareas(UnitedStatesDepartmentof
Agriculture,2015a).Thesefooddesertsareoftentimesfulloffastfoodchainsand
conveniencestores,bothofwhichofferfewnutritiousfoodsandmanyhighcalorie,low
nutrientdensefoodswhichquicklyleadtoweightgainandamyriadofhealthproblems.
TheUnitedStatesDepartmentofAgricultureestimatesthatwelloverhalfofthepeople
livinginfooddesertsarelow-income(13.5millionpeople)(USDA,2015a).Whilethere
aremillionsoflow-incomepeoplelivinginfooddeserts,intheUnitedStatesin2014,
therewere46.7millionpeopleatorbelowthepovertylevel(UnitedStatesCensus
Bureau,2015).
6
Thepurposeofthisstudywastoexaminetheviewsoffoodpantrydirectorsin
fourstatesregardingpantryfruitandvegetablestockandsupply,nutritioneducation
offered,andcurrentpracticesandperceivedbarrierstoprovidingaccesstofood
pantriestolow-incomeindividualsandfamiliesinneed.
StatementoftheProblem
Fruitandvegetableintakeinlower-incomecommunitiesislowerthanthe
recommendedamount(Robinson,2008).Dietslowinfruitsandvegetablescontribute
tohigherratesofdiseaseandincreasedmedicalcosts(WHO,2004).Somecontributors
totheseincreasedratesofdiseaseinlow-incomecommunitiesinclude:dietslowin
fruitsandvegetables,lackofnutritioneducation,andissuesofaccesstofoodpantries
thatsupplynutrient-densefoods(Algertetal.,2006.)
Manypeopleinlow-incomecommunitiesseekfoodthroughfoodpantries.In
fact,33.48millionpeopleatorbelowthepovertylevelutilizefoodpantriesandrelyon
foodassistance(FeedingAmerica,2016b).Ofthepeoplerelyingonfoodpantriesfor
assistance,fifty-eightpercentreporthavinghighbloodpressureandthirty-three
percentreporthavingdiabetes(FeedingAmerica,2016c).Animportantpointto
consideristhatmanypeoplelivingatorbelowthepovertyleveland/orrelyingonfood
assistancemaynotseekroutinemedicalcareandthusthesenumbersmaybehigher.
OneinsevenpeopleintheUnitedStatesutilizedfoodbanksin2014(Feeding
America,2016c).Thesefoodbanksarethemajorsuppliersoffoodpantries,whichare
7
theorganizationsthathavedirectcontactwithcustomers.Comparedtopreviousyears,
peoplearenowrelyingonfoodfromfoodbanksonamoreregularbasis,whereasin
previousyearstheywereutilizedmoreoftenforemergencyfoodneeds.Fiftyfour
percentofclients,fromover61,000surveyed,reportedvisitingafoodpantrysixor
moremonthswithinthepastyear(FeedingAmerica,2015b).Atthesametimealarge
shortageexistsinthedietofmostadultsandchildrenintheirconsumptionofhighly
nutritiousfoodssuchasfruitsandvegetables.AccordingtotheCentersforDisease
ControlandPrevention,theaverageadultintheUnitedStatesconsumes1.1servingsof
fruitsperdayand1.6servingsofvegetablesperday,(CDC,2013).Low-incomefamilies
havecitedcostasalargebarriertoconsumptionoffruitsandvegetables.
Thisstudywillexaminetheviewsoffoodpantrydirectorsinfourstates
regardingpantryfruitandvegetablestockandsupply,nutritioneducationoffered,and
currentpracticesandperceivedbarrierstoprovidingaccesstofoodpantriestolowincomeindividualsandfamiliesinneed.
SignificanceoftheProblem
“Unhealthydietsandphysicalinactivityarethusamongtheleadingcausesofthe
majornon-communicablediseases,includingcardiovasculardisease,type2diabetes
andcertaintypesofcancer,andcontributesubstantiallytotheglobalburdenofdisease,
deathanddisability.Otherdiseasesrelatedtodietandphysicalinactivity,suchasdental
cariesandosteoporosis,arewidespreadcausesofmorbidity”(WHO,2004,p.2).While
8
infectiousdiseasesusedtoaccountforthebiggestthreattomorbidityandmortality,
non-communicablediseasesthatarepreventablethroughdietandexercisehavequickly
arrivedattheforefront.Infact,therearesixriskfactorsfornon-communicabledisease
andfouroftheseriskfactorsarerelatedtodiet(WHO,2004).
IntheUnitedStates,non-communicablediseasesaccountforeighty-seven
percentofalldeathsandthatnumbercontinuestogrow(Anonymous,2011).Interms
ofhealthcarecostsintheUnitedStates,individualswithoneormorechronicmedical
conditions,ornon-communicablediseases,accountfor86%oftotalhealthcare
spendingdollars(USDHHS,2010).Thisnumberincreasesgreatlydependingonthe
numberofchronicconditions;individualswithfiveormorechronicconditionshave
healthcarecoststhatare13.5timesgreaterthanthosewithnochronicconditions
(USDHHS,2010).
Unlesssomeseriouschangesatacommunitylevelaremade,thistrendisgoing
tobedifficulttohaltorreverse.Nutritionisanimportantcomponentinreversingthis
trendandinhealthscienceasadiscipline.Thisisanareainwhichtherearemany
answersintermsofwhatconstitutesahealthydiet,butthereareadditionalfactorsto
considerinunderstandingthepsychology,economics,structuralandsocialbarriersthat
preventpeoplefromfollowingahealthydiet.Manylow-incomefamilieshavecited
financialbarrierstopurchasingfreshfruitsandvegetables(Haynes-Maslowetal.,2013)
andmillionsliveinfooddesertswithnonearbyaccesstothesehealthyfoodgroups
(USDA,2015a).Inaddition,therearebarrierstoaccessofinformationregarding
9
nutritioneducation(USDHHS,2012).
Ineffortstopreventmajornon-communicablediseases,theWorldHealth
Organization(WHO)hasmadealistofsomekeygoalsandobjectives.Theystrongly
urgenationstousetheserecommendationsasaguidelinewhendevelopingtheir
nationalpoliciesfornutritionandphysicalactivity.WHOhasfourmainnutritiongoals
thatinclude:limitingsaturatedfats&transfattyacids,limitingsugars,limitingsaltand
increasingfruitandvegetableintake,includinglegumes,wholegrainsandnuts(World
HealthOrganization[WHO],2004).
Thegoalofthisresearchistoexaminetheviewsoffoodpantrydirectorsinfour
statesregardingpantryfruitandvegetablestockandsupply,nutritioneducation
offered,andcurrentpracticesandperceivedbarrierstoprovidingaccesstofood
pantriestolow-incomeindividualsandfamiliesinneed.Thiswillhelphealtheducation
specialistsandpublicpolicydecision-makerstobetterunderstandcurrentfruitand
vegetablesupply,nutritioneducationandissuesofaccesstofoodpantriesandinturn
worktowardssystemicimprovements.
10
QuestionstobeAnsweredAmongSampledParticipantsinFourSelectedStates:
I.
Towhatextentdofoodpantriesreportsufficientsupply/stockoffruitsand
vegetables?
I.
Towhatextentisnutritioneducationofferedtoindividualsutilizingfood
pantries?
II.
Whatbarriersdofoodpantriesfacewithprovidingaccesstoindividualsand
familieswhodonotlivenearafoodpantryorhaveaccesstotransportation?
III.
Whatstepsarebeingtakenbyfoodpantriestoaddressissuesofaccesstotheir
foodpantryforthoseindividualsandfamilieswhodonotlivenearapantryor
haveaccesstotransportation?
Limitations
Limitationsofthisresearchincludeafewvariables.Useofanelectronic
questionnairemayhaveaffectedthenumberofparticipantswhorespondedtothe
questionnaire.Manypeoplemayhavechosennottorespondduetoaninfluxofemails
intotheirinboxandthisstudymaynothavebeenahighpriorityforthoseindividuals.
Inabilitytoidentifythecoordinatorordirectorforsomefoodpantrieswasanother
limitation.Inthesecaseswhereidentificationofthecoordinatorordirectorwasa
challenge,anemailwassenttothegeneralpantryinboxinhopesofbeingcompletedby
astaffmemberoravolunteer.Whilethegoalwastohavethecoordinatorordirector
completethequestionnaire,therewereinstanceswerethepantrywassosmallthatno
specifieddirectororcoordinatorexisted,suchaswhenthepantrywasoperatedoutofa
11
churchbychurchstaff,ortimesweretheemailwasforwardedtothemostappropriate
persontoanswerthequestions,suchasapantrywarehousemanager.Manyfood
pantriesarequitesmallandhaveverylimitedhoursofoperation,whichcouldhavealso
impactedtheabilitytoreachparticipants.Lastly,therewereanunevennumberof
participantsperstate,whichprovideddisproportionateresponseratesandthus,results
arenotgeneralizable.
Delimitations
Theparticipantschosenforthisstudywerereachedviaelectronicmail;this
methodmostlikelyreducedresponseratesbutwaschosenasitallowedagreater
participantnetworktobecontactedforparticipation.Thismethodwasalsochosen,as
itisthemostefficientmannerinwhichtoreachparticipantsgiventhebrieftimeframe
forresearchcollection.Whilesomeofthequestionsinthequestionnairehavehigh
validityduetobeingusedinasurveyofover61,000households(HungerinAmerica,
2014),therewerealso16questionsthatwerecomposedbytheresearcherandwere
nottestedforvalidity.Anadditionaldelimitationoftheresearchisthatitwas
conductedinFebruary,whichcouldaffectresponsestothequantitiesofseasonal
produceatthefoodpantries.Thereisapossibilityiftheresearchweretobecompleted
inasummerorfallmonth,therewouldbeincreasedamountsoffreshfruitsand
vegetables.
12
Assumptions
Itwasassumedparticipantswouldanswerquestionshonestlyandasaccurately
aspossible.Additionalassumptionsincludedthattheytookthetimetogivetheirtrue
“bestguess”,withoutprovidingbiasedanswersforresearch.Itwasalsoassumedthat
coordinatorsanddirectorsofthefoodpantriesbeingsurveyedhadthoroughknowledge
oftheirclienteleaswellasthestructuralaspectsoftheorganization.Intheinstances
wheretheemailwascompletedbysomeoneotherthanthecoordinatorordirector,it
wasassumedthattheparticipantwasthemostappropriatepersontocompletethe
surveyandprovidedknowledgeableanswerstosurveyquestions.
