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Missing Meals in Washington State
Full Report
Food Lifeline, 2013
INTRODUCTION
This document includes the methodology and full results of Food Lifeline’s
Missing Meals in Washington State 2013 Report. The report estimates the
number of meals provided by two primary groups in the safety net,
public/federal programs, and non-profit sources. The number of people who
are food insecure and the number of meals still missing are also included.
Data represents the most recent available information from 2011 and 2012.
DATA SOURCES AND MET HODS
Unit of Measure: The unit of measure for Missing Meals is meals. When the
source data was available in pounds, pounds are converted to meals by
dividing the pounds by 1.2. According to the USDA, with analysis by Feeding
America to extract water weight from the equation, there are 1.2 pounds in
1 meal.
When the source data was available in dollars, dollars were converted to
meals by dividing the dollars by $2.26 for all figures representing meals
purchased by organizations. For figures representing meals purchased by
individuals, the total dollars were divided by $2.64 per meal.
The figure of $2.26 for meals purchased by organizations is based on the
USDA’s Low Cost Food Plan food price for a family of 4 with children aged 68 and 9-11 from June 2012.i The weekly allotment of $189.80 was divided
by three meals per day, seven days a week, for four people:
$189.80 / (3 x 7 x 4) = $2.26 per meal
Of the different food plan levels, the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) is the basis for
SNAP allotment, designed to serve as an emergency plan for obtaining a
nutritious diet with minimal funds. The TFP does not provide enough food
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every month to feed a family. The Low Cost Food Plan was selected as a
better representation of the true costs of providing food for a family.
Within the Low-Cost Plan options, the family of four with children aged 6-8
and 9-11 was selected. The 2010 Hunger in America Washington report
indicates that the majority of the children served by hunger relief agencies in
Washington are between the ages of 6-17 (17.8% of the total members of
all households are ages 6-17 compared to 8.6% of total members between
ages 0-3 and 3.6% between ages 4-5)ii. Based on this, the option including
older children was selected.
For meals purchased by individuals, a different cost per meal amount was
used. The 2011 Feeding America Map the Meal Gap report estimated the
cost of a meal in Washington at $2.64. Given that low income individuals are
purchasing meals at the supermarket, rather than the discounted prices
available to food programs, this provides a more accurate count of the
number of meals individuals can provide for themselves.
Limitations: The USDA meal costs are based on market costs and a set
basket of food items, which allows for consistency and a known quantity of
food. However, these costs are not based on the reality of the decisions that
encompass most families’ daily food purchases, such as whether or not to
travel to a distant grocery store with less expensive choices or whether or
not they have the time to cook from scratch each evening. Additionally, the
USDA meal costs do not account for regional differences in cost of living. In
the 2011 Map the Meal Gap study, Feeding America’s researchers found that
the average cost of a meal in Washington State was $2.64.
TOTAL FOOD INSECURE INDIVIDUALS
To determine the number of food insecure individuals, Food Lifeline used the
most current information from Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap study .iii
These numbers included the number of food insecure individuals by county
And the number of food insecure individuals who qualify for SNAP.
MEALS PROVIDED BY PU BLIC SOURCES
BASIC FOOD PROGRAM (SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITI ON ASSISTANCE PROGRA M- SNAP)
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The Basic Food Program (sometimes known as the food stamp program or
SNAP) helps low-income individuals and families obtain a more nutritious
diet by supplementing their income with Basic Food benefits. Benefits are
accessed through an electronic benefit card to purchase food at retail stores.
Amount of benefits vary based on family income and size.
Basic Food is implemented through the Washington State Department of
Social and Health Services (DSHS) Economic Services Administration. Data
on the number of Basic Food dollars spent per county was received from
DSHSiv. To estimate the number of meals, the total number of benefit dollars
was divided by $2.64 per meal.
NATIONAL SCHOOL BREA KFAST AND NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAMS
The National School Lunch Program (NSLP)v and School Breakfast Programs
(SBP)vi provide cash subsidies to participating school districts that serve free
or reduced cost breakfast, lunch or after school snacks to low income
children. Funding is provided by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS).
The total number of reduced price or free meals provided by the National
School Breakfast Program is from the 2009-2010 school year. The number of
reduced price or free meals provided by the National Lunch Programs is for
the 2011-2012 school year. Data is provided in meals; therefore no
calculations need to be made. Data on the number of reduced price and free
breakfasts and lunches programs was provided from the Office of
Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction by school district and
then matched to corresponding county.vii
SUMMER MEAL PROGRAM
The summer meal program offers breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks to
low income children in certified locations during the summer months.
