Evaluating Healthy Food Access For A Vulnerable Population
Hunger is a significant problem in Michigan that affects hundreds of thousands of residents. The Food Bank Council of Michigan (FBCM) in partnership with six regional food banks, created a statewide pilot focused on improving access to and consumption of fresh produce for the residents of Michigan. Specifically, the pilot targeted vulnerable seniors and youth. The objectives of the program included the distribution of fresh produce to mobile sites, and reaching people with nutritional programming and education.
Results: The program exceeded many performance goals including the amount of fresh produce distributed, the number of new mobile sites established, and the number of people reached. In total, all 83 counties were served, and mobiles sites reached 771 zip codes, representing an impressive 88% coverage of the state’s population. The program also had notable success in reaching objectives related to intent to consume among low-income residents. The program appeared to be an important gateway to increasing fruit and vegetable consumption for this food-insecure population. The program work was deemed largely sustainable, due in part to improving the partnering food banks’ ability to handle fresh produce, and intensifying their interest in collaboration and fresh produce distribution as a part of their business model.
Services:
- Evaluation design
- Data collection & analysis
- GIS Mapping