DefinitionofTerms
FoodBank:“Afoodbankisa501(c)(3)charitableorganizationthatsolicits,stores,and
distributesdonatedfood.Foodbanks’primaryroleistosupplyfoodpantries,soup
kitchens,andothersmalleragencieswiththefoodtomeettheneedsoftheir
communities,withsomefoodbanksservinghundredsofsmalleragenciesacross
multiplecounties”(CaliforniaAssociationofFoodBanks,2016b,para.1)
FoodDesert:Low-incomecommunitieswithlow-accesstogrocerystores(morethan1
mileinurbanareasand10milesinruralareas).(USDA,2015a).
Foodinsecurity:householdswithlimitedoruncertainaccesstofood
•
Lowfoodsecurity:“reducedquality,variety,ordesirabilityofdiet.Littleorno
13
indicationofreducedfoodintake”(USDA,2015b,para.3).
•
Verylowfoodsecurity:“multipleindicationsofdisruptedeatingpatternsand
reducedfoodintake”(USDA,2015b,para.3).
FoodShelf/FoodPantry:Anagencyororganizationthatsuppliesfoodtoindividualsand
familiesinneeddirectly(CaliforniaAssociationofFoodBanks,2016b).
14
CHAPTER2
ReviewofRelatedLiterature
Introduction
Foodpantriesareagenciesandorganizationsthatcollectandsupplyfoodfroma
combinationoffoodbanks,governmentassistanceandothervariousdonationsto
individualsandfamiliesinneed.CurrentlyintheUnitedStatesthereareover63,000
foodpantries(USDA,2013)andover46millionpeopleutilizefoodpantriesandrelyon
foodassistanceannually(FeedingAmerica,2016c).Withsomanyindividualsrelyingon
foodpantries,itisimportanttoconsiderthedietaryrecommendationsinorderto
providethemwithadequatenutrition.TheUSDAprovidesguidelinesand
recommendationsforallfoodgroups.Theyrecommendatmealtimethathalfofthe
plateconsistoffruitsandvegetables,or2cupsoffruitsand2.5to3cupsofvegetables
perdayforadults(USDA,2016).
Thischapterexploresexistingliteratureandresearchthathasbeenconducted
amongstfoodpantriesspecificallyinvestigating:fruitandvegetableavailability,the
impactofnutritioneducation,andidentifiedissueswithaccesstofoodpantries.The
existingliteraturereviewedisbasedonresearchconductedthroughoutfoodpantriesin
theUnitedStateswithinthepasttenyears.
15
FruitandVegetableConsumptionandAvailabilityinFoodPantries
Whilemanyeffortshavebeenmadetobringincreasedamountsoffruits,
vegetablesandotherhighlynutritiousfoodstohouseholdsutilizingfoodpantries
(FeedingAmerica,2016a),thisstudywillexploreup-to-dateinformationregarding
availabilityofthesefoodgroups.Inaddition,thisstudywillexplorefourdifferentstates
inordertogatherwhetherornotthisincreasedavailabilityoffruitsandvegetablesin
foodpantriesisuniversal.
Therecommendedamountoffruitsandvegetablesadayis8-10servingsfor
adultsor4-5servingsfromeachgroup(AmericanHeartAssociation[AHA],2016).The
averageAmericanisnotgettinganywherenearthisamount.Inonesurveyof2126
womenand1911menintheUnitedStates,thereportedconsumptionoffruitswas1.04
timesadayforwomenand.98adayformenwhilethereportedconsumptionof
vegetableswas1.98adayforwomenand1.88adayformen(Tamersetal.,2009).
Inrecentyears,stepshavebeentakenacrossthecountrytobringmorefresh
fruitsandvegetablestolowerincomefamiliesandindividualsinneed,withcertain
statesleadinginthisendeavor.Manylow-incomeindividualsandfamiliescitecostasa
primarybarriertoconsuminghighnutrientfoodssuchasfruitsandvegetables(HaynesMaslowetal.,2013).Oneurbanresearchstudyprovidesagoodexampleofhowgreatly
costinfluenceschoicestopurchasinghealthyfoods;inthisstudy40%ofresidents
reportedtheywereunabletoaffordhealthyfoods(Breland,McAndrew,Gross,
16
Leventhal,&Horowitz,2013).
Campbell,Hudson,Webb,andCrawford(2011)examinedfoodpreferences
amongst15differentfoodpantries.Bothclientsanddirectorsofthefoodpantrieswere
surveyed.Atleast90%oftheclientssurveyedstatedthatfruitsandvegetableswere
either‘veryimportant’or‘important’tothemtoreceiveatthepantry(Campbelletal.,
2011).Researchersalsonotedinventoryandfoundthat,alittlelessthanhalfofthe
foodofferedamongstthese15pantrieshadfreshvegetablesandonlyathirdoffered
freshfruitonthedaydatawascollected.
InAlabamaacross-sectionalstudyexploreddietquality,foodinsecurityand
obesityamongstwomenutilizingafoodpantry.Roughly68%ofthewomensurveyed
reportednoconsumptionoffruits,darkgreenandorangevegetables,legumesorwhole
grainswithinthepast24hours,howeverwomenonWomen,Infants,andChildren
(WIC),thefederalsupplementalnutritionprogram,werefoundtohaveanincreased
consumptionofthesefoods(Duffy,Zizza,Jacoby&Tayie,2009).Researchersfound
thatpeoplehadpoordietquality,highfoodinsecurityandhighratesofobesity(Duffyet
al,2009).
Inreviewingexistingliterature,acommonthemehasbecomeevident.Many
foodbanksandfoodpantriesacknowledgetheneedforimprovednutrition.Oneofthe
challengestheyfaceiscreatingboundarieswithfooddonorswhohistoricallyhavenot
respondedwelltodonationguidelines,whilealsosupplyingadequateamountsoffood
17
tothoseinneed(Campbelletal.,2011).SinceFeedingAmericainitiatedtheframework
fornutritionalguidelines,FoodstoEncourage(F2E),68percentoffooddistributedby
foodbankstofoodpantriesintheUnitedStatesnowfallintothishealthycategory,
whichwasalsodevelopedutilizingtheUSDA’sdietaryguidelines(FeedingAmerica,
2016a).
WhilecertainfoodpantriesinthestudyinAlabamaarefacingchallengeswith
dietquality,foodinsecurityandobesity(Duffyetal.,2009);otherfoodpantriesare
proactivelymakingchangestostopthisobesityparadoxamongstlow-incomefamiliesin
need.OnefoodpantryinEagan,MinnesotacalledOpenDoorisaffiliatingitselfwith
HomegrownSouth.HomegrownSouthishopingtobecomeamodelforotherfood
pantriesandisnotonlyworkingtowardsimprovingthenutritionforcustomersbutalso
tohelpsupportlocalfarmers(Bitters,2015).HomegrownSouthisfocusedon
sustainablefarmingandonimprovingaccessofhealthyproducetothoseinneed.
Throughthisprogram,farmerssupplythefoodpantrywithfreshfruitsandvegetables.
Additionally,thepantryhaseliminatedcertainunhealthyfoods,suchascannedpastas,
cakes,cookies,chipsandsugar-filleddrinks(Bitters,2015).
HomegrownSouthprogrambeganinJuly2015,basedontheobservationofthe
healthdisparitiesbetweenthemiddleandupperclassesandthelowersocioeconomic
class.JanelleWaldock,directoroftheCenterforPreventionatBlueCrossandBlue
ShieldofMinnesota,whichhelpsfundHomegrownSouth,wordedthisnicely;“wehave
theluxuryoflivinginoneofthehealthieststatesinthenation,butatthesametime,
18
whenyoutakeacloselookathealthdata,wealsohavealotofworktodointermsof
healthdisparities--thebiggapthatexistsbetweenthehealthyandtheunhealthy"
(Bitters,2015,p.1).
Similarly,FarmtoFamily,originatinginSanFrancisco,Californiainthe1990s,by
alonefoodbankvolunteer,hasnowexpandedtotheentirestateduetoitssuccess
(CAFB,2016a).DuetoadvocacyeffortsoftheCaliforniaAssociationofFoodBanks,tax
creditsarenowgiventofarmerswhodonateaportionoftheircropsthatotherwise
wouldhavebeenplowedoverorthrownaway.Infact,farmersdistribute140million
poundsoffreshproduceannuallywhichwouldhaveotherwisebeenwasted(CAFB,
2016a).Withthisprogram,foodbanksinCaliforniaarecurrentlyabletosupplylowincomefamilieswithfreshfruitsandvegetables.Overhalfoftheirdistributedfoodnow
consistsofthesefreshfruitsandvegetables(CAFB,2016a).
Lastly,thetypeoffoodpantrycanmakeabigimpactonthetypesoffoodsa
personconsumes.Therearetwomaintypesoffoodpantries:traditionalorchoice
modelpantries.Atraditionalmodelpantry,isoneinwhicheachhouseholdisprovided
withapresortedboxorbagoffoodwhicheliminatestheclient’sabilitytochoosetheir
ownfood.Achoicemodelpantryisoneinwhichclientsareabletochoosetheirown
food,allowingthemthefreedomtochoosefoodstheylike,thatfitintotheirethnic
backgroundandaddressanydietarypreferences,allergiesorintolerancestofoodsthey
mayhave(Martinetal.,2013).
19
NutritionEducation
Nutritioneducationisanareainwhichfoodpantriescanmakeapositiveimpact,
aslackofknowledgearoundbothhowtopreparehealthyfoodsandtheimportanceof
thesefoodsisalsocitedasabarriertoincreasedconsumption(Martin,Wu,Wolff,
Colantonio&Grady,2013).Thisisanareawherealittleguidanceandinformationgoes
alongway.
Martinandcolleagues(2013)conductedarandomizedparallel-groupstudythat
exploredtheroleofnutritioneducationalongwithfoodofferingsbetweenchoice
modelandtraditionalmodelpantriesoverthecourseoftwoyears.Thechoicemodel
pantryinthisstudy,Freshplace,offeredprimarilyfreshfoods,providedmemberswitha
monthlycoachingappointmenttosetgoals,conductedmotivationalinterviewingto
increaseself-sufficiencyandfoodsecurityandofferedcookingclasses.Thetraditional
modelpantry,orthecontrolgroup,providedcustomerswithapre-selectedbagoffood
anddidnotofferthemonthlycoachingappointments.After1year,comparedtothe
control,Freshplacememberswerelessthanhalfaslikelytosufferverylowfood
securityandhadincreasedfruitandvegetableconsumptionbyoneservingaday
(Martinetal.,2013).