Summer meal program totals include the total of breakfasts and lunches
from the summer of 2011. Data was provided in meals, therefore no
calculations needed to be made. The Office of the Superintendent of Public
Instruction provided the number of meals served by county.viii
FREE FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES PROGRAM IN SCHOOLS
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Congress initiated the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) as a pilot
project to encourage schools to serve more fresh fruits and vegetables. The
program operates in 23 school districts throughout Washington. The total
number of dollars per participating school district was provided by the Office
of Superintendent of Public Instruction.ix The dollar amount was divided by
$2.26 to determine the number of meals provided.
SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION PROGRAM FO R WOMEN, INFANTS, AND CHILDREN (WIC)
WIC provides federal grants to states to provide supplemental food
vouchers, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income
pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to
infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk. In
Washington State, special vouchers are distributed during the summer
months to be used at farmers markets.
WIC data is available in total voucher dollar values for both the grocery store
vouchers and the Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program vouchers. Data from
the grocery store vouchers was provided for FY 2010-2011 by the
Department of Health.x Dollar values for the farmer’s market vouchers were
provided by Within Reach.xi Voucher values were given in dollars spent which
was converted into meals by dividing by $2.64.
SENIOR MEALS (CONGRE GATE, HOME DELIVERED, FARMERS MARKET)
Congregate senior meals and home delivered senior meals are meals
provided either on-site or by delivery to seniors, often in exchange for a
suggested donation. The Seniors Farmer’s Market Program distributes
funding vouchers to seniors to be used at farmer’s markets. Funding for the
Farmer’s Market Program is limited and not all eligible seniors receive
vouchers.
Senior meals are administered locally, so data was collected from the
appropriate local agencies.xii Data on congregate and home delivered meals
were provided in meals, therefore no calculations needed to be done. Data
on farmer’s market vouchers were provided in the number of clients served,
each receiving $40 in vouchers. The total voucher dollar amount was divided
by $2.64 to determine the number of meals.
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When data was provided by multiple sources, such as from DSHS and the
local agency, the numbers provided by the local agency were used.
Limitations: For some agency service areas the total number of clients
served was provided for several counties in one sum. In these cases, the
client numbers were divided evenly among the included counties. Although
this likely results in an inaccurate allocation among some counties, it is the
best approximation.
COMMODITY SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD PROGRAM (CSF P)
The Commodity Supplemental Food Programs (CSFP) is a federally funded
program providing food to low-income pregnant or breastfeeding women,
other new mothers up to one year postpartum, infants, children up to age
six, and elderly people over 60 years.xiii
In Washington, CSFP is provided in 19 counties through WSDA. Data on the
pounds and food dollar values were provided by WSDA.xiv Food pounds were
divided by 1.2 to calculate the number of meals.
EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (EFAP) TRIBAL VOUCHER PROGRAM
Department of Agriculture’s EFAP Tribal Voucher program provides funding
to thirty-one tribes to distribute as food vouchers to tribal members. Funding
is allocated from the state to the tribes based on a biennial budget. The
amount of funding for FY 2012 for each tribe was provided by WSDA. xv
Additionally, estimates of the percentage of tribal members in each county
were also provided. Funding amounts were divided by $2.64 to determine
the number of meals provided which were proportionally applied to the
counties in which members live.
FOOD DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM ON INDIAN RESE RVATIONS (FDPIR)
The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) is a federal
program providing commodity foods to low-income households, including the
elderly, living on Indian reservations, and to Native American families
residing in designated areas near reservations.xvi
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Limited information was available for updated FDPIR distribution.
Representatives from each tribe were contacted, requesting information
about dollars, pounds, or clients served. Very little information was received
in response.
TOTAL OF PUBLIC SOURCES (STATE AND FEDERAL NUTRITION PROGRAMS)
To calculate the total number of meals provided from public sources, the
following formula was used:
Basic Food + School Meals + Summer Meals + FFV + WIC + Senior
Meals + CSFP + EFAP Tribal Vouchers + FDPIR = total number of
public meals
MEALS PROVIDED BY NO N-PROFIT SOURCES
MEAL PROGRAMS
Nonprofit meal programs, shelters, adult day centers, transitional housing
youth programs provide meals to those in need across the state. Although
there is no central entity which collects data on the number of meals
provided by all of these programs, the state’s nonprofit distribution centers
do collect data on the meals served by their member programs.
