Food Bank of South Central        America's Second Harvest       Mathematica Policy Research
Michigan                                     35 Wacker Dr., Suite 2000      P.O. Box 2939
PO Box 408                               Chicago, IL 60601                   Princeton, NJ 08543-2393
Battle Creek, MI 49016

November 14, 2001



Dear Friends of Foodbanking:

The Food Bank of South Central Michigan is proud to present Hunger in America 2001.

Thanks to the diligent work of so many, the communities within our service area have been given an extensive and precise picture of the reality of hunger that exists in our various neighborhoods. From our cities to our suburbs to our farmlands, a growing number of our neighbors find themselves relying upon emergency food programs for their meals. With meticulous specificity, this research breaks down and sorts out the facts of hunger. Percentages, tables, charts abound in this voluminous work. The empirical detail of this research gives answers to a variety of questions.

Who is hungry? Why? Where? What? How many are children? How many are seniors? Are they working? Are they in good health? Do they own a car? Have a phone? Rent or own? If they are not working, when is the last time that they did? Male or female? Black or white or Hispanic? How many single parent households? What’s their income? Do they skip meals? Do they miss meals so their children can eat? How many of them live around here? Are they Americans? Speak English? Spanish? Did they have a job a year ago? How many have high school diplomas? College degrees? Skilled or unskilled? Are there any white collar professionals in need of food?

On and on, throughout the 200 pages of this local study, the questions are asked. And answers are given regarding the facts of those who find themselves in need of food at pantries in Bronson, Hastings or Hillsdale, a soup kitchen in Kalamazoo, Battle Creek or Sturgis, a shelter in Jackson, Coldwater or Adrian.

But to a degree numbers are abstractions. They don’t show smiles, laughs, tears, pain or the frustration of a single-parent holding a sack of food from an emergency pantry in one hand, while enclosing her child’s hand in the other. To make this research concrete we must search for the faces behind the facts. The statistics that you will find in this report are not the object of our study. Rather, it is in the dialogue with 365 individuals in 39 sites that the real subject matter of this study reveals itself. I would like to extend thanks to these folk who so graciously shared their lives with us and ultimately gave us a better understanding of 58,227 others in need of food. Through their voices and generous conversations with us, we arrive with a better understanding of why our neighbors find themselves at area feeding programs. And through this understanding, the categories of they and we break down and dissolve. Only we remain. And we are neighbors.

This rigorous research does not stop with the facts upon facts of those who find themselves in need of food. No, it continues. It explores and examines the who, what, where and why of the emergency feeding infrastructure in southcentral and southwestern Michigan. With detailed and extraordinary clarity, the study provides fact after fact of who is feeding our neighbors at pantries, soup kitchens and shelters. It measures this network’s strengths and threats. It charts how many volunteers run various programs, what kinds of food is needed, its needs and wants. Fact after fact is gleaned from the responses of an impressive 85% of the Food Bank of South Central Michigan’s agencies on the front lines of feeding our neighbors. How many are faith based? How reliant are they on food bank inventories? Have their numbers increased? What role does government programs play or not play in feeding its citizens? On and on, the questions and answers come. And subsequently, comes a deeper understanding of the problems and solutions in making this region a less hungry place for its entire people.

This research released to the public will hopefully form the basis for further dialogue. A dialogue must ensue with policy makers, business and religious leaders, the philanthropic community and citizens of various stripes. We at the Food Bank of South Central Michigan, informed by this clearer understanding, will devise ways to improve our services both to our agencies and those they serve. You can count on that. Yet, beyond such a promise, in the end, we yearn for something far more ambitious. We yearn for a day when all Americans will no longer worry about where their next meal will come from for them and their children.

In closing, this study could not have happened without the support of board members and staff who went the extra mile and participated in this research. It could not have happened without the exemplary participation of member agencies that dutifully returned their surveys. It could not have happened without the dedication of trained volunteers who set off hither and yon to conduct client interviews. It could not have happened without funders who saw the importance of this research and made an investment. And surely, it could not have happened without the leadership of America’s Second Harvest. And finally, a special word of thanks to Jack Baker, our hunger study coordinator, whose hard work made it happen.