Asimilarquasi-experimentalstudyexaminedfoodpantryclients’perceptionof
wholegrainfoodsandtheirself-efficacytochooseandpreparewholegrainfoods.
Nutritionaleducationcounselingwasofferedalongwitharecipetastingand
20
demonstrationofhowtopreparethemealusingwholegrainfoods.Clientswerethen
suppliedwiththeingredientsandtherecipeforthemealtobepreparedathome.The
groupthatreceivedtheinterventionreportedincreasedconsumptionofwholegrain
foodsby78%,whilethecontrolgroupthatreceivedtherecipecardbutdidnottastethe
dishatthepantry,reportedanincreaseof51%(Yaoetal.,2013).Further,onemonth
followingtheintervention,therewasasignificantincreaseincontinuedconsumptionof
wholegrainfoodsintheinterventiongroupcomparedtothecontrolgroup(Yaoetal.,
2013).
AccesstoHealthyFoods
Onelargechallengetoconsumptionoffruitsandvegetablesisaccesstohealthy
foodsforindividualswholiveinruralareasorinurbanareaswithnonearbyfood
pantry,whichisdefinedasafooddesert(USDA,2015a).ResearchconductedinNew
YorkCityexaminedaccesstofoodpantriesformedicallyillcancerpatientsinneedof
nutritiousfoods.Thisisapopulationingreatneedofnutritiousfoodstohelpfighttheir
cancerdiagnosisandstrengthentheirimmunesystem.Itwasfound,howeverthat
certainissuesofaccessposedalargechallenge.Themainchallengesweretheabilityto
contactthepantrybyphone,hoursofoperation,documentationrequirementsandfood
availabilityatthepantries(Ganyetal.,2013).
AmailedsurveystudyconductedinsevenruralcountiesinCentralTexas
examinedissuesofaccesstofruitsandvegetablesamongstthenon-Hispanicwhiteand
21
theblackpopulations.Researchersfoundthatamongsttheblackpopulation,the
probabilityofconsumingtwoormoreservingsoffruitadaydecreasedthreepercent
andtheprobabilityofconsumingthreeofmorevegetablesadaydecreasedby1.8
percentforeachadditionalmileneededtotraveltothenearestgrocerystore,(Dunn,
Wesley,Johnson,Leidner,&Sharkey,2012).However,distancetotheclosestgrocery
storewasnotfoundtobesignificantamongstthenon-Hispanicwhitepopulation.
Summary
Insummary,thereisresearchthatdemonstratesthechallengesfacedbylow-
incomefamiliesinacquiringhealthyfoodsandalsohavingthenutritionaleducation
necessary,tomakehealthychoicesandpreparethesefoods.Duetotheimprovements
inthewayfoodbanksandfoodpantriesoperateandthechangesinthetypesoffoods
theyoffer,thereisalackofup-to-dateresearchregardingpantryfruitandvegetable
stockandsupply,nutritioneducationoffered,andcurrentpracticesandperceived
barrierstoprovidingaccesstofoodpantriestolow-incomeindividualsandfamiliesin
need.
22
CHAPTER3
Methodology
Introduction
Thisstudyexploredtheviewsoffoodpantrydirectorsinfourstatesregarding
pantryfruitandvegetablestockandsupply,nutritioneducationoffered,andcurrent
practicesandperceivedbarrierstoprovidingaccesstofoodpantriestolow-income
individualsandfamiliesinneed.Theseorganizationsarehighlyutilizedonaregular
basisbythelowersocioeconomicpopulation,whichalsohasaveryhighpercentageof
obesityanddisease.
ResearchDesign
Thiswasadescriptivestudythatexploredtheviewsoffoodpantrydirectorsin
fourstatesregardingpantryfruitandvegetablestockandsupply,nutritioneducation
offered,andcurrentpracticesandperceivedbarrierstoprovidingaccesstofood
pantriestolow-incomeindividualsandfamiliesinneed.Thisstudyexaminedthese
variablesbysurveyingstaffatthefoodpantrieswhohavedirectcontactwiththe
individualsandfamilieswhoutilizethepantries.Coordinatorsanddirectorsoffood
pantriesweresurveyedthroughelectronicquestionnairesinordertocollect
informationaboutthesetopics.Forinstancesinwhichtherewasnoknowncoordinator
ordirector,anemailwassenttothegeneralfoodpantryemailaddress.Theemail
23
explainedthestudy,informedconsentandaskedfortheirparticipationbycompletinga
briefsurvey.PermissiontoconductthisstudywasapprovedbytheInstitutionalReview
Board.SeeAppendixAforacopyoftheIRBApprovalLetter.
Adescriptivestudywaschoseninordertogatherinformationfromindividuals
whoserveclientsinfoodpantriesandhavedirectaccesstothemonadailybasis.
Participantssurveyedwereabletoprovidevaluabledatatobetterunderstandthe
availabilityoffruitsandvegetables,nutritioneducationofferedandsomeofthemost
challengingstrugglesfacedbythefoodpantriesinprovidingaccesstothepantry.
ParticipantSelection
Thisstudyusedarandomclustersampling.Statesweregroupedintoclusters
basedongeographiclocationandonestatefromeachclusterwasrandomlydrawn.
TheclusterswerechosenbasedontheUnitedStatesCensusBureau’sfourdesignated
regions,whichinclude:theNortheast,South,MidwestandWest.Eachofthefifty
states,andtheDistrictofColumbia,wereenteredintoanonlinerandomnamepicker
calledminiwebtool.com,perdesignatedregion,andhadanequalchanceofbeing
chosen.Regionswereselectedasawaytogatherinformationfrompantriesfrom
differentgeographicareasintheUnitedStates.Thefourstatesthatwererandomly
drawninclude:Maine(Northeast),Mississippi(South),SouthDakota(Midwest)and
California(West).Participantsincludeddirectorsandcoordinatorsoffoodpantries
fromthefourdifferentstates.
Foodpantrieswerechosenoverfoodbanksastheyhavedirectcontactwith
individualsandfamilieswhoutilizethepantries.Foodbankssupplytheircollectedand
24
donatedfoodtovariousfoodpantries,whichinturnaredistributedtothoseinneed
andthushavedirectcontact.Foodpantries.org,anonlinedatabaseoffoodpantriesand
theircorrespondingwebsiteinformationwasusedtoresearchthepantries.This
databasewasutilizedtoobtainpantries’websites,andcontactinformationfor
coordinatorsanddirectors.Therewereinstanceswhereacontactpersonwasnotlisted
andinthesecircumstances,anemailwassenttothegeneralfoodpantryemail.While
therearemanyfoodpantriesintheUnitedStates,manyarequitesmallandhavevery
limitedhoursofoperation,soitwasanticipatedthatcontactandparticipationmayhave
beendifficultwiththesepantries.
SurveyInstrument
Thesurveyusedforthisstudyconsistedoftwentyquestions.Therewerefour
questionspreviouslyusedbyFeedingAmericainalargenationalsurveyconductedon
over15,000agencies,titledHungerinAmerica2014,alongwithsixteenquestionsthat
weredevelopedforthisresearch.SeeAppendicesBandCforacopyoftheemail
obtainingpermissiontousesurveyquestionsfromHungerinAmerican2014surveyand
fortheAgencySurveycontainingallsurveyquestions.
Foursurveyquestionsassessedbasicpantryinformationincluding:thetypeof
agency(choiceortraditionalmodel),cityandstateitislocated,howmanyclientsit
serveseachmonthandalsotheparticipant’sroleattheagency.Inadditiontothis
information,thesurveyconsistedofsixteenclosed-endedquestionswiththeoptionto
includeadditionalinformationifitapplied,forexample,with‘Other’options.The
questionsaskedwhatpercentageofthetotalfoodthattheagencycurrentlyhasinstock
25
consistsoffruitsand/orvegetables,inadditiontowhatpercentofthiswasfresh,
cannedandfrozenandtheextenttowhichsupplyofdifferenttypesoffruitsand
vegetablescurrentlyinstockwassufficient.Twoquestionsassessednutrition
education,askingspecificallywhichofthefollowingactivitiesaboutnutritionoreating
betterdoesyouragencydowithclientsandprovidedeightoptionsthattheparticipants
couldselecttoindicatestepsthatarecurrentlybeingtakentoprovideeducation.There
werethreequestionsthatassessedaccessandtwoofthesewereopen-ended
questions.Threequestionsaskedparticipantswhatthechallengesweretoproviding
accesstotheirpantryandalsowhatstepshadbeentakentomakeiteasierfor
individualstoaccesstheagency.SeeAppendixCforsurvey.
DataCollection Inordertocollectdatafromthevariousfoodpantries,electronicsurveyswere
emailedtodirectorsandcoordinatorsoftheseorganizationsusingQualtrics,an
electronicsurveysystem.Emailwaschosen,becauseitwasanefficientmannerto
collectdataanditprovidedparticipantswiththeflexibilitytocompletethesurveyat
theirconvenience
InFebruary2016aseriesoftwoemailsweresenttothecoordinatorsand
directorsoffoodpantries,explainingthestudyandaskingfortheirparticipationby
completingabriefsurvey.Bothemailsincludedthesurveyalongwithanexplanationof
theresearch.Thesecondemailwassentsixdaysafterthefirst,ineffortstogain
additionalparticipants.Allparticipantswereprovidedwithinformationregardingthe
26
studyandinformedconsentdisclosureexplainingtheirvoluntaryparticipation.See
AppendixDforacopyoftheconsentform.
DataAnalysis
AftergatheringthedatausingQualtrics,surveyresponseswereanalyzedusing
SPSS,Version11.9.15.Asthiswasadescriptivestudy,theresearchprovided
percentagesforthequantitativedataanddescriptivesummariesforthequalitative
data.Surveyresponseswerereviewedtoexploretheviewsoffoodpantrydirectorsin
eachofthefourstatesregardingpantryfruitandvegetablestockandsupply,nutrition
educationoffered,andcurrentpracticesandperceivedbarrierstoprovidingaccessto
foodpantriestolow-incomeindividualsandfamiliesinneed.
