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Community Hidden Hunger: Food Insecurity Research Project

Community Hidden Hunger: Food Insecurity Research Project. Sigma Theta Tau March 13, 2014. Research Team Members. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Mary Canales, Nursing Brenda Kaczmarski, Nursing student UW Extension, WI Nutrition Ed. Program Nancy Coffey, Nutrition Coordinator

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Community Hidden Hunger: Food Insecurity Research Project

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  1. Community Hidden Hunger: Food Insecurity Research Project Sigma Theta Tau March 13, 2014

  2. Research Team Members • University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire • Mary Canales, Nursing • Brenda Kaczmarski, Nursing student • UW Extension, WI Nutrition Ed. Program • Nancy Coffey, Nutrition Coordinator • Melissa Gullickson, Ameri-Corp • Feed My People Food Bank • Emily Moore, Director

  3. Food Security/Hunger • Food Security • access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life • Food Insecurity • Low food security: reduced quality, variety, or desirability of diet. Little or no indication of reduced food intake. • Very low food security: multiple indications of disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake. (USDA ER)

  4. A Place at the Table Documentary • Rosie’s Story • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNLSJgeRq7g • Barbie and Legislator eating on Food Share: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfnMb24cEOk • How do these stories parallel ECC stories?

  5. EC County Food Insecurity • 1 in 5 children are food insecure (Feeding America, 2012) • 1 in 10 residents reported food hardship. (FRAC, 2012) • 1in 5 residents participated in FoodShare (nationally SNAP)(DHS, 2012) • 2 in 5 children enrolled in Free or Reduced Price lunch (WI Food Security Project, 2012)

  6. Poverty’s Relationship to Food Insecurity • Poverty puts families at a much higher risk for food insecurity. • Those at almost double the federal poverty level still experience food insecurity yet may not qualify for assistance.

  7. Research Project Purpose • Explore meaning of food insecurity through voices of food insecure parents with young children

  8. Focus Group Questions • Based on community advisory discussion roundtable • Key question: What is it like to be food insecure? • Theme 1-Why are people hungry? • Theme 2- What does it mean to be hungry? • Theme 3: What is working? Suggestions?

  9. Recruitment Tool: Bookmark

  10. Results Summary of Participants

  11. Survey Results: Demographic Information • Over half had 2 children or less • 1 out of 3 had children 5 years or under • Majority were couples or 3 generational families • 23% were minority population (Hmong) • Over half had annual income of $20,000 or less

  12. Survey Results: Coping with Food Availability in Past Year • Majority (72%) participated in FoodShare & free or reduced cost lunch • Half participated in WIC or frequented food pantry • Yet 43% reported they had cut size of or skipped meals almost every month • 40 % said they often could not afford balanced meals

  13. Focus Group Analysis: Themes that Emerged • Falling through the cracks • Struggling physically & emotionally with hunger • Juggling to meet life’s basic needs • Desiring healthy foods without the means

  14. Themes were consistent for parent and agency staff participants.

  15. Parent: Falling Through the Cracks …the day I call to say, ‘Hey, I got a job. It’s a temporary position, contracted 160 hours.’ As of that day…she’s [agency staff] like ‘well, you won’t get any food stamps next month then.’ Meanwhile you’re really hungry at work and haven’t gotten paid yet. And then sometimes they hold back a check, too. Yeah, it took me 4 weeks to get my first check …

  16. Staff:Falling Through the Cracks I think there are a lot of families that are falling through the cracks, that don’t qualify for programs, but still aren’t able to feed their families, especially if they have children. They aren’t necessarily homeless families or anything like that, but they’re falling through the cracks.

  17. Parent: Struggling Physically & Emotionally with Hunger • …when there is enough [food], I can sleep, when there isn’t enough, I just couldn’t sleep – I can’t fall asleep. • It’s very different, because when there isn’t enough, the stress level there is just super high, kids will be nagging, crying, and when you do have enough it is exactly the opposite, everybody is happy.

  18. Staff: Struggling Physically & Emotionally with Hunger … she said, ‘No, that’s your dad’s cheese. He’ll be mad if you eat it.’ So she decided to give him some, so she got a little cup out and gave him about this much shredded cheese to share with his one year old sister. And then he said he wanted something else to eat and she said, ‘no you can’t have anything more.’

  19. Parent: Juggling Life’s Demands When we run short on food we go to food pantries, (Free meal site), just to…okay it’s getting towards the end of the month. We’re running short, we have to find ways to stretch it. But I don’t have a car so getting around is another thing, so when I’m having to spend (buy food) at the gas stations it goes quick so then you have to figure out how to stretch it the rest of the month.

  20. Staff: Juggling Life’s Demands We’ve had people apply and one of the big obstacles for them is medical bills, and unfortunately, our applications don’t take into consideration any medical bills. It’s based on gross income, so that’s tough for the families with medical issues.

  21. Parent: Desiring healthy foods without the means …I would just love to just be able to eat healthy, you know, every single day. I, if I had the means I would eat healthy and feed my kids healthy…

  22. Staff: Desiring healthy foods without the means ...getting to the food if you don’t have a vehicle that works and you’re relying on the city bus and you’ve got young kids. The best place downtown, for a lot of our families, is the little gas station where you’re gonna spend a lot for your money for that kind of food and there’s not a lot of healthy choices.

  23. Reflections: Do you see Food Insecurity around you? Observing at your school: • Does hunger exist? • Where do you see it? • What can be done to reduce it?

  24. ECC Food Security Action • Increase Community Awareness • Turning the Tables on Food Hardship Media Campaign • A Place at the Table documentary event • Educate health providers on relationship between food insecurity and chronic disease • Foster Coalitions & Networks to take action to address food insecurity. • EC City Health Plan • EC Healthy Communities: Chronic Disease Action Team • WI Partnership Grant-begins June 1, 2014

  25. Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice. Like Slavery and Apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. Nelson Mandela

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