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Community Food Assessment

 

of the

 

Alameda Point Collaborative

---------------<= /span>

The Growing Y= outh Project

 

October 2005 – August 2006

---------------<= /span>

By:

 

Dawn Carraway, Kate Casale,= Tommy Freeman, Jerrard Green,

Jernard Harris, Chanelle Ha= skins, and Farrell Williams.

 

TABLE of CONTENTS

&n= bsp;

WHAT WE DID and WHAT WE LEARNED<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:1 dotted'>..........................................= ................................. 4

Interviews & Mail Surveys.........= ...........................................................................= .................... 4

Focus Groups...............................= ...........................................................................= ................... 8

Store Surveys...............................= ...........................................................................= .................. 12

Food Bank Surveys<= span style=3D'mso-no-proof:yes'>.........= ...........................................................................= .............................. 13

School Surveys...............................= ...........................................................................= ............... 14

Surveys at Farmers Markets.........= ...........................................................................= .............. 15

GIS Mapping...............................= ...........................................................................= .................. 16

Policy.........= ...........................................................................= .................................................... 21

Outreach Activities.........= ...........................................................................= .............................. 21

THE FIVE THEMES= .........= ...........................................................................= ............................. 24

RECOMMENDATIONS= .........= ...........................................................................= ....................... 25

BIOGRAPHIES.........= ...........................................................................= ....................................... 26

THANK YOU & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..........................................= ............................... 27

APPENDIX 1 – RESIDENT SURVEY.........= ...........................................................................= . 28

APPENDIX 2 – FOCUS GROUP QUESTIONS.........= ........................................................... <= !--[if supportFields]> = PAGEREF _Toc145312191 \h = 33

APPENDIX 3 – SAMPLE OF STORE SURVEY.........= ........................................................... <= !--[if supportFields]> = PAGEREF _Toc145312192 \h = 36

APPENDIX 4 – FOOD BANK SURVEY.........= ....................................................................... 40

APPENDIX 5 – SCHOOL SURVEY.........= ...........................................................................= .... 46

APPENDIX 6 – FARMERS MARKET SURVEY.........= ........................................................... <= !--[if supportFields]> = PAGEREF _Toc145312195 \h = 54


INT= RODUCTION TO THE GROWING YOUTH PROJECT

 

The Alameda Point Collaborative (APC), located on 34 acres of converted Alameda= Air Station, is a supportive housing community serving 500 formerly homeless, low-income families and individuals with disabilities from throughout Alameda County. APC Residents include survivors of domestic violence, adults and children with disabilities (including substance abuse, mental illness, and HIV/AIDS), and veterans and their families. Our mission is = to create “one community, enriching lives through the sharing of resourc= es and talents.”  Food inse= curity – lack of access to enough food to meet basic needs – is preval= ent at APC, increasing the likelihood of developing long-term illnesses, increa= sing stress levels, and hampering the physical and mental development of our youth.  Youth under the age of= 18 represent over 50% of our resident population and are the most impacted by long-term health issues resulting from food insecurity.

 

In October 2005, 12 youth were hired to form a group with the ‘standard name’ Growing Youth. A brief attempt was made to chan= ge it, but in the end, Growing Youth was a good fit. The snazzy slogan – “Nutritious is Bootylicious” – was added to give it our unique, youth flavor. The Growing Youth project was cr= eated because of all of the food issues and problems (such as nutritional value in foods, transportation to healthy food sources) being faced in the APC community.  We were hired to h= elp conduct a Community Food Assessment, to figure out what the problems are re= garding food in the community and looking for ways to fix them. It certainly is a l= ong process, and an arduous task, and we know it will have a beautiful outcome = if we stick with it.

 

A community food asse= ssment is conducted to find out exactly what is going on regarding food in a commu= nity and then figuring out a healthy = way to solve the problem, focusing on resources and assets already in the communit= y. We used five themes to guide us in our research – Access & Affordability of food, Hunger & Nutrition, Local Agriculture, Policy, and Community Resources.  