27
CHAPTER4
Findings
DataAnalysis
AllsurveyresponseswerecollectedutilizingQualtricssoftware.Thesurvey
responsesweredownloadedfromQualtricsintoSPSSwheretheywerethenanalyzed.
Thedatawereseparatedbystate(California,Maine,MississippiandSouthDakota)and
frequenciesandpercentageswerecalculatedforallitems.
Therewere87respondents,whichincludedfoodpantrycoordinatorsanddirectors
butalsoincludedmanagers,administrativeassistantsandpastors(asitiscommonfor
foodpantriestooperateoutofchurches).Responseratesbystatedvariesfrom12%to
22%.InCalifornia44outof264participantsresponded(17%),28outof136
participantsinMaineresponded(21%),inMississippi7outof60participants
responded(12%)andinSouthDakota8outof36participantsresponded(22%).This
disproportionateresponserateandsmallsamplesizeisalimitationtotheresearchand
thusresultsarenotgeneralizable.
Therangeofthenumberofpeopleservedbyfoodpantriesvariedgreatlyfrom16
to140,000peoplepermonth.Forty-fouroftheparticipantswerefromCalifornia
pantries(51%),twenty-eightwerefromMaine(32%),sevenwerefromMississippi(8%)
andeightwerefromSouthDakota(9%).Sowhilethisreportwillgivepercentages
pleasekeepinmindthatthepercentagesgivenforallstatesarefromasmallpopulation
28
ofparticipantsandthusmaynotaccuratelyreflectasamplepopulationfromthese
geographicregions.
Sixty-eightparticipants(78%)reportedthatit‘veryimportant’and18participants
(21%)reportedthatitwas‘somewhatimportant’thattheirpantrygivesoutandserves
healthierfoodslikefruits,vegetables,low-fatmilk,wholegrains,andleanmeats.There
wasonlyoneparticipantwhoreportedthatgivingoutandservinghealthierfoodswas
‘notimportant’totheirpantry.
Thesplitbetweenchoicemodelpantriesandthetraditionalpre-packagedbagor
boxoffoodwasrightdownthemiddle,withroughlyhalfofthepantriesbeingchoice
andhalfofthepantriesbeingtraditional,inthestatesofCaliforniaandSouthDakota.
Mainereportedalargerproportionofchoicemodelpantries,withtwentypantries
beingchoicemodelpantriesinthisstate(71%).Mississippireportedtheopposite,that
alleightofthepantriesinthisstudy(100%),werethetraditionalpre-packagedbagor
boxoffood.
TableI
ImportanceofGivingOutandServing“Healthier”FoodstoPantryClients
VeryImportant SomewhatImportant
NotImportant
n(%)
n(%)
n(%)
California
35(79.5%)
9(20.5%)
-
Maine
23(82.1%)
5(17.9%)
-
Mississippi
3(42.9%)
3(42.9%)
1(14.3%)
SouthDakota
7(87.5%)
1(12.5%)
-
Total
68(78.2%)
18(20.7%)
1(1.1%)
29
FoodPantriesStockandSupplyofFruitsandVegetables
Acrossallstates,themajorityofthepantriesreportedthatthepercentageofthe
totalfoodthattheiragencycurrentlyhadinstockthatconsistedoffruitsandvegetables
wasbetween1-25%.TherewerethreepantriesinbothCaliforniaandMainethat
reportedthattheirtotalpercentageoffoodinstockthatconsistedoffruitsand
vegetableswasbetween76-100%.Beyondthetotalstockandsupplyoffruitsand
vegetables,thestudywasbrokendownfurtherintobothfruitsandvegetablesthatare
fresh,cannedandfrozen.
TableII
PercentageoftheTotalFoodatthePantriesthatConsistsofFruitsandVegetables
0%
1-25%
26-50%
51-75%
76-100%
n(%)
n(%)
n(%)
n(%)
n(%)
California
-
9(20.5%)
18(40.9%)
14(31.8%)
3(6.8%)
Maine
-
4(14.3%)
18(64.3%)
3(10.7%)
3(10.7%)
Mississippi
-
2(28.6%)
3(42.9%)
2(28.6%)
-
SouthDakota
-
2(25.0%)
5(62.5%)
1(12.5%)
-
Total
-
17(19.5%)
44(50.6%)
20(23.0%)
6(6.9%)
Thereportingforbothfreshfruitsandfreshvegetableswassimilaracrossstates,
withCaliforniaandMainehavingahighersupplyoffreshproduce.Mississippiand
SouthDakotareportedthatthepercentageoftheirfreshfruitsandwasbetween0-25%
atallparticipatingpantries,nopantriesreportedthattheirstockoffreshproducewas
over25%inthesetwostates.Forty-threepercent(n=19)inCaliforniareportedthat
boththeirfreshfruitsandvegetableswasover25%oftheirtotalstockoffruitsand
vegetables.ForMaine,18%(n=5)reportedthattheirstockoffreshfruitswasover25%
30
oftheirtotalfruitstockand11%(n=3)reportedthattheirstockoffreshvegetableswas
over25%oftheirtotalvegetablestock.However,thereweremanypantriesinthese
twostatesthatreportedthattheirfreshproducemadeupbetween1-25%oftheirfruit
andvegetablesupplyforboththeirfruitsandtheirvegetables.Pleaseseetablesfor
additionalinformation.
TableIII
PercentageofFreshFruits
0%
1-25%
n(%)
n(%)
California
6(13.6%)
19(43.2%)
Maine
12(42.9%)
11(39.3%)
Mississippi
4(57.1%)
3(42.9%)
SouthDakota
5(62.5%)
3(37.5%)
Total
27(31.0%)
36(41.4%)
TableIV
PercentageofFreshVegetables
0%
1-25%
n(%)
n(%)
California
5(11.4%)
20(45.5%)
Maine
8(28.6%)
17(60.7%)
Mississippi
4(57.1%)
3(42.9%)
SouthDakota
5(62.5%)
3(37.5%)
Total
22(25.3%)
43(49.4%)
26-50%
n(%)
6(13.6%)
3(10.7%)
9(10.3%)
51-75%
76-100%
n(%)
n(%)
4(9.1%) 9(20.5%)
-
2(7.1%)
-
-
-
-
4(4.6%) 11(12.6%)
26-50%
n(%)
7(15.9%)
1(3.6%)
-
-
8(9.2%)
51-75%
n(%)
4(9.1%)
1(3.6%)
-
-
5(5.7%)
76-100%
n(%)
8(18.2%)
1(3.6%)
-
-
9(10.3%)
Cannedfruitsandvegetableswereofthehighestsupplyacrossstates.Eventhough
participantsinallstatesreportedthatcannedfruitsandvegetablesmadeuptheir
highestsupplyofproduce,pantriesinCaliforniareportedthesmallestpercentageof
cannedproduce.Theyreportedthattheircannedfruitmadeup1-25%oftheirfruit
supplyin41%oftheirpantries(n=18).ParticipantsfromMississippireportedthattheir
31
portionoffruitsthatarecannedfallsomewherebetween26-75%in72%ofthepantries
(n=5).ThereportedportionsofvegetablesthatarecannedinMississippifallbetween
76-100%in43%ofthepantries(n=3).MaineandSouthDakota’sreportedstockof
cannedfruitsandvegetableswasmorespreadoutthantheotherstates.SeeTableV
andTableVIfordetailedinformation.
TableV
PercentageofCannedFruits
0%
1-25%
n(%)
n(%)
California
3(6.8%)
18(40.9%)
Maine
-
13(46.4%)
Mississippi
-
1(14.3%)
SouthDakota
-
3(37.5%)
Total
3(3.4%)
35(40.2%)
TableVI
PercentageofCannedVegetables
0%
1-25%
n(%)
n(%)
California
2(4.5%)
14(31.8%)
Maine
-
5(17.9%)
Mississippi
-
1(14.3%)
SouthDakota
-
3(37.5%)
Total
2(2.3%)
23(26.4%)
26-50%
n(%)
9(20.5%)
4(14.3%)
3(42.9%)
-
16(18.4%)
51-75%
n(%)
7(15.9%)
3(10.7%)
2(28.6%)
2(25.0%)
14(16.1%)
76-100%
n(%)
7(15.9%)
8(28.6%)
1(14.3%)
3(37.5%)
19(21.8%)
26-50%
n(%)
13(29.5%)
11(39.3%)
2(28.6%)
-
26(29.9%)
51-75%
n(%)
7(15.9%)
4(14.3%)
1(14.3%)
1(12.5%)
13(14.9%
76-100%
n(%)
8(18.2%)
8(28.6%)
3(42.9%)
4(50.0%)
23(26.4%)
Frozenfruitsandvegetableshadthelowestpercentinallstates.Participants
acrossallstatesreportedthattheirsupplywaseither0%or1-25%offrozenfruitsand
vegetables,withthemajorityhavingnofrozenproduce.Ofall87participants63%
(n=55)reportedthattheirsupplyoffrozenfruitwas0%and76%(n=66)reportedthat
theirsupplyoffrozenvegetableswas0%.
32
Overall,sufficientstockandsupplyoffruitsandvegetableswasassessed.Thelarge
majorityofpantriesinthisstudyreportedthattheyhadeitheran‘insufficient’ora
‘sufficient’supplyoffruitsandvegetables,therewereveryfewpantriesthatreported
havingan‘excess’supply.Thelargestneedasreportedby‘insufficient’supplywasfor
dark-greenvegetables,43%(n=37),redandorangevegetables,46%(n=40)andfruit,
38%(n=33).Themajorityofparticipantsreporteda‘sufficient’supplyofstarchy
vegetables,70%(n=61)othervegetables,60%(n=52)andlegumes,beansandpeas,62%
(n=54).