Information on the total number of meals from meal programs was provided
by Food Lifeline, the Oregon Food Bank, and Second Harvest Inland
Northwest. Food Lifeline serves 117 member meal programs across Western
Washington, Oregon Food Bankxvii serves 6 member meal programs in Clark
County, and Second Harvest of the Inland Northwestxviii served 82 meal
programs across Eastern Washington. Because this data is provided in
meals, no further calculation is needed.
FOOD BANKS
Over 320 non-profit food banks distribute food to those in need across
Washington State. The vast majority of these food banks receive financial
support through the Washington State Department of Agriculture’s
Emergency Food Assistance Programs (EFAP). EFAP collects monthly data for
participating food banks through the program’s lead agencies. These reports
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include the total pounds of food (from all sources, including nonprofit
distribution centers and the federal TEFAP program) distributed by all food
banks in the lead’s jurisdiction to the food banks’ customers.
For EFAP and TEFAP, total pounds distributed by county were provided for FY
2012. For TEFAP, total pounds and dollars by county were provided. All data
was provided by WSDA.xix The total pounds for each county were divided by
1.2 to determine the number of meals.
TOTAL MEALS FROM NONPROFIT EMERGENCY FOO D PROGRAMS
To determine the total meals provided by non-profit food programs, the
following formula was used:
Meal Programs + Food Banks = total meals from non-profits
TOTAL MEALS FROM ALL SOURCES
To determine the number of meals provided from all sources the following
formula was used:
Meals from public sources + meals from non-profit sources = Total
meals from all sources
ANNUAL MEALS NEEDED
To determine the number of meals still missing, the most current
information from Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap study was utilized.xx
The number of meals missing by county was used.
RESULTS
Results from all of Washington State, Western Washington, and Eastern
Washington will be provided. All information is available at the county level
as well. In these tables, Western Washington includes Clark County. In the
Missing Meals brief report, only Food Lifeline-served counties are included.
Table 1. Food insecure individuals
Washington
Western
Washington
Eastern
Washington
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Total Number Food
Insecure Individuals
983,000
757,970
225,030
Table 2. Meals Provided by Public Sources (number, and percentage of all
meals within geographic area)
Washington
Western
Washington
Eastern
Washington
641,396,541
71%
460,649,442
72%
180,747,099
70%
79,343,729
9%
51,839,718
8%
27,504,011
11%
Summer Meals
1,513,777
0.17%
907,632
0.14%
606,145
0.23%
Fresh Fruits and
Vegetables
1,375,183
0.15%
524,068
0.08%
851,115
0.33%
45,826,572
5%
29,711,398
5%
16,115,174
6%
Senior Meals
(Congregate, Home
delivered, farmers
market)
3,774,600
0.42%
2,523,487
0.39%
1,251,112
0.48%
CSFP
1,422,273
0.16%
621,522
0.10%
800,751
0.31%
119,677
0.01%
83,862
0.01%
35,815
0.01%
69,973
0.01%
69,973
0.01%
0
0%
774,842,324
86%
546,931,102
85%
227,911,222
88%
Basic Food/SNAP
School Breakfast and
Lunch
WIC (grocery, and
farmers market)
EFAP Tribal Voucher
Program
FDPIR
Total Meals from Public
Sources
Table 3. Meals provided by non-profit sources (number, and percentage of
all meals within geographic area)
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Washington
Western
Washington
Eastern
Washington
5,030,511
1%
4,018,247
1%
1,012,264
0.39%
Food Banks
120,928,504
13%
91,641,665
14%
29,286,839
11%
Total
125,959,015
14%
95,659,912
15%
30,299,103
12%
Meal
Programs/Shelters
Table 4. Total Meals provided by Safety net
Washington
Western
Washington
Eastern
Washington
Public Meal Sources
774,842,324
86%
546,931,102
85%
227,911,222
88%
Non-profit Meal
Sources
125,959,015
14%
95,659,912
15%
30,299,103
12%
Total
900,801,339
100%
642,591,014
100%
258,210,325
100%
Washington
Western
Washington
Eastern
Washington
160,256,002
123,569,926
36,686,076
Table 5. Total Meals Missing
Total
Table 6. Meals Missing as a Proportion of Total Meals Needed
Annual Meals
needed for food
insecure people
Washington
Western
Washington
Eastern
Washington
1,076,385,000
829,977,150
246,407,850
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Annual Meals still
Missing
160,256,002
123,569,926
36,686,076
Proportion of total
meals still missing
14.8%
14.8%
14.8%
DISCUSSION
The total number of food insecure individuals throughout Washington was
983,000, with 757,970 in Western Washington. In all regions, public meal
sources provide the greatest portion of meals in the safety net. Statewide
this number was 774,842,324 (86%), 546,931,102 (85%) in Western
Washington, and 227,911,222 (88%) in Eastern Washington. Basic Food
Provides the greatest number of these meals at 641,396,541 (71%),
460,649,442 (72%), and 180,747,099 (70%), respectively. School Breakfast
and lunch provide the next highest proportion at 9%, 8%, and 11%.