May we look forward to a future where ending hunger will happen.

All to a better heart,

Bob Randels
Executive Director
Food Bank of SCM

Participation in Hunger in America 2001 meant hard work and support at the local level. Without the support of local volunteers and donors, the project would not have been possible. We wish to acknowledge the contributions of the following:

Volunteers worked an average of 16.5 hours each, with many working considerably more. They included a group from Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes. Volunteers drove an average of 50 miles to and from each site. Some sites had to be visited more than once. In many cases 2 or more volunteers would be needed to conduct interviews.

Interviewers were: Judy Ackerman, Kristen Bartholemew, Jim Clark, Kathy DeVine, Linda Fitzgerald, Dave Flook, Catherine Grostic, Caroline Gray, Kay Haas, Beverly Jo Henry, Michelle Hollerback, Rick Hulsey, Roger Jones, Sallie Kittredge, Nancy Lenz, Bill Mabin, Les Miller, Peninah Miller, Bill Muszynski, Bruce Newhard, Harold Oswald, Harriet Pierman, Karla Plummer, Cheryl Proctor, Bob Randels, Marguerite Reeves, Chet Repke, Linda Repke, Sheri Ritchie, Betty Roberts, Mary Rynd, Dan Salerno, Cynthia Scofield, Kevin Smith, Mary Lynn Smith, Sandy Smith, Dave Steger, Dick Stout, Paul Tillman, Gail Turner, Owen VanWinkle, and Carol Wilson.

Funding:

By giving to this project, funders show both their concerns about the hungry people in our area and their faith in the Food Bank of South Central Michigan.

Funding for local participation in the national Hunger in America 2001 study has come from: Battle Creek Community Foundation, City of Battle Creek, Catholic Diocese of Kalamazoo, Consumers Energy Foundation, Dorothy U. Dalton Foundation, Irving S. Gilmore Foundation, Hillsdale County Community Foundation, Kalamazoo Community Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Michigan National Bank, Miller Foundation, Non-Profit Alliance of Battle Creek., Summit Pointe, United Way of Greater Battle Creek, United Way of Kalamazoo and the Weatherwax Foundation of Jackson.

Not much can happen at the Food Bank without the help of its member agencies. All member agencies were asked to fill out agency surveys and return them to Mathematica Policy Research. Some 197 of 219 agencies did so (85%). Thanks for your help.

Mathematica selected a sample of 39 agencies located throughout our eight counties, using various statistical procedures, for client interviews. Thanks to these sites that so hospitably gave us space to interview people who had come to these agencies in need of food.

Additional Information:

For more information on the national study, check America’s Second Harvest website www.secondharvest.org. For more information on the statewide study check the Food Bank Council of Michigan’s website www.fbcmich.org.

This report presents information on the clients and agencies served by the Food Bank of South Central Michigan. The information is drawn from a national study, Hunger in America 2001, conducted for America’s Second Harvest (A2H), the nation’s largest organization of emergency food providers. The national study is based on completed in-person interviews with more than 32,000 clients served by the A2H network, as well as completed questionnaires from nearly 24,000 A2H agencies. This report is based on surveys of 365 clients and 187 agencies served by the Food Bank of South Central Michigan.

Key findings from the 200 page study are summarized below:

How Many Clients Receive Food From the Food Bank of
    SCM?

An estimated 58,592 individuals received food from the Food Bank of SCM annually

An estimated 18,419 different people receive assistance each week

Who Receives Emergency Food Assistance?

39% of the members of households served by the Food Bank of SCM’s network are children under 18 years old (10% of the household members are children under 5 years of age)

7% are elderly

41% of households served include at least one employed adult

52% are female, 47% are male

60% are high school graduates or have an equivalent degree

54% of client households with children younger than 18 are single-parent

82% are white, 11% are African-American, 6% are Spanish-speaking, 2% are American Indian

34% live in rural or suburban areas

8% of adult clients of the Food Bank of SCM network are homeless

How Many Food Bank of SCM Network Clients Are Food
    Insecure or Experiencing Hunger?

Among all Food Bank of SCM network clients, 75% are classified as food insecure, using the federal government’s official food security scale.