TableVII
SupplyofFruitsandVegetablesbyCategory
FoodGroup
Vegetables
California
Maine
Mississippi
SouthDakota
Total
Dark-GreenVegetables
California
Maine
Mississippi
SouthDakota
Total
RedandOrangeVegetables
California
Maine
Mississippi
SouthDakota
Total
InsufficientSupply SufficientSupply
n(%)
n(%)
10(22.7%)
27(61.4%)
7(25.0%)
21(75.0%)
2(28.6%)
5(71.4%)
1(12.5%)
6(75.0%)
20(22.9%)
59(67.8%)
17(38.6%)
23(52.3%)
14(50.0%)
14(50.0%)
4(57.1%)
3(42.9%)
2(25.0%)
6(75.0%)
37(42.5%)
46(52.8%)
18(40.9%)
21(47.7%)
13(46.4%)
15(53.6%)
6(85.7%)
1(14.3%)
3(37.5%)
5(62.5%)
40(45.9%)
42(48.2%)
ExcessSupply
n(%)
6(13.6%)
-
-
1(12.5%)
7(8.0%)
2(4.5%)
-
-
-
2(2.2%)
1(2.3%)
-
-
-
1(1.1%)
33
SupplyofFruitsandVegetablesbyCategory(continued)
FoodGroup
InsufficientSupply SufficientSupply
n(%)
n(%)
ExcessSupply
n(%)
Legumes,BeansandPeas
California
Maine
Mississippi
SouthDakota
Total
StarchyVegetables
California
Maine
Mississippi
SouthDakota
Total
OtherVegetables
California
Maine
Mississippi
SouthDakota
Total
Fruits
California
Maine
Mississippi
SouthDakota
Total
10(22.7%)
9(32.1%)
-
3(37.5%)
22(25.2%)
9(20.5%)
6(21.4%)
-
1(12.5%)
16(18.4%)
13(29.5%)
8(28.6%)
2(28.6%)
2(25.0%)
25(28.7%)
15(34.1%)
12(42.9%)
3(42.9%)
3(37.5%)
33(37.9%)
27(61.4%)
15(53.6%)
7(100.0%)
5(62.5%)
54(62.0%)
31(70.5%)
18(64.3%)
5(71.4%)
7(87.5%)
61(70.1%)
24(54.5%)
18(64.3%)
4(57.1%)
6(75.0%)
52(59.7%)
28(63.6%)
16(57.1%)
5(71.4%)
5(62.5%)
54(62.0%)
5(11.4%)
4(14.3%)
-
-
9(10.3%)
2(4.5%)
3(10.7%)
1(14.3%)
-
6(6.9%)
1(2.3%)
-
-
-
1(1.1%)
1(2.3%)
-
-
-
1(1.1%)
Seventy-sevenparticipants(89%)reportedthattherewerenopoliciesthat
preventedtheirpantryfromacceptingfruitsandvegetables.Eightpantriesinthisstudy
reportedthatthereweresomepoliciesthatpreventedthemfromacceptingand
distributingfruitsandvegetables.“Anyindicationofmoldordecaymeansautomatic
disposal.Typicallyiffruitorpotatoesaredonatedinabagandthere'soneortwomoldy
items,thenthewholebagisusuallythrownout”(California).Somepantriesreported
thatimportedfruitsandvegetables,unmarkedandexpiredproducewerenotaccepted.
34
Manypantriesreportedthattheywerenotabletoacceptanything“canned,frozenor
preservedathome”.Inaddition,manypantriesreportedthatmuchoftheirproduce
wasdonatedfromfarmsorlocalindividualsgardensandtrees.Onepantryexplained
thatthisprocessofacceptingfreshfruitsandvegetablesfromresidentialtreesand
gardensusedtobebannedbuttheyarenowfortunatetobeabletoaccepttheselocal
andhighlynutritiousfoods.Onenotedbarriertosmallerfoodpantriesacquiringfresh
produceisthatoftentimesfarmerssupplythefoodbankswiththeirproduce,andfood
banksinturnselltheirproductinbinsorpalletamountstothefoodpantriesandthese
binorpalletamountsaremorethansomesmallerpantriesneed.Inturnthesmaller
pantriesendupgettingtheleftoverswhentheyarenearingbad.Inaddition,some
pantriesreportedthattheydidnothavestorageorrefrigerationandthuswerelimited
tothefruitsandvegetablestheywereabletogetthedayoftheirdistributionfromtheir
distributingfoodbank.
Thereweresomenotedbarrierstobeingabletosupplyhealthierfoodstopantry
clients.Someofthebarriersreportedbymostparticipantsincluded:thatitcoststoo
muchmoneytopurchasehealthierfoods,difficultieswithgettinghealthierfoods
throughtheirdistributingfoodbankandtheinabilitytostorehealthierfoods.Also
notedwerethatclientsdonotchoosethehealthierfoodsand/ordonotknowhowto
preparehealthierfoods.Oneruralparticipantnotedthattheirlocalgrocerystore
donatesalotoftheirnearspoiledproduceandalsotheirmarkeddownmeats.This
samepantrynotedthattheirclientswerenotinterestedintryingfoodstheywerenot
35
familiarwith,suchaslamb,vealorinthecaseofprimerib,theywereunsureofhowto
prepareit.
NutritionEducation
Allstatesreportedprovidingnutritioneducationtoacertainextenttoclients.The
rangeinwhichnutritioneducationwasprovidedvariedslightlyamongstateswith
Maineofferingthemosteducation(79%ofthepantries),andthenfollowedby
Mississippi(71%ofthepantries),SouthDakota(63%ofthepantries),andCalifornia
(57%ofthepantries).Pantriesacrossallfourstatesreportedofferingfliersorwritten
materialsonnutritionandhealth(rangingfrom71to88%ofthepantries),alongwith
referringclientstoactivitiesrelatedtonutritionoreatingbetteratotherlocations
(rangingfrom25to43%ofthepantries).
ParticipantsinCalifornia(10pantries),Maine(2pantries),andMississippi(1pantry)
reportedofferingworkshopsorclassesonnutrition,healthissuesorshoppingona
budget.SomepantriesinCaliforniaandMainealsoreportedprovidingcooking
demonstrationsortastingsofhealthierfoods(21and26%respectively),inadditionto
cookingclassesandtrainingongardeningskills(9and11%respectively).Therewasone
pantryfromCaliforniaandonepantryfromMississippithatofferedone-on-one
meetingswithadieticianorotherpersontrainedtohelppeoplewithnutritionand
health.Lastly18%ofparticipatingfoodpantriesfromCaliforniareportedoffering
workshopsorclassesonspecifichealthproblemsrelatedtonutrition(e.g.diabetes).
Onepantryalsoreportedthatwhentheystockfoodsthattheyarenotsuretheirclients
willknowhowtoprepare,theywillfindarecipefortheclientthatshowsthemhowto
36
preparetheseitems.Additionally,thissamepantryislookingtoaddtrainingabout
nutritionintheirnewlyexpandedspace.
TableVIII
ActivitiesPerformedbyFoodPantriestoOfferNutritionEducation
Activity
n(%)
Fliersorwrittenmaterialsonnutritionandhealth
California
31(70.5%)
Maine
23(82.1%)
Mississippi
5(71.4%)
SouthDakota
7(87.5%)
Total
66(75.9%)
Cookingdemonstrationsortastingsofhealthierfoods
California
9(20.5%)
Maine
8(28.6%)
Mississippi
-
SouthDakota
-
Total
17(19.5%)
Workshopsorclassesonnutrition,healthissuesor
shoppingonabudget
California
10(22.7%)
Maine
2(7.1%)
Mississippi
1(14.3%)
SouthDakota
-
Total
17(19.5%)
Cookingclasses
California
4(9.1%)
Maine
3(10.7%)
Mississippi
-
SouthDakota
-
Total
7(8.0%)
Workshopsorclassesonspecifichealthproblemsrelated
tonutrition(e.g.,diabetes)
California
8(18.2%)
Maine
-
Mississippi
-
SouthDakota
-
Total
8(9.2%)
37
ActivitiesPerformedbyFoodPantriestoOfferNutritionEducation(continued)
Activity
n(%)
Trainingongardeningskills
California
4(9.1%)
Maine
3(10.7%)
Mississippi
-
SouthDakota
-
Total
7(8.0%
One-on-onemeetingswithadieticianorotherperson
trainedtohelppeoplewithnutritionandhealth
California
1(2.3%)
Maine
-
Mississippi
1(14.3%)
SouthDakota
-
Total
2(2.2%)
Referringclientstoactivitiesrelatedtonutritionoreating
betteratotherlocations
California
15(34.1%)
Maine
7(25.0%)
Mississippi
3(42.9%)
SouthDakota
2(25.0%)
Total
27(31.0%)
BarrierstoProvidingAccesstoFoodPantries
Thereweremultiplebarriersreportedacrossstatesinprovidingindividualsand
familiesaccesstotheirpantry.TheprimarybarriersinCalifornia,MaineandMississippi
were:limitedstaffingandvolunteers,limitedoperatinghours,andlackof
transportationtothepantry.Inaddition,CaliforniaandMainereportedsomelanguage
barriers(theneedfortranslationand/orinterpretationservices)andinMississippi,lack
ofproperidentificationwasalargebarrier(in57%ofthepantries).SouthDakota
pantriesreportedveryfewbarriersbutdidreportsomechallengeswithlimited
operatinghours,lackoftransportationtothepantryandonepantryreportedthatit
38
servedsixtownsinonecountyanddrivingtothepantrycouldposeachallengeforrural
clients.
Therewerealsosomeadditionalchallengesnotedbyparticipants.Someofthese
individualpantrybarriersinclude:zipcoderestrictionsimposedbythelocalfoodbank
whichlimitsindividualswhoareabletoaccessthepantry,asmallparkinglotspacethat
affectsaccessibility,andlackofverifiableinformationonthepartoftheclient.Pantries
inMainereportedthatmanyoftheirclientsareeither“homeboundandwedonot
deliver”ortheyarehomeless,and/orlacktransportation.Alsoweathercanprevent
individualsfromcomingtothepantry.Inaddition,itwasexpressedthatpridecanbea
factor,pointingoutthatmanyindividualsdonotutilizethepantryastheydonotwant
toacceptcharity.
