Progress 09/01/13 to 02/28/15
Outputs
Target Audience: The target audience for our project consistedprimarily oflow-income families in the towns of Amenia, Northeast, and Pine Plains (in Dutchess County, NY) who utilized food pantries and federally funded programs like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). The population groups we interviewed included seniors, families, individuals, and recent Latino immigrants. From Octer 2015 to January 2016, we conducted 75 interview-style surveys in both English and Spanish at the following sites: Amenia: Fellowship Dinner at the Amenia Presbyterian Church, Food of Life Pantry at the St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Hudson River Healthcare on WIC client days, Senior Friendship Center at the South Amenia Presbyterian Church, Vine and Branches Food Pantry at the Church of the Immaculate Conception. North East (including Millerton): After-School Program at the North East Community Center, Fellowship Dinner at the Millerton Presbyterian Church, Senior Friendship Center. Pine Plains: Community Food Locker at the Methodist Church. Changes/Problems: We were not able to complete food system mapping andthe objectives listed under Goal 2 in the 18-month time frame. Building linkages with local food stakeholders, educating community members and partnering agencies about our project, conducting the literature review, developingthe food assessmentsurvey, translating it into Spanish, validating and piloting it, creating a survey database, and initial demographic analysis have consumed the proposed study period and grant funds. However, we have accomplished much of the groundwork toward achieving Goal 2. For example, our Community Assessment Team brought together many stakeholders in the local food system, like the Dutchess County Office of the Aging, the WIC office in Poughkeepsie, local Senior Friendship Centers, and SNAP and WIC clients. During the project period, we also focused efforts on expanding our Health Bucks (SNAP-incentive) Program and our Fresh Food Pantry, which distributes local vegetables, eggs, and milk tofour area food pantries. We will carry out the remainder of our proposed activities in 2015 with local funding. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The general dissemination plan developed by ourCommunity Assessment Teamincludes presentations atTown Hall meetings and schools, newsletter articles, press coverage, an academic paper, and posters that summarize survey finds in readily accessible language and graphics. The dissemination stage of the project will be carried out in the coming months and be completed by the end of 2015. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Summary Our project seeks to better understand local food needs for families with children, senior citizens, and recent immigrants. We wanted to know what barriers prevented these groups from gaining access to a healthy, affordable diet. We were primarily concerned with the barriers imposed by rural isolation and lack of income. Because we are in the agricultural region of the Hudson Valley, we wanted to address how we could make stronger connections between farmers and community members. Betsey McCall, NECC's Director of Farm& Food Programs, developed the survey tool in English and Spanish with assistance from a Project Coordinator, an Americorps Navigator, and the Community Assessment Team. This group also acted as survey administrators; they collected data through interview-style surveys in both English and Spanish. Consultants from Bard College assisted with designing the survey tool. The consultants were Gautham Sethi, Assoc. Professor of Economics and Libby Murphy, statistician. Terence Duvall and Brett Sykes, Bard students, assisted with a literature reviewthat informed our survey design. Sethi and Murphy are in the process of analyzing the data collected by the Community Assessment team. Impact The initial results from the surveys cover the demographic questions from the survey. -We interviewed 75 respondentsrepresenting 203 people. Distribution of adults was 65%, and 35% of households included children. -We interviewed a high percentage of Spanish-speaking residents (20% of total respondents). Sixty-six perent of survey respondentsidentified aswhite, 30% as Hispanic, 3% as Black or African-American, and 1% as American Indian or Alaskan Native. -A good cross-section of ages was represented. The majority of survey takers were women: 73% of respondents were female and 27% were male. -Most households spent from $50to $150 weekly on food. During the survey taking, we learned that householdswere more likely to have a monthly food budget, and households go shopping for most of their groceries on a monthly vs. weekly basis. -Respondents represented a range of household income values. Most respondents reported household incomes under $10,000 or between $15,000 and $35,000. -All three towns (Amenia, North East and Pine Plains)were significantly represented. -Half of respondents were unemployed. Thirty percent of respondents were full-time employees, 13% were regular part-time employees, and 7% were occasional part-time employees. While we are still in the process of analyzing the rest of the survey results, our general sense is that low-income families can't afford to purchase local food from farms in our area. They must travel outside the three towns to places like Kingston and Hudson (anywhere from 15 to 35 miles) to shop at Wal-Mart and Sam's Club. In addition to being unable to