26% of all Food Bank of SCM network clients are classified as experiencing hunger

Among households with children, 76% are food insecure and 26% are experiencing hunger

What About the Frequency of Skipping Meals Among Food
    Bank of SCM Network Clients?

47% of the adult clients ate less than they felt they should because there was not enough money to buy food during the previous 12 months

39% of all Food Bank of SCM network client households had adults who stated that often the food they bought didn’t last and they didn’t have money to get more during the previous 12 months

40% of all Food Bank of SCM network client households had adults who stated that sometimes the food they bought did not last and they did not have money to get more during the previous 12 months

38% of all Food Bank of SCM client households had adults who cut the size of their meals or skipped meals because there was not enough money for food almost every month (16%) or some months but not every month (22%).

33% of all Food Bank of SCM client households had adults who said they were hungry but didn’t eat because they couldn’t afford enough food for the previous 12 months

27% of the adults in Food Bank of SCM client households did not eat for a whole day at least once during the previous 12 months because there was not enough money for food

How Many Food Bank of SCM Network Clients Have to
    Choose Between Food and Other Necessities?

39% of Food Bank of SCM network clients report having to choose between paying for food or paying for utilities or heating fuel

32% of Food Bank of SCM network clients report having to choose between paying for food or paying their rent or mortgage bill

29% of Food Bank of SCM network clients report having to choose between paying for food or paying for medicine or medical care

                    What is the income level of Food Bank of SCM Network Clients?

62% of all households have monthly incomes of less than $999. This is below the federal poverty level of $1,180 per month for a family of three.

The average household income among all clients during the previous month was $740. The average for the U.S. population was $4,754

For 37% of Food Bank of SCM network clients, a job is their main source of income. For 40% of the clients Social Security, unemployment compensation, disability, or Supplemental Security Income was their main source of income

For 3% of the clients, TANF or GA was their main source of income

46% of all clients had a household income of less than $10,000. That is well below the federal poverty guide of $14,160 for a family of three.

65% of all client households had an annual household income of less than $14,999. The poverty level for a family of three is $14,160.

The average household income among all clients in 2000 was $10,816

How Many Food Bank of SCM Network Clients are
    Receiving Government Help?

37% of Food Bank of SCM network clients are receiving Food Stamp benefits, however, it is likely that many more are eligible

Among Food Bank of SCM client households with pre-school children, 65% participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Woman, Infants and Children (WIC)

Among Food Bank of SCM client households with school-age children 45% participate in the federal school lunch program, and 36% participate in the federal school breakfast program

87% of all Food Bank of SCM client households said they did not receive general assistance, welfare or TANF during the past two years

Among those clients who had been receiving general assistance, welfare or TANF during the past two year, 60% reported that this assistance had been discontinued

                    What necessities do Food Bank of SCM Network Clients Lack?

35% of all client households have no working telephone

39% of all client households have no working car

How Many of Food Bank of SCM network clients are
    Satisfied with the Services they Receive From Food Bank
    Agencies?

97% of adult clients said they were either "very satisfied" or "somewhat satisfied" with the amount of food they received, 96% said they were satisfied with the quality of the food they received

How Large is the Food Bank of SCM Network?

        There are approximately 230 member agencies of the Food
        Bank of SCM

Have Food Bank of SCM Agencies Been Experiencing An
    Increase in Need?

51% of pantries, 73% of the soup kitchens and 67% of the shelters reported that there had been an increase since 1998 in the number of clients who come to their emergency food program sites

Where Do Food Bank of SCM Agencies Obtain Their
    Food? How Significant is the Food Bank to Its Member
    Agencies?

The Food Bank of SCM is by far the single most important source of food for most of their network members, accounting for 73% of the food used by pantries, 61% of soup kitchens’ food and 45% of shelters’ food

89% of the pantries in the Food Bank of SCM’s network, and 82% of the soup kitchens said elimination of Food Bank food would have a significant or devastating impact on their program

50% of the shelters, 22% of the soup kitchens and 15% of the pantry programs within the Food Bank of SCM network reported that they had one or more problems that threaten their continued operation

Of the group facing problems, 100% of the shelters, 81% of the soup kitchens and 42% of the pantry programs said the problems were related to funding