1. Closing the Hunger Gap: The Hunger Index
Drew Starbird
Marisa Rudolph
Phillip Barber
Cindy McCown

2. What is the Hunger Index?
MEASURE
COMPARE
REVEAL
UNDERSTAND

3. How do we use the Hunger Index?
Monitoring
Forecasting
Communicating
Decision-making
Partnering

4. Closing the Meal Gap: The Hunger Index
Household Spending on Food 2015
San Mateo and Santa Clara
Let’s talk first about household spending on food.
This will help us understand the need for food by the most vulnerable members of our community.

5. Household Spending on Food
One way to measure the need is to compare how much is spent on food with how much ought to be spent on food.
Using data from the US Department of Commerce Consumer Expenditure Survey, we can determine how much is spent by households in different income categories. At the low end of the scale ($0 to $10K per year) households are spending well over half of their income on food. At high end of the scale ($40 to $50 K) per year, households are spending about 12% of their income on food.
How many households are in these categories?

6. How many households?
Using data from the US Census, American Community Survey, we can get a feel for the number of households in these income categories in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. These estimates are the best we can get, but they still exhibit quite a bit of error since it is difficult to get information from households in these income categories.
In the two counties, we estimate there are 222,000 households living on less than $50,000 per year.

7. Closing the Meal Gap: The Hunger Index
Vulnerable Households
Let’s take a closer look by comparing the number of vulnerable households to the whole population.

8. How many households are vulnerable? (000 households)
24%
76%
25%
75%
If we split the counties, the number of households living on less than $50,000 per year is consistent with the overall size of the Santa Clara and San Mateo.
About 25% of the households in Santa Clara and San Mateo are vulnerable. This percentage is down from previous years reflecting overall better economic conditions in 2015 compared to 2014 and 2013.

9. Vulnerable Households and Meals Needed

10. Closing the Meal Gap: The Hunger Index
Where does this food come from?
Where does the food come from?

11. Santa Clara & San Mateo Counties 2015 715 Million Meals 222,000 households
Based on the data we received from the US Dept of Commerce, and information provide by our partners in the community:
These 222,000 vulnerable households are able to PURCHASE 345 million meals
They receive 233 million meals in food assistance.
And the MEAL GAP is about 137 million meals. As a percentage of the entire need, we have seen an increase in food assistance and a slight decline in the number of missing meals.

12. Food Assistance in SC & SM Counties 2015T Total Food Assistance: 233 million meals
One of the most important parts of this analysis is the FOOD ASSISTANCE provided by the community.
Of the 233 million meals in food assistance
Slightly less than half comes from our friends at CalFresh
The FOOD BANK provides about one-fifth of food assistance (52 M meals)
School meals provide about 28 million meals or 12%
Our partner agencies collect food from many sources and offer about 27 million meals.
The remainder comes from WIC and other programs, like CACFP and senior nutrition programs.

13. Total Food Assistance Provided

14. Closing the Meal Gap: The Hunger Index
How are we doing?
The Hunger Index 2015
How are we doing?
The hunger index measures the percentage of need that is unmet.
0 is better, 1 is terrible.

15. SC & SM County Hunger Index
(million meals)
45.9%
44.4%
44.4%
37.1%
In 2015 we saw a significant improvement in the hunger index.
The total need decreased significantly (about 18 million meals) as a result of an improved economy and less unemployment.
Food assistance grew at an impressive rate (7% over the previous year) == highest rate in five years.
So we see an impressive reduction in the hunger index (a very good thing).
Almost 40 million fewer missing meals.
Enough to feed about 37,000 people for a year.
The food assistance community, combined with improved economic conditions, have moved us in the right direction. With luck we will continue to see improvement in 2016 and 2017.

16. Closing the Meal Gap: The Hunger Index
What have we learned?
What does the hunger index tell us?
What have we learned from the analysis?

17. vulnerable households continues to decline.
The number of
vulnerable households continues to decline.
The number of vulnerable households continues to decline due to improved economic conditions. We are doing well, but need to prepare for changes.

18. Food assistance increased and made a significant difference in people’s lives.
Impressive increases in food assistance by the Food Bank, Summer meals, CACFP have resulted in enough meals for 37,000 more people.

19. The Hunger Index fell below 40% for the first time in 5 years.
The Hunger index is down significantly because of decline in need and an increase in community effort to provide assistance.

20. Collective effort on the part of public and private agencies reduced hunger. There is more to do.
Our collective effort has changed the lives of many in need.
Santa Clara University is proud to work with the people in this room to help make a difference in our community.