purchase local farm food,families also can't afford to shop at local grocery stores in our area: FreshTown, Grand Union, and Peck's Market. Families do the bulk of their shopping once a month at one of the bigger stores outside town and then pick up additional items, as needed, from local grocery stores or dollar shops. Our accomplishments by goals and objectives are as follows: Goal 1: Conduct a community food assessment in northeast Dutchess Co., NY. a. Map the focal food system. Activities: We are in the process of putting together a GIS mapping project featuring the data collected below. Data collected: Existing data on the local food system was collected for federal food assistance progams, SNAP retailers, availability of retail food stores, emergency food assistance providers, and farms in Amenia, North East, and Pine Plains. Summary statistics and discussion of results: In progress. Key outcomes/other accomplishments: Although we are still in the process of analyzing data, we plan to present information about where people shop and showhow people shopoutside the three towns that were surveyed. b. Identify strengths, gaps, and needs in the food system and barriers to food security for all residents, especially those of low income. Activities: A total of 75 comprehensive, IRB-approved food access surveys in English and Spanish were administered to residents of our focus area: Amenia, North East, Pine Plains Data collected: Data collected from the surveys covered demographic information, access to sufficient quantity of food, quality of food obtained,where people did their grocery shopping, accessibility of local food, and interest in gardening. If respondents had children living in their households, they answered a series of questions about how their food budgets affected whether or not their children had enough to eat. Summary statistics and discussion of results: The 75 respondents represented more than 200 housholds and a wide range of age ranges. We administered 20% of the surveys in Spanish and the rest in English. Sixty-six percent of respondents identified as White and 30% as Hispanic. Fifty percent of respondents were unemployed. The largest group of respondents reported annual household incomes below $10,00 and weekly food spending of between $51 and $100. We are still completed our inferential statistics using regression analysis and will have those results ready soon. Please see Appendix A for more descriptive statistics and their accompanying graphs. Key outcomes/other accomplishments: A change in knowledge. Our project has led to a more detailed understanding of our target audience's ability to access food based on multiple criteria in the survey, and the many insights and nuances they revealed. We will use this knowledge to steer our work to better address gaps and strengthen assets of our local food system. c. Engage community residents, including low-income residents, Spanish-speaking residents, and youth interns in the data collection process to determine community needs. Activities: Community residents were engaged in the data collection process. The data was collected by community members, farmers, and partners. d. Encourage low-income residents to participate in the study (attend meetings and complete surveys) by giving them a $2 incentive coupon toward the purchase of fresh produce at local farmers markets. Activities: Low-income residents participated in the study by completing interview-style surveys at partner sites in the three towns. Health Bucks, funded by the Foundation for Community Health in Sharon, CT, were distributed to each survey taker. Data Collected: Data from the 75 surveys was collected. Summary statistics/discussion: In progress Key outcomes/accomplishments: In progress. e. Determine support and desire for gardening education, community or cooperative gardens, food cooperatives, or other food-access projects. Activities: The surveys asked community members if they grew their own food in their own gardens or community garden plots. Respondents were also asked if they would like to grow their own food, and, if so, then waht would they need to start: education or training, help with gardening, community garden plots, and time. Data Collected: Data was collected for 75 respondents from the food-access surveys. Summary statistics/discussion: We are in the process of analyzing the data from these questions. Key outcomes/accomplishments: In progress. Goal 2: Consolidate the North East Community Center's existing food-access programs into a new food-security program, the "Northeast Dutchess Food Security Project," that is informed by the results of the community food assessment. In progress. Please see explanation in next section, Changes/Problems.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Community Food Project Descriptive Survey Results 2015
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Progress 09/01/13 to 08/31/14
Outputs