TableIX
ChallengeswithProvidingAccesstotheFoodPantrytoIndividualsinNeed
Challenge
n(%)
Limitedstaffingandvolunteers
California
14(31.8%)
Maine
6(21.4%)
Mississippi
1(14.3%)
SouthDakota
-
Total
21(24.1%)
Limitedoperatinghours
California
15(34.1%)
Maine
9(32.1%)
Mississippi
4(57.1%)
SouthDakota
1(12.5%)
Total
29(33.3%)
39
ChallengeswithProvidingAccesstotheFoodPantrytoIndividualsinNeed(continued)
Challenge
n(%)
Languagebarriers–theneedfor
translationand/orinterpretationservices
California
9(20.5%)
Maine
4(14.3%)
Mississippi
-
SouthDakota
-
Total
13(14.9%)
Lackoftransportationtothepantry
California
17(38.6%)
Maine
14(50.0%)
Mississippi
5(71.4%)
SouthDakota
1(12.5%)
Total
37(42.5%)
Lackofproperidentification
California
3(6.8%)
Maine
2(7.1%)
Mississippi
4(57.1%)
SouthDakota
-
Total
9(10.3%)
Other
California
4(9.1%)
Maine
3(10.7%)
Mississippi
1(14.3%)
SouthDakota
1(12.5%)
Total
9(10.3%)
Therearenochallenges
California
12(27.3%)
Maine
7(25.0%)
Mississippi
-
SouthDakota
4(50.0%)
Total
23(26.4%)
40
StepsTakenbyFoodPantriestoAddressIssuesofAccesstotheirFoodPantry
Allpantriesinthisstudyreportedtakingstepstomakeiteasierforclientstoaccess
theiragency.Pantriesthatreportedprovidinginformationonpublictransportationare
verysimilaracrosstheboard:California(25%),Maine(25%),Mississippi(29%)and
SouthDakota(25%).Thosethatreportedexpandingtheiroperatinghoursinclude
California(34%),Maine(25%),Mississippi(14%)andSouthDakota(25%).Participants
bystatewhoreportedincreasingstafforvolunteerstoincreaseaccesstopantryclients
include:California(30%),Maine(25%),Mississippi(43%)andSouthDakota(13%).
Additionallytherewereparticipantsineachstatethatreportedprovidingdeliveryto
homeservices,California(27%),Maine(36%),Mississippi(14%)andSouthDakota
(25%).PantriesinCalifornia(36%),Maine(25%)andSouthDakota(63%)alsoreported
reducingtherequirementsfordocumentationoridentificationtoutilizethepantry.
PantriesinbothCaliforniaandMainereportedthattheyhavealsoallowed
substitutepeopletopickuptheirclient’sfoodincaseswheretheindividualisnotable.
Somepantriesreportedincreasingthenumberoflocationssothattheywerecloserto
low-incomeneighborhoodsandclientsdidnothavetotravelasfar.Apantryin
Californiareportedtranslatingfliersandregistrationdocumentsintodifferent
languages.PantriesinCaliforniaandMainereportedaddingweekendservicehours,
monthlydistributionsandwaivingtheneedfordocumentationontheinitialvisit.
Lastly,onepantryinMainereportedthattheyhaveevenofferedtaxifarestosome.
41
TableX
StepsThatHaveBeenTakentoMakeitEasierforIndividualstoAccesstheFoodPantries
Step
n(%)
Providinginformationonpublictransportation
California
11(25.0%)
Maine
7(25.0%)
Mississippi
2(28.6%)
SouthDakota
2(25.0%)
Total
22(25.2%)
Expandingoperatinghours
California
15(34.1%)
Maine
7(25.0%)
Mississippi
1(14.3%)
SouthDakota
2(25.0%)
Total
25(28.7%)
Increasedstafforvolunteers
California
13(29.5%)
Maine
7(25.0%)
Mississippi
3(42.9%)
SouthDakota
1(12.5%)
Total
24(27.6%)
Reducingtherequirementsfordocumentation
oridentification
California
16(36.4%)
Maine
7(25.0%)
Mississippi
-
SouthDakota
5(62.5%)
Total
28(32.2%)
Deliverytohomeservices
California
12(27.3%)
Maine
10(35.7%)
Mississippi
1(14.3%)
SouthDakota
2(25.0%)
Total
25(28.7%)
Other
California
7(15.9%)
Maine
3(10.7%)
Mississippi
1(14.3%)
SouthDakota
-
Total
11(12.6%)
StepsThatHaveBeenTakentoMakeitEasierforIndividualstoAccesstheFoodPantries
(continued)
42
Step
n(%)
Nostepshavebeentaken
California
Maine
Mississippi
SouthDakota
Total
5(11.4%)
5(17.9%)
2(28.6%)
2(25.0%)
14(16.1%)
Summary
Thefindingsfromthisstudypointoutthatsupplyingfruitsandvegetables,
providingnutritioneducationandaddressingissuesofaccesstofoodpantriesisa
multifactorialissue,includingeconomical,societal,andpsychologicalfactorsandthus
notaneasysolution.However,agoodportionofparticipatingpantriesmadeit
apparentthatfoodpantriesareawareofchallengestheyandtheirclientsfaceandhave
madechangesinordertobetteraccommodatetheseindividualsandfamilies.One
pantryevennotedthattheyareproactivelytryingtoencouragedonationsofmore
healthfulfoods;theyprovidetheirdonorsexamplesofcosteffectiveandyetstill
nutritiousfoods.
Cannedfruitsandvegetableswereofgreatestsupplybetweenfresh,cannedand
frozeninallfourparticipatingstates,howeverpantrieshavebeenincreasingtheir
supplyoffreshfruitsandvegetablesandcontinuetodoso.Specifically,thelargest
needasreportedby‘insufficient’supplywasfordark-greenvegetables,redandorange
vegetables,andfruit.Themajorityofparticipantsreporteda‘sufficient’supplyof
starchyvegetables,othervegetables,andlegumes,beansandpeas.
43
Someofthechallengesfacedbyfoodpantriesincludelimitedhours,staffing,and
financialresourcesandyettheystillstrivetofindtheresourcesnecessaryto
accommodatetheirclients.Someofthechallengesclientsfaceincludelackof
transportation,inabilitytomakeittothepantryduringoperatinghours,andalsolackof
knowledgearoundhowtoprepareorchoosehealthyfoods.
44
CHAPTER5
Summary,RecommendationsandConclusions
Summary
Examinationofsomeofthecurrentpracticesandchallengesregardingfood
pantries,helpedtoprovideusefulinformationandinsightinthisresearch.These
findingsmayhelpcontributetoadvocacyeffortsforanypotentialneeded
improvementsinfoodpantriestobetterservepopulationsinneed.
Eighty-sevenindividualsrepresentingfoodpantriesacrossfourstatesparticipated
inthisstudy.Duetoasmallsamplesizeofparticipantsfromparticipatingstates,
generalizationsasawholecannotbemade.Amongstallfourstates,thepantriesthat
participatedmadeclearthroughtheirsurveyresponsestheimportanceofproviding
healthyfoodstotheirclientsinadditiontotheireffortstodoso,whilealsoproviding
somenutritionaleducationandtakingstepstoimproveaccesstotheirpantries.
Fruitsandvegetableswereavailabletopantryclientsprimarilythroughcannedand
thenfreshsources,andallstatesreportedverylittlefrozenfruitandvegetablestock.
Thehighestneedwasfordark-greenvegetables,redandorangevegetables,andfruit
amongstmostpantriesinthestudy.Thelargestreportedbarrierswereinregardsto
acquiringandstoringthefruitsandvegetables.
Nutritioneducationwasofferedamongstallpantriestoacertainextent.Whileall
statesreportedofferingfliersorwrittenmaterialsonnutritionandhealth,alongwith
referringclientstoactivitiesrelatedtonutritionoreatingbetteratotherlocationsthere
45
werealsosomeareasofopportunity.Mostpantriesdidnotoffercookingclassesor
demonstrations,classesonnutritionorshoppingonabudget,classesonspecifichealth
problemsrelatedtonutrition,trainingongardeningskillsorone-on-onenutritional
counseling.Itisunderstandablethattheseservicesarehardtooffer,astheyrequire
additionalresources,howevertheseareareasthatcouldleadtosignificanthealth
improvementswithpantryclients.
Thereweremultiplechallengeswithbeingabletoprovidepantryaccessto
individualsandfamiliesinneed,howevertherewerealsoconsiderablestepstaken
amongstthepantriesinthisstudytobetteraccommodatetheirpantryclients.Someof
thestepstakenacrosstheboardincludedexpandingoperatinghours,increasingstaff
andvolunteers,reducingtheidentificationrequirements,providinginformationon
publictransportationsystemsandprovidingdeliverytohomeservices.
InterpretationofFindings
Thesefindingshelptohighlighttheissuesthatfoodpantriestodayarefacingand
alsothemanystepstheyaretakingtomakeimprovements.Communitiesarechanging
andevolvingculturallyandoverthepastfewyears,theneedhaschangedasmore
individualsandfamiliesrelyingonfoodfromfoodpantriesonamoreregularbasis.
Foodpantriesthemselveshaveevolvedtoencouragehealthierfooddonationsandeven
tochangewhattheyareabletoaccept,asmanypantriesarenowabletoacceptlocal
farmproducethattheywerenotabletointhepast.Itisapparentthatmanyfood
pantriesrelyheavilyontheirdistributingfoodbank.Thussomechangeswithinthefood
46
banksandhowtheydistributetheirfoodsupplyisneeded;inadditiontoexpanding
nutritioneducationalresourcesprovidedtofoodpantriescouldyieldpositivechanges.
Alargenumberofindividualsandfamiliesrelyonfoodfromfoodpantriesandthus
thisstudyhelpedtohighlighttherolethatnutritionplaysinhelpingtoeitherprotector
harmthehealthofthoseindividualsthatrelyonfoodpantries.Thepotentiallong-term
impactthatthisprovidednutritionfromfoodpantrieshasonthehealthofpantry
clientstotreatandpreventchronicdiseasesismonumental.Whilemorepeopleare
relyingonfoodpantriesthaneverbefore,foodpantrieshavealsoevolvedagreatdeal
overtheyearsinordertoprovidehealthierfoods.Whilecannedfruitsandvegetables
arestillreportedinlargeamounts,participantsalsoreportedthatfreshfruitsand
vegetablesarenowbeingdistributedmorethanbefore,manydonatedfromfarmers
whoinpreviousyearswerenotabletodonateaportionoftheircroptopantries,dueto
policiespreventingthis.Inaddition,manyfoodpantriesareencouragingdonationsof
healthieroptionsandprovidingcosteffectiveexamplesofhowtodoso.
Lastly,oneinterpretationfromthefindingsandpreviousresearchisthatthereisa
highneedforincreasednutritioneducation.Whilemostpantriesoffernutrition
educationtoacertainextent,mostofthoseservicesareintheformoffliersorreferrals
tootherservices.Increasingcookingclasses,nutritionworkshops,one-on-onenutrition
counselingandotherservicessuchasthese,couldpotentiallyhaveagreatimpacton
thelong-termhealthofpantryclients.
