Project Context

When disaster strikes, people already living with increased food needs often need additional food assistance. The COVID-19 pandemic created an unprecedented demand for charitable food while simultaneously causing disruptions in the supply chain. The pandemic also highlighted the ways in which decades of underinvestment and harmful policies led to staggering rates of food insecurity and low economic mobility for millions of Americans in the affected communities. The pandemic, alongside intervening and subsequent crises called attention to the need for food banks to employ innovative measures during rapidly unfolding and prolonged crises. Additionally, they have shed light on pressures that may become increasingly relevant as climate-related disasters continue to alter the landscape of risk across the country.

Project Purpose

This project expanded on the findings from previous applied research initiatives that examined the effectiveness of disaster resilience programming within the Feeding America food bank network in the Midwest Region. The project team qualitatively and quantitatively explored drivers of social vulnerability in Midwestern states and communities via the inclusion of geographic, functionality (access, ability, etc.), and demographic trends to inform the success of disaster preparedness and strategic predictive planning.

As part of this broader study, the Bill Anderson Fund spearheaded interviews with food bank representatives to provide a rich, in-depth understanding of how the drivers of social vulnerability have evolved since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and how food banks can incorporate this knowledge into disaster planning.

Outcomes  

This project produced datasets, reports, and tools that will be used to inform strategic decision-making about disaster preparedness and response programming within the Feeding America national office, as well as planning and collaboration within food banks and state agencies in the Midwest region. Insights gained through this research will support ongoing efforts to enhance the capacity of the charitable food bank network to respond to natural and human-caused disasters more effectively and efficiently throughout the whole community.

Project Team

Graduate Research Assistant: Judanne Lennox-Morrison, Texas A&M University, Bill Anderson Fund Fellow 

Research Collaborators: 
Liesel Ritchie, Ph.D., Virginia Tech, Principal Investigator
Susan Cutter, Ph.D., University of South Carolina Hazards Vulnerability & Resilience Institute, Co-Principal Investigator
Melanie Gall, Ph.D.,  Arizona State University, Co-Principal Investigator

Project Partner: Feeding America
Project Lead: Nnenia Campbell, Ph.D., Bill Anderson Fund, Co-Principal Investigator