The remaining meals were provided by non-profit meal programs, shelters,
and food banks. For the whole state, these programs provided 14% of meals
(5,030,511), 15% (95,659,912) in Western Washington, and 12%
(30,299,103) in Eastern Washington. Food Banks provided a bulk of these at
13%, 14%, and 11%.
The total number of meals provided by the safety net was 900,801,339 for
all of Washington, 642,591,014 in Western Washington, and 258,210,325 in
Eastern Washington. The number of meals missing was 160,256,002 for all
of Washington, 123,569,926 in Western Washington, and 36,686,076 in
Eastern Washington. The number of meals missing was 14.8% of the meals
needed for food insecure individuals. This is the same as nearly 1 in 7 meals
or 13 meals per month for one individual.
It is important to note that because the methodology was changed so
greatly, it is not possible to compare with previous reports, however, it will
make comparison in future reports more feasible.
For questions on this report, please contact Food Lifeline at
[email protected] or 206-545-6600.
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i
USDA (2012). Official USDA Food Plans: Cost of Food at Home at Four Levels,U.S. Average, June 2012. Retrieved
December 19, 2012, from http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/FoodPlans/2012/CostofFoodJun2012.pdf
ii
Feeding America. (2010). HUNGER IN AMERICA 2010 Washington State Report. Retrieved December 19, 2012
from http://feedingamerica.issuelab.org/fetch/feeding_america_297.pdf
iii
Feeding America. (2013). Map the Meal Gap. Retrieved September 7, 2013, from
http://feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/hunger-studies/map-the-meal-gap.aspx
iv Linda Weaver, DSHS-RDA Client Services Database, 360-902-0717, [email protected]
v
USDA. (2012). National School Lunch Program. Retrieved July 24, 2013, from
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/lunch/AboutLunch/NSLPFactSheet.pdf
vi
USDA. (2012). The School Breakfast Program. Retrieved July 24, 2013, from
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/breakfast/AboutBFast/SBPFactSheet.pdf
vii
Donna Parsons, Director Child Nutrition Services Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.
[email protected]
viii
Donna Parsons, Director Child Nutrition Services Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.
[email protected]
ix
Jennifer Mitchell, Summer Food and Special Projects Supervisor, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction,
[email protected]
x
Kristin Sasseen, Health Services Consultant, Department of Health, [email protected]
xi
Claire Lane, Senior Manager of Community Mobilization, Within Reach, [email protected]
xii
Data was provided by the following individuals for senior meals:
Counties
Contact
Contact Information
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Asotin*, Clallam*, Columbia*, Ferry*,
Garfield*, Grays Harbor*, Island*,
Jefferson*, King, Kitsap, Kittitas*,
Pacific*, Pend Oreille*, Pierce,
Skagit*, Spokane*, Stevens*, San
Juan*, Walla Walla*, Whatcom*,
Whitman*, Yakima
Rosemary
Biggins
[email protected]
Adams, Chelan, Douglas, Grant,
Lincoln, Okanogan
Erin Nelson
[email protected]
Benton, Franklin
Marcee
Woffinden
[email protected]
Clark, Cowlitz, Klickitat, Skamania,
Wahkiakum
Klaus Michael
[email protected]
Lewis, Mason, Thurston
Tracy Gunter
[email protected]
Snohomish
Suzie Starrfield
425-388-7218
* Counties where data was provided in summary with other counties.
xiii
USDA. (2013). Commodity Supplemental Food Program. Retrieved July 24, 2013, from
http://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/programs/csfp/
xiv
Joe Bippert, Food Assistance Programs, WSDA, [email protected]
xv
Susan Eichrodt, Program Specialist, WSDA, [email protected]
xvi
USDA. (2013). Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations. Retrieved July 24, 2013, from
http://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/programs/fdpir/
xvii
Shawn DeCarlo, Metro Services Manager, Oregon Food Bank, [email protected], (503) 282-0555
Ext. 2263
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xviii
xix
xx
Sheila Robertson, Business Associate, Second Harvest, [email protected], (509) 252-6265
Joe Bippert, Food Assistance Programs, WSDA, [email protected]
Feeding America. (2013). Map the Meal Gap. Retrieved September 7, 2013, from
http://feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/hunger-studies/map-the-meal-gap.aspx