Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s Grocery Bags for Seniors initiative has been awarded an inaugural $20,000 grant by the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition Rooted in Evidence program. Established in 2019, this program will fund eligible food banks working to support innovative and dynamic programming to improve the health and dietary quality of emergency food recipients. Under the auspices of this grant, Inter-Faith Food Shuttle has undertaken a research and evaluation project to determine the impact and effectiveness of the Grocery Bags for Seniors program.
Grocery Bags for Seniors is the longest-running of all Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s many programs to combat hunger in its 7-county service area. Currently, Grocery Bags for Seniors provides approximately 2,000 bags of non-perishable food items and fresh produce to seniors living in low-income housing communities every month. Each bag contains enough food to provide approximately 8 meals. In addition to providing nutritious food to help stretch their food budget, Grocery Bags for Seniors helps provide companionship in the face-to-face interaction of the volunteers who make the deliveries.
The goal of the Rooted in Evidence evaluation is to conduct focus groups and feedback events at current grocery bag distribution sites. The plan is to hold Seniors Eating Well (senior nutrition) workshops at 5 sites for 122 participants, site manager surveys, 14 feedback events for grocery bags recipients, and four focus groups.
A recent feedback event was held at Cedar Crest New Life Center Apartments, which receive Grocery Bags for Seniors the second Saturday of each month. A steady flow of seniors came and went during the two-hour window set aside for the surveys. Questions on the survey included such items as:
In the past 12 months, did you or other adults in your household ever cut the size of your meals or skip meals because there wasn't enough money for food?
· In the past 12 months, did you ever eat less than you felt you should because there wasn't enough money for food?
· How often do you make homemade meals "from scratch" (using mainly basic whole ingredients like vegetables, raw meats, and rice, etc.) with items provided in your Grocery Bag?
Residents were invited to complete the survey and those who did received refreshments and a $5 gift card to Food Lion, Subway or Dollar Tree. Those who did respond to the survey did so for varying reasons. Joanella, who has lived at Cedar Crest for the past 11 years, says she did so “to let people know about the program.” Willie, another long-time resident, says she came in because she enjoys completing surveys in general. Then there’s Dorothy, who has only been at Cedar Crest for the past 2 years. She says the survey is needed. “It gives us a chance to express what we need—what we think and that we appreciate [the program].” Herman, another 2-year resident, says he completed the survey simply because he likes the service.
Most respondents are happy with the Grocery Bags for Seniors program, saying it helps to keep food in their homes. As Dorothy put it, “I don’t have to worry about buying onions, potatoes and carrots. I’m thankful and appreciate it because it helps and it fills in for things we don’t have to buy.”
Herman, on the other hand, enjoys the companionship aspect that the volunteers provide when they arrive each month. “People are kind. They are friendly. I’ve gotten to know the people. I may not know their names, but I know their faces. It means a lot to me.”
Funded by the grant, three interns were hired to help with the evaluation process. Their responsibilities include data collection, data entry and assistance with data analysis. Amy Gilbert, Inter-Faith Food Shuttle Evaluation Manager, is heading up the program.
The Rooted In Evidence grant wraps up in August, with dissemination of results from the evaluation process to be presented in July or August of 2020.