Exploring Perceived Importance of a Novel Emergency Food Program during COVID-19 and Program Recipient Characteristics

Abstract

Following rising unemployment rates and consequent loss of income due to COVID-19, many people have been seeking meal assistance. This study examines the impact of a community-based free meal distribution program during the pandemic in Kentucky, reviewing characteristics of recipients of the program. Demographics, health behaviors, food insecure classification, and rating of importance of the meal program were collected. Qualitative feedback on the impact of the program was collected via open response. Of the 92 participants using the meal service, the cohort was female, Black, 43 years of age (43.5 ± 15.0 years), with a household income under 30,000 USD before COVID, decreased income since COVID, and were food insecure. Recipients rated the importance of the service as 8.7 ± 1.8 (of 10), and those with children indicated the importance as 4.2 ± 1.1 (of 5). Qualitative data on program importance highlighted four response categories including “changed habits”, “mental wellbeing”, “provided resources”, and “other”. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many individuals have struggled. Meal assistance programs are a fundamental asset in the community that have seen marketed demand since COVID-19. Collaboration with, and evaluation of, meal assistance programs can be valuable for continued programmatic funding support.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Rural Food Security in High Income Countries: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Full details of the study designs, settings, populations, and domains of food security examined are summarized in Table 2 . More than half of the 22 included studies were conducted in rural USA ( n = 13) [ 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 ], with others being conducted in Australia [ 39 , 40 ], Canada [ 41 ], the UK [ 42 ], Poland [ 43 ], Israel [ 44 ], Chile [ 45 ] and Germany [ 46 ]. One study was conducted in an international sample, comprising participants from 62 different countries [ 47 ].…”

“…One study was conducted in an international sample, comprising participants from 62 different countries [ 47 ]. Most studies ( n = 16) collected data on adult populations or household-level information [ 27 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 47 ], while two specifically focused on households or families comprising both adults and children [ 26 , 32 ]. Three studies reported on the impact of COVID-19 on food outlets such as stores [ 28 ], farmers markets [ 33 ], and food banks [ 46 ].…”

“…Sixteen were quantitative in design [ 26 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 41 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 ], with a sample size for the rural sample ranging from 50 to 1766 ( Table 2 ). Three studies were mixed-methods [ 27 , 34 , 42 ] and three were qualitative [ 35 , 36 , 40 ], with the rural sample size ranging from 14 to 92 ( Table 2 ). Of the included studies, most ( n = 12) captured food insecurity-related data using online surveys [ 26 , 27 , 29 , 30 , 34 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 46 , 47 ].…”

“…Three studies were mixed-methods [ 27 , 34 , 42 ] and three were qualitative [ 35 , 36 , 40 ], with the rural sample size ranging from 14 to 92 ( Table 2 ). Of the included studies, most ( n = 12) captured food insecurity-related data using online surveys [ 26 , 27 , 29 , 30 , 34 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 46 , 47 ]. Others utilized telephone surveys [ 33 , 44 , 45 ] or surveys conducted via text-messages [ 32 ].…”

“…Food-insecure households reported more food access challenges compared to food-secure households, including trouble affording food, getting food through a food pantry, and which services were available to help getting food, but this was not affected by rurality. [34] Online survey; emergency food program recipients Open-ended response survey data Thematic analysis…”