Project Proposal

According to a recent study by the Johns Hopkins Center for Livable Future, around 1 in 4

Baltimore residents live in a food desert- an area where they must travel more than one-quarter

of a mile to reach a supermarket, are at or below 18.5 percent of the federal poverty level, and

the supply of healthy food is low. Insufficient healthy food access and the various cardiovascular

and obesity-related health problems that accompany it specifically impacts people who attend

food banks. I will be collecting data about on food bank clients through an anonymous short

survey designed to ask questions about the types of health problems that food bank attendees

face. I would need permission from food bank coordinators as well as writing utensils and

printed surveys that can be easily distributed. After completing data collection, I will present my

findings to organizations such as the Horizon Foundation or Feeding America who would be

willing to sponsor a larger and more professional survey of the Baltimore-based food banks. The

findings from the original survey can be used as a pilot survey, and any changes necessary can be

made before any surveys in Baltimore are distributed. As a result of this data collection, the

connection between food bank patronage and unhealthiness can be made known, and solutions to

this problem can be discussed by larger organizations.

 Timeline

By the beginning of April I will have completed my pilot study in the Howard County area.

1. During the month of February

a. I will have found out how food banks in the local area such as the Crossroads

Community Church, the Howard County Food Bank, Bethany Lane Baptist

Church, and the Salvation Army operate by contacting them and doing a site visit

to see how food is distributed, how a survey could be distributed, what

interventions they implement to encourage a healthy lifestyle, and what kinds of

food of are usually donated. I could also ask to interview a few people who I meet

there in order to see what their lifestyle is like, and how food banks impact it. I

will have asked each food bank coordinator whether I could distribute a survey in

their food bank.

2. By March
a. I will create an anonymous short survey that assesses how often a client comes to

the food bank, and what kind of health problems they face, and send it to the food

bank coordinator to review.

b. I will distribute a test survey in one location, and assess its efficacy and the

results. Then I will make the changes necessary and redistribute to all the

locations.

During April, I will present results to organizations to get sponsored for a larger survey in the

Baltimore area.

Articles

1. https://foodlifeline.org/blog/201508/18-food-banks-partners-health-care
Describes the study done by Feeding America. Food banks can provide health care by partnering
with free clinics, or providing free health screenings.

2. http://healthyfoodbankhub.feedingamerica.org/resource/food-banks-as-partners-in-health-
promotion/

Full study by Feeding America: Food Banks as Partners in Health Promotion: Creating
Connections for Client & Community Health. Found that many households dependent on food
banks also have very high rates of diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.

3. http://healthyfoodbankhub.feedingamerica.org/diabetes-project/

Initiative between Feeding America and Bristol-Meyers Squibb Foundation: Targeting Diabetes
where ~700 people were given the intervention (healthy food and blood pressure/glucose
monitoring, etc.) and its efficacy was analyzed. Pilot study completed in 2014, new study
completes this year, 2017. Study only focused on 3 food banks, nowhere near Baltimore.

1. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/21/health/diabetes-food-banks.html?_r=0

NY Times article on Feeding America study, led by Dr. Hilary Seligman of UCSF.

2. http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/34/11/1956.abstract

Abstract of Feeding Americas Together on Diabetes study (cant access full article).

3. http://www.baltimoresun.com/health/bs-hs-nonprofits-healthy-food-20111026-story.html

Healthy Food Bank initiatives introduced in Baltimore (article from 2011 though).

4. http://health.baltimorecity.gov/sites/default/files/HealthyBaltimore2015_Final_Web.pdf
Study by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg found About 18 percent of people in Baltimore live in a
"food desert" a low-income area without large supermarkets or other access to healthful
foods.