Food Pantry Participants

1
Food Pantry Participants

• Initial Report of Survey of Users of Dane
  Countys Food Pantries

2
WISCONSIN

• Population 5.5 Million people (as of September
  2006)
• Median Income for a family of 3 persons
  61,286 per year (2006)

3
The Bottom of the Lower Half

• Median means half of the families make less
  than that.
• Some make much less.
• Population in Poverty
• 484,000 million people in Wisconsin (about 1 in
  11) had incomes below the federal poverty
  threshold (2000 census).
• Their Incomes
• For a family of 3 with1 child, that poverty
  threshold in 2006 was an income of 16,227, or
  about 1,350/month.
• At that level
• a small apartment might rent for 600 each month
• Only 750 for the rest of the month to cover
• Clothes
• health care
• Transportation
• education, and
• FOOD (the flexible expense).
• Some low-income people in Madison are stretched
  so thin that they even lack the money for bus
  fare.

4
WHAT CAN PEOPLE IN POVERTY DO?

• Try to do all within their own powers to
• Obtain (better) jobs,
• Get better educations,
• Move to different cities,
• Seek help from non-profit organizations.
• Apply for any governmental support they are
  eligible for.
• For help in getting FOOD, the main federal
  support program is FoodShare (previously Food
  Stamps).

5

FOODSHARE

• 372,912 residents of Wisconsin (about 1 in 16)
  received FoodShare benefits in 2006 (20,000 in
  Dane County).
• The FoodShare caseload in Wisconsin has been
  steadily increasing since 2000. It has more than
  doubled in the last 6 years.

6

Who are the FoodShare recipients in Wisconsin?

• Gender Nearly 60 are female
• Ages More than half of the recipients are 16
  years of age or younger.
• Family Makeup Of the families that contain
  minors,
• 72 have one parent, 26 have two parents, and 2
  have no parent.
• 40 of the recipient families contain at least
  one person who is either elderly, blind or
  disabled.
• Work/Earnings 35 of the recipient families
  have at least one person working.
• The average monthly income of these families is
  1,075 (which is below the poverty level for all
  but single adults)

7
Food Share Benefits

• Depending upon recipients income level, the
  monthly allotment for a family of three may vary
  from about 10 up to 408/month.
• The average monthly allotment for families having
  at least one member who is elderly, blind or
  disabled is 118 a month. However, 30 of such
  families receive 10 a month or less.
• BUT, sorely as the FoodShare program is needed,
  rarely do its benefits by themselves provide
  enough to feed a person (or family) for a whole
  month.

8
What to do when FS runs out?

• Turn to their Neighbors for free food in Food
  Pantries and Free Meal Sites.

9
Food Pantries

• There are more than 47 food pantries in Dane
  County.
• That many are members of the Dane County Food
  Pantry Network (DCFPN), which is supervised by
  CAC (Community Action Coalition of South Central
  Wisconsin).
• In addition, 2nd Harvest Foodbank of Southern
  Wisconsin has a few mobile pantries.
• Together, these food pantries hand out millions
  of pounds of food each year.

10
Food-Pantry Client Survey

• In October of 2006, the Hunger Prevention Council
  of Dane County, did a survey of DCFPN food-pantry
  clients.
• Some of the initial findings are known and
  compared with the October 2003 survey.
• 2006 2003
• Number of visits by families 7,080 5,684
• Number of survey respondents 1,758 2,026
• (25) (36)

11
Respondents Answers(Family Characteristics)
2006 2003
Time lived in Madison lt 3 months gt 2 years 4.5 84 lt 5 82
Families w/kids (1,345 kids) 70 62
We have used Pantries lt 3 months gt 2 years 20 38 25 37
gt 1 Pantry within 30 days 42 39
12
Respondents Answers (Food Security)
2006 2003
Adults skipped meals/no money 1 or 2 days out of last 30 3 or more days 36 26
Kids skipped meals/no money 1 or 2 days out of last 30 3 or more days 13 8
Food Security status secure (no worries) insecure (must skimp) insecure with hunger 13 12 75 20 30 60
13
Respondents Answers(Financial Information)
2006 2003
At least 1 of us works for pay 65 55
Families in poverty (incomes lt Poverty threshold) 80 81
Our disabilities limit our work (receive SSI/SSDI payments) 38 20
We get Food Stamps (FdShare) 48 32
14
Extrapolations/Conclusions

• Thousands in Madison live in poverty
• Most are poor and sometimes lack food
• An increasing number receive FoodShare
• 55 of eligible families in Wisconsin
• FoodShare benefits seldom last a month
• They then turn to Food Pantries
• Food Pantries are now an Institution
• Still, families, including kids, sometimes lack
  food

15
How to Help

• Support the FoodShare Program in the Farm Bill
• Support the outreach efforts of the FoodShare
  Program
• Support food pantries, and the federal support
  programs such as TEFAP, which supply some of the
  pantries food