Target Audience: The target audience for the Northeast Dutchess Food Security Assesssment and Planning Project as outlined in our project narrative includes low-income and Spanish-speaking residents. Our assessment team determined which low-income groups needed to be surveyed and where we were going to conduct surveys. The groups identified were parents, Latino immigrants, SNAP/WIC recipients, farmers, food pantry clients, seniors, and youth (parental consent needed for 18 years and younger). Outreach during the first year of the project was conducted by our lead researcher, assistant, and Americorps Navigator at Astor Headstart in Millerton, Hudson River Healthcare in Amenia, the Community Food Locker in Pine Plains, and the Vines and Branches Food Pantry at the Church of Immaculate Conception in Amenia. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Because we are going through an Institutional Board Review with Bard College for this project, all members of the Community Food Project assessment team have been required to participate in a 2-hour training with the US Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health. This training provided education in the ethical treatment of research participants, the components of informed consent, and the handling of research material and data in the context of being important components of research and scholarship. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The current process for disseminating information about the planning process is through the monthly potluck series. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? During the next reporting period, we will pilot the survey tool, launch the survey, and hold focus groups. We will consult with a statistician to design a database to help analyze the collected information. We will finish collecting data on the local farms in our area and work with GIS to map our results. Our assessment team will decide the process and methods we want to use to disseminate the information collected from the survey and the focus groups. A presentation will be made to the NECC board of directors to determine a three-year plan for the newly establishedNortheast Dutchess Food Security Project.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During the first year of the project, we began to map our local food system and collected existing data on the locations of grocery stores, convenience stores, food pantries, and community gardens. Existing maps of agricultural properites were collected from Cornell Cooperative Extension. We are working with a graduate student at Bard College's Center for Enviromental Policy who will be plotting the data in a GIS mapping format. We are collecting data on locations of farms in Amenia, Millerton, and Pine Plains, the types of crops grown and livestock raised, and the distribution methods used (retail, wholesale, farmers makets, Community Supported Agriculture). This data is being collected at the town level, working in concert with the tax accessors. In October 2013, an assessment team was assembled from an existing and new group of community partners. This team consists of volunteers, including residents of Amenia, Millerton, and Pine Plains and representatives from local organizations including Hudson River Healthcare, Cornell Coooperative Extension, Dutchess County Community Action Partnership, food pantries, churches, farms, and Americorps volunteers. The team is facilitated by two NECC staff who act as the lead researcher and assistant researcher on the project. The assessment team determined the community's resources and strengths for food access, what the barriers and challenges were to residents accessing nutrituous food, and what our vision was for creating a more just food system for the future. Identified resources/strengths were (1) rich, ample farmland; (2) our number, diversity, and history of farms; (3) some innovative methods of food distribution (eg, CSAs, farm stands); (4) the presence of grocery stores, delis, and convenience stores in each town; and (5) the presence of outreach and satellite offices for health care and social services in our rural area. Identified barriers were (1) limited fresh-food distribution systems; (2) limited access to low-cost, nutritious foods; (3) lack of transportation; and (4) lack of a living wage. Our vision for the future included access to affordable local food, inclusion of seniors' food needs, a Food Hub facility that would offer discounted food sales, streamline distribution, and reduce waste; early childhood nutritional education; more community gardening, a community composting system, and other items that would support a healthy community. A written survey tool in English and Spanish was designed by our Community Food Assessment Team and was in place at the end of the reporting period, to be piloted by October 2014. The survey tool was designed in consultation with an economics professor from Bard College who did a literature search on food security issues. The assessment team also utilized the USDA Toolkit to help guide the process of designing the instrument. Because one of the groups we focused on consisted of low-income, recent Latino immigrants, we partnered with a Spanish translator from Hudson River Healthcare and a native Spanish speaker through Bard College. We also went through the process of an Institutional Review Board with Bard College and designed recruitment flyers, consent forms, survey questions, and focus group questions. The assessment team meets once monthly to make decisions about the survey tool, determine outreach that is needed for low-income groups, and establish grassroots efforts for organzing the project in a way that is informed by the community. Since the project is community led, the assessment team determined that a transparent process was needed to best serve the needs of our residents. Therefore, the assessment team designed a monthly potluck series to provide a forum for discussing topics surrounding food access and food security in our area.
Publications
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