47
Recommendations
OnerecommendationthatIhaveafterhearingfromseveralsmallpantriesandthe
challengestheyfacewithgettingasmallquantityofqualityproducefromtheir
distributingfoodbank,isforfoodbankstoalsooffersmallersuppliesoffreshproduce,
sothatthesmallerpantriescaninturnofferthesefoodstotheirclients.Additionally,
bothpantrystaffandgovernmenthealthofficialsareencouragedtocontinueto
advocateforpolicychangethatnotonlyallowspantriestoacceptlocalproducebutalso
encouragesdonorstodosothroughlocalorresidentialfarms,withpossibletax
incentives.Anotherrecommendationwouldbetoaddressthepolicythatprevents
wasteof“good”producewhenitisinthesamebunchasafewbadpieces,thiswould
increasethepercentageoffreshproduceamongstfoodpantries.
Asfoodbanksaremuchlargerandprovidemuchoftheirstocktofoodpantries,
perhapsamorecollective,universalsystemfordistributingeducationalinformation
aboutnutritioninanefficientmannerwouldbebeneficial.Forexample,distributing
documentswithinformationabouttheimportanceofthedifferentfoodgroups,healthy
recipecards,andinformationabouthealthspecificconditionsandhownutritionplaysa
rolecouldbecreated.Thesematerialscouldthenbedistributedtofoodpantries
throughtheirdistributingfoodbankandinturntoclientsforenhancededucation.As
manypantriesdonothaveakitchennorthestafftoprovidecookingclassesor
demonstrations,perhapsthesecouldbemadeavailableonlineforclientstowatchand
learnfromtheirlocallibrary.Aslow-incomepopulationsfacemanyhealthdisparities
andhavebeenreportedtobeunsureofhowtoprepareorchoosehealthierfoods,
48
increasingtheirknowledge,confidenceandself-efficacytodososeemstobean
importantstep.Perhapssomecommunityeventscouldbeplannedpartneringfood
pantrieswithamobilehealthclinictoconductbasiclabworkandgiveinformationon
health.Thefoodpantriescoulddocookingdemonstrationsanddispersetheingredients
andrecipestomakehealthy,low-budgetmealsspecifictocommonhealthconditions
suchashighbloodpressure,highcholesterolordiabetes.Lastly,asalargerscale
initiative,asmanyclientsarehomeboundorhomeless,perhapspartneringwithFedEx
ortheUSPStodeliverfoodstoindividualsordropofflocationsforthosewhoareunable
toaccessthepantrycouldbeexplored.Whileallofthesesuggestionsincludetheneed
foradditionalresources,itisimportanttorememberthecurrentandfutureepidemic
thatthisnationisdealingwithintermsofhealthanddisease,andthecostsavings
benefittohealthcarecostsasawholethatchangeslikethiscouldaccomplish.
Additionally,whilethisstudyexaminedfoodpantries,afurtherstudytoexamine
foodbanksandthechallengesandneedstheyhavewouldbeinteresting,inordertosee
whatresourcesthesystemasawholeneedstobetterserveclientsacrossallstates.
Additionally,asparticipantswererecruitedviaemail,manypantrieswerenotinvitedto
participateasnoemailwaslistedonline.Afuturestudycouldbenefitfromphone
interviewswithadditionalopen-endedquestions,inordertogathermorein-depth
informationfromadditionalpantries.
Conclusions
Inconclusion,whiletherearemanychallengestoprovidingadequatenutrition,
improvednutritioneducation,andincreasedaccesstofoodpantriestoclientswhouse
49
them,therearealsomanyareasofopportunity.Foodpantriesinallfourstates
surveyedreportedmakingchangesintheseareasinordertobetteraccommodate
peopletheyserve.Furthersuggestionsareforpantriestocontinuetoimprovenutrition
qualityusingtheFoodstoEncourageFramework,continuetoadvocateforpolicy
changeandexplorewaystocreativelycollaboratewithcommunityleaders.Thesesteps
willhelpfoodpantriestofindnewandinterestingwaystoengagelow-income
individualsandfamiliesintheirhealththroughimprovednutrition,nutritioneducation
andincreasingaccesstofoodpantries.
50
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doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2013.06.012
Mirmiran,P.,Noori,N.,Zavareh,M.B.,&Azizi,F.(2009).Fruitandvegetable
consumptionandriskfactorsforcardiovasculardisease.Metabolism,58(4),460468.doi:10.1016/j.metabol.2008.11.002
Pudney,E.,Brasseur,K.,Ozier,A.,Yao,P.,&McBride,R.(2014).Assessmentofnutrition
educationneedspertainingtotheperceivedbenefitsandbarriersoffoodpantry
clients.JournalofNutritionEducationandBehavior,46(4),S167.
doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2014.04.234
Robinson,R.(2008).Applyingthesocio-ecologicalmodeltoimprovingfruitand
vegetableintakeamonglow-incomeAfricanAmericans.JournalofCommunity
Health,33(6),395-406.Retrievedfrom:
http://link.springer.com.ezproxy.mnsu.edu/article/10.1007/s10900-008-91095/fulltext.html
Salinardi,T.C.,Batra,P.,Roberts,S.B.,Urban,L.E.,Robinson,L.M.,Pittas,A.G.,
Lichtenstein,A.H.,Deckersbach,T.,Saltzman,E.,&Das,S.K.(2013).Lifestyle
interventionreducesbodyweightandimprovescardiometabolicriskfactorsin
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worksites.AmericanJournalofClinicalNutrition,97(4),667-676.
doi:10.3945/ajcn.112.046995
Tamers,S.L.,Agurs-Collins,T.,Dodd,K.W.,&Nebeling,L.(2009).USandFranceadult
fruitandvegetableconsumptionpatterns:Aninternationalcomparison.
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id=summon&v=2.1&u=mnamsumank&it=r&p=EAIM&sw=w&asid=d0d544ea678
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Tucker,K.L.,Hallfrisch,J.,Qiao,N.,Muller,D.,Andres,R.,&Fleg,J.L.(2005).The
combinationofhighfruitandvegetableandlowsaturatedfatintakesismore
protectiveagainstmortalityinagingmenthatiseitheralone:TheBaltimore
longitudinalstudyofaging.TheJournalofNutrition,135(3),556-561.Retrieved
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fId=info:xri/sid:summon&accountid=12259
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conditionschartbook:2010medicalexpenditurepanelsurveydata.Agencyfor
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57
APPENDIXA
IRBApproval
February18,2016
DearAmyHedman,PhD:
Re:IRBProposalentitled"[871131-2]FruitandVegetableAvailability,NutritionEducationand
AccessAmongstFoodPantriesinCalifornia,Maine,Mississippi,andSouthDakota"ReviewLevel:
Level[I]
YourIRBProposalhasbeenapprovedasofFebruary18,2016.OnbehalfoftheMinnesotaState
University,MankatoIRB,wewishyousuccesswithyourstudy.Rememberthatyoumustseek
approvalforanychangesinyourstudy,itsdesign,fundingsource,consentprocess,oranypart
ofthestudythatmayaffectparticipantsinthestudy.Shouldanyoftheparticipantsinyour
studysufferaresearch-relatedinjuryorotherharmfuloutcome,youarerequiredtoreport
themtotheAssociateVice-PresidentofResearchandDeanofGraduateStudiesimmediately.
Whenyoucompleteyourdatacollectionorshouldyoudiscontinueyourstudy,youmustsubmit
aClosurerequest(seehttp://grad.mnsu.edu/irb/continuation.html).Alldocumentsrelatedto
thisresearchmustbestoredforaminimumofthreeyearsfollowingthedateonyourClosure
request.PleaseincludeyourIRBNetIDnumberwithanycorrespondencewiththeIRB.
Sincerely,
MaryHadley,Ph.D.IRBCoordinator
SarahSifers,Ph.D.LPIRBCo-Chair
JulieCarlson,Ed.D.IRBCo-Chair
-1-GeneratedonIRBNet
Thisletterhasbeenelectronicallysignedinaccordancewithallapplicableregulations,anda
copyisretainedwithinMinnesotaStateUniversity,MankatoIRB'srecords.
58
APPENDIXB
Permissiontousethe2014HungerinAmericaSurveyQuestions
Hi,Sarah-
Thanksforclarifying.I'mhappytosaythatwecansharetheinformationyourequested!
I'veattachedthesurveyinstrumentsweusedwithagencyrepresentativesforour2014
HungerinAmericastudy.Feelfreetoreviewanduseanyofthequestionsforyour
research.
Acouplethingstonote:
1)Thesurveyswerecompletedbyagencyrepresentatives,notfoodbankstaff.Wework
with200foodbanksandthefoodbankspartneralmost50,000localagenciesthatrun
foodprogramssuchassoupkitchensandfoodpantries.About32,000agencies
participatedinour2014study.
2)Thepaperversionsofthesurveyareattached,butaspartofourstudythesurveywas
actuallyadministeredelectronicallyviatheweb.
Hopethisishelpful.Goodluckwithyourresearch!
ShannonLindstedt
ResearchIntern
FeedingAmerica
NationalOffice
35EastWackerDrive,Suite2000
Chicago,IL60601
tel+1.312.641.5595
slindstedt@feedingamerica.org
OurmissionistofeedAmerica'shungrythroughanationwidenetworkofmemberfood
banksandengageourcountryinthefighttoendhunger.Learnmoreat
feedingamerica.org
TogetherWeCanSolveHunger!T”
59
APPENDIXC
AnAgencySurveyofFoodPantries:
FruitandVegetableAvailability,NutritionEducationandAccess
Thankyoufortakingthetimetocompletethisbriefsurvey.Thissurveyexamines
foodpantriesandfruitandvegetableavailability,nutritioneducationandcurrent
practicesandbarrierstoprovidingaccesstothoseinneed.Thequestionswilleitherask
youtoselecttheanswerthatfitsbestortofillintheblank,allowingyoutowriteinyour
response.Ifthereareanyanswersthatyouarenotcomfortableansweringorwishto
skip,pleasefeelfreetodoso.Thissurveyisforinformationalpurposesandthereare
norightorwronganswers.Allresponsesarekeptconfidential.
1)
Whatpercentageofthetotalfoodthatyouragencycurrentlyhasinstock
consistsoffruitsand/orvegetables(fresh,canned,frozenorother)?Please
selectthemostaccurateanswer.
0%
1%to25%
26%to50%
51%to75%
76%to100%
2)
Whatpercentageofthefruitscurrentlyinstockisfresh(notcannedorfrozen)?
Pleaseselectthemostaccurateanswer.
0%
1%to25%
26%to50%
51%to75%
76%to100%
3)
Whatpercentageofthevegetablescurrentlyinstockisfresh(notcannedor
frozen)?Pleaseselectthemostaccurateanswer.
0%
1%to25%
26%to50%
51%to75%
76%to100%
60
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
Whatpercentageofthefruitscurrentlyinstockiscanned?Pleaseselectthe
mostaccurateanswer.
0%
1%to25%
26%to50%
51%to75%
76%to100%
Whatpercentageofthevegetablescurrentlyinstockiscanned?Pleaseselect
themostaccurateanswer.
0%
1%to25%
26%to50%
51%to75%
76%to100%
Whatpercentageofthefruitscurrentlyinstockisfrozen?Pleaseselectthemost
accurateanswer.
0%
1%to25%
26%to50%
51%to75%
76%to100%
Whatpercentageofthevegetablescurrentlyinstockisfrozen?Pleaseselectthe
mostaccurateanswer.
0%
1%to25%
26%to50%
51%to75%
76%to100%
Foreachofthefoodgroupitemslistedbelow,pleaseindicatetheextentto
whichyouragencycurrentlyhasasufficientsupplyonhandbyplacingan‘X’in
theboxwiththemostaccurateanswerforeachfoodgroup.
61
FoodGroup
9)
Insufficientsupply Sufficientsupply
Excesssupply
Vegetables
Dark-green
vegetables
Redandorange
vegetables
Legumes(beans
andpeas)
Starchy
vegetables
Othervegetables
Fruits
Arethereanypoliciesthatpreventtheagencyfromacceptingfruitsand
vegetables(eitherfresh,canned,frozenorother)?Pleaseselectthemost
accurateanswer.
Yes No 62
10)
11)
Unsure
a. Ifyes,pleaseindicateinyourownwordsthepolicyorpoliciesthatlimit
acceptanceoffruitsandvegetables. Doesyouragencydoanythingtoteachclientsaboutnutritionorhowtoeat
better?Pleaseselectthemostaccurateanswer.
Yes
No
Unsure
Whichofthefollowingactivitiesaboutnutritionoreatingbetterdoesyour
agencydowithclients?Pleaseselectallthatapply.
a.Fliersorwrittenmaterialsonnutritionandhealth
b.Cookingdemonstrationsortastingsofhealthierfoods
c.Workshopsorclassesonnutrition,healthissuesorshoppingonabudget
d.Cookingclasses
e.Workshopsorclassesonspecifichealthproblemsrelatedtonutrition(e.g.,
diabetes)
f.Trainingongardeningskills
g.One-on-onemeetingswithadieticianorotherpersontrainedtohelppeople
withnutritionandhealth
h.Referringclientstoactivitiesrelatedtonutritionoreatingbetteratother
locations
12)
Howimportantisitthatyouragencygivesoutandserves“healthier”foodslike
fruits,vegetables,low-fatmilk,wholegrains,leanmeats,etc.?Pleaseselectthe
mostaccurateanswer.
Veryimportant
Somewhatimportant
Notimportant
13)
Thefollowinglistbelowincludesthingsthatmaypreventyoufromgivingout
andserving“healthier”foods(likefruits,vegetables,low-fatmilk,wholegrains,
leanproteinsetc.).
Pleaseselectanyapplicableresponsesthatpreventyoufromgivingoutand
servinghealthierfoods.
a. Itcoststoomuchmoneytopurchase
b. Wecan’tgethealthierfoodsthroughourdistributingFoodBank
63
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
Wedon’thavetheabilitytostore/handlehealthierfoods
Clientsdon’twanttoeat/choosehealthierfoods
Clientsdon’tknowhowtohandle/preparehealthierfoods
Clientsaren’tabletostoreperishablefoods
Wearenotsurewhatfoodsareconsideredhealthier
Givingoutandserving“healthier”foodsisnotagoaloftheagency
Wecan’tgethealthierfoodsfromotherdonors/foodsources(e.g.,food
drives,retailers)
14)
Thefollowinglistbelowincludesthingsthatmaymakeitchallengingtoprovide
accesstoyouragencytoindividualsinneed.
Pleaseselectanyapplicableresponsesthatmakeitchallengingtoprovideaccess
topeopleinneed.
a. Limitedstaffingandvolunteersattheagency
b. Limitedoperatinghours
c. Languagebarriers(theneedfortranslationand/orinterpretationservices)
d. Lackoftransportationtothepantry
e. Lackofproperidentification(applicableifyouragencyrequiresidentification
tocollectfoods)
f. Other______
g. Therearenochallenges
15)
Ifapplicable,pleaseselectanystepsthathavebeentakentomakeiteasierfor
individualstoaccesstheagency.
a. Providinginformationonpublictransportation
b. Expandingoperatinghours
c. Increasedstafforvolunteers
d. Reducingtherequirementsfordocumentationoridentificationtoutilizethe
pantry
e. Deliverytohomeservices
f. Other(pleaselistinthisspace):_______
g. Nostepshavebeentaken
16)
Isyouragencyachoicemodel(peoplechoosetheirfooditems)ortraditional
model(peoplearegivenastandardpre-packagedbagorboxoffood)?Please
selectthemostaccurateanswer.
Choice(peoplechoosetheirfooditems) Traditional(peoplearegivenastandardpre-packagedbagorboxoffood)
17)
Pleaseestimatehowmanypeopleyouragencyserveseachmonth?
64
18)
19)
Whatisyourtitleattheagency?
Inwhatcity&stateisyouragencylocated?
THANKYOUFORCOMPLETINGTHISSURVEY!YOUARENOWFINISHEDJ
65
APPENDIXD
InternetEmailMessageandInformedConsent
Hello!
MynameisSarahFowlerandIamaGraduateStudentatMinnesotaStateUniversity,
Mankato.Iamconductingaresearchstudythatlooksatmultiplefoodpantriesacross
fourstates:California,Maine,MississippiandSouthDakota.Theresearchwilllookat
foodpantriesandtheirfruitandvegetableavailability,theextentthatnutrition
educationisofferedandthebarriersandcurrenteffortsbeingmadeinproviding
individualsinneedaccesstothepantries.Iinviteyoutoparticipateinthisresearch
study.Ifyouagreetoparticipateyouwillbeaskedquestionsaboutyourfoodpantry
anditssupplyoffruitsandvegetables,nutritioneducationandpantryaccessibilityto
individualsandfamilies.
Yourparticipationinthisstudyiscompletelyvoluntary.Youmayrefusetoparticipate
withnopenalty.Inaddition,youmaydiscontinueparticipationatanytimeordeclineto
answeranyquestion(s)atanytime.Thesurveyiscompletelyconfidentialandshould
takeonlyabout10-15minutestocomplete.
Hereisalinktothesurvey:
https://mnsu.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_8HzTQesnTUJ3BEF
Yourparticipationisgreatlyappreciated.Uponyourrequest,Iwouldbehappytosend
youasummaryoftheresearchfindingsandconclusionsofthisstudy.
Pleasenote:detailsregardingInformedConsentarelistedbelow.Byparticipatinginthis
onlinesurvey,yourconsentisimplied.
Thankyouforyourconsiderationandtime.
Sincerely,
SarahFowler
GraduateStudent
MinnesotaStateUniversity,Mankato,MN
Phone:(612)963-2849
Email:sarah.fowler@mnsu.edu
AmyHedman,PhD
PrincipalInvestigator
66
MinnesotaStateUniversity,Mankato,MN
Phone:(507)389-5382
Email:amy.hedman@mnsu.edu
ONLINE/ANONYMOUSSURVEYCONSENT
YouarerequestedtoparticipateinresearchsupervisedbyDr.AmyHedmanonfood
pantriesacrossfourstates,California,Maine,MississippiandSouthDakotaandany
differencesthatexistamongthesestatesinrelationto:theirfruitandvegetable
availability,theextentthatnutritioneducationisofferedandthebarriersandcurrent
effortsbeingmadeinprovidingindividualsinneedaccesstothepantrytoindividuals
andfamiliesinneed.
Thissurveyshouldtakeabout10to15minutestocomplete.Thegoalofthissurveyisto
understandfoodpantryoperationsrelatedtofruitandvegetableavailability,nutrition
education,andaccess.Youwillbeaskedtoanswerquestionsaboutthattopic.Ifyou
haveanyquestionsabouttheresearch,pleasecontactDr.Hedmanat
amy.hedman@mnsu.edu.
Participationisvoluntary.Youhavetheoptionnottorespondtoanyofthequestions.
Youmaystoptakingthesurveyatanytimebyclosingyourwebbrowser.Participation
ornonparticipationwillnotimpactyourrelationshipwithMinnesotaStateUniversity,
Mankato.Ifyouhavequestionsaboutthetreatmentofhumanparticipantsand
MinnesotaStateUniversity,Mankato,contacttheIRBAdministrator,Dr.BarryRies,at
507-389-1242orbarry.ries@mnsu.edu.
Responseswillbeanonymous.However,wheneveroneworkswithonlinetechnology
thereisalwaystheriskofcompromisingprivacy,confidentiality,and/oranonymity.If
youwouldlikemoreinformationaboutthespecificprivacyandanonymityrisksposed
byonlinesurveys,pleasecontacttheMinnesotaStateUniversity,MankatoInformation
andTechnologyServicesHelpDesk(507-389-6654)andasktospeaktotheInformation
SecurityManager.
Therisksofparticipatingarenomorethanareexperiencedindailylife.Thereareno
directbenefitsforparticipating.Societymightbenefitbytheincreasedunderstanding
foodpantryoperations.Submittingthecompletedsurveywillindicateyourinformed
consenttoparticipateandindicateyourassurancethatyouareatleast18yearsofage.
Pleaseprintacopyofthispageforyourfuturereference.
MSUIRBNetID#871131 DateofMSUIRBapproval:02/18/2016
67
Researcher’sContactInformation:
AmyHedman,PhD
PrincipalInvestigator
MinnesotaStateUniversity,Mankato,MN
213HighlandCenterNorth
MankatoMN56001
Phone:(507)389-5382
Email:amy.hedman@mnsu.edu
SarahFowler
GraduateStudent
MinnesotaStateUniversity,Mankato,MN
Phone:(612)963-2849
Email:sarah.fowler@mnsu.edu