 

For this assessment, we were trying to discover what sorts of issues people face in our community regarding health and nutrition, as well= as issues regarding stores and sources of healthy food.  We were also trying to assess the expenses and problems with incomes and prices of food. Finally, we wanted to look at the possibilities for growing our own food here in the community and the policies that exist around food security in our community.  Our objective to find the issues currently being faced in our community, not by our own assumptions, but by actually letting the people in the community tell us what it is that they need.  This project also gave = us the opportunity to make an impact in our community and be employed in important work:  our findings will be the first step to push us in a healthier direction. Though the Growing Youth started as twelve, we are now down to six committed youth.  We are still pushing forward unsca= thed, and in the end we hope to have achieved our goals of bringing nutritional p= eace to our community.

=             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             <= o:p>

The Growing Youth put together many plans to gather informatio= n: We conducted 47 interviews with APC residents, focus groups with the Reside= nt Council, adults and youth from the APC community, and evaluated area grocery stores, farmers markets, food banks, and schools to get a diverse amount of data about their roles in community food security. We also started garden p= lots (located in the APC Community Garden) in which we planted foods, like bok choi, collard greens, peas, carrots, lettuce, and cabbage. We had a successful harvest with most of these winter= and spring vegetables and are now planting our summer garden, which will be big= ger than before.

 

We found that ma<= span style=3D'font-family:Garamond;color:black'>ny people had issues regarding transportation to stores, and for others it was their health conditions (su= ch as diabetes) that prohibited them from buying food in general, leading to skipped meals and bad food. Most people said that healthy food was much too expensive and lots of our residents use free food services, food stamps, and experience moments of food insecurity throughout the month. We also learned about the roles our schools, community organizations like the food bank, farmers markets, and city agencies play in community food security. 

 

Some of our major recommendations are to use the resources in = our community to help achieve food security – by growing food on our land, serving healthier foods at APC, and involving residents in more nutrition a= nd garden classes.  We also want = to get support to start a small cooperative market on the base, build a community = kitchen, and continue to employ youth in food-related businesses.  Finally, by working with our organization, our schools, and the city of Alameda, we want to help create policie= s that will address people’s lack of access to healthy foods and the overabu= ndance of unhealthy choices in our daily lives.&n= bsp;

 

WHAT WE DID and WHAT WE LEARNED

=  

Interviews &= ; Mail Surveys  

 

Methods

We came up with = the questions by brainstorming different ideas about what we thought was import= ant about food issues in the community.  We also took examples from other surveys that we found (see Appendix= 1). Then we made fliers to notify the community that we would be coming around = to their doors on a certain week. We spent some time practicing the interviews with some of our volunteers and on a few residents during Thanksgiving Brun= ch because none of us had ever done interviewing before.  To plan the interviews we got into= pairs – there were three groups of two.&nb= sp; We looked at maps of the community and gave each pair specific stree= ts and houses to go interview. Then we went out in pairs and went door to door= to talk to residents.  The interv= iews lasted about 15-30 minutes each and each person was entered into a raffle f= or a gift certificate to Albertson’s.&nbs= p; After one week of interviewing we decided that we wanted to get more interviews, so we sent the survey by mail to all the residents we didn̵= 7;t talk to already.  This helped = us get about 25 more surveys back from residents – we offered a small prize = for whoever returned the survey.  = We completed 47 interviews in total.  Afterwards we entered data into Microsoft Excel. We had a volunteer = help us analyze the data using SPSS.  We all looked at the questions again and decided which questions we wanted to = get more information from and which ones to look at together to do cross tabulations with.  =

=  

 

 

 

 

 

Findings

The majority of the residents we surveyed we= re female (89%), which reflects the reality of the community – most households are headed by women.  Age categories were evenly distributed, from 18-64 years of age; most fell in t= he 40-49 age range (34%), and also the 30-39 (23%) and the 18-29 (20%) ranges.  Most of the residents surveyed identified as African American (64.4%), while others identified as White/Caucasian (13%), Multi-racial (11%), and Alaska Native/American Indian (9%).  After a lot of discussi= on and the reading over of the statistics, we came away with eight major findings:=

 =

1. = Income affects the quality and quantity of foods purchased and eaten.

·        99% of all APC residents fall below the poverty line.

·        57% said it was cost/price that prevented them from buying healthy f= ood.

·        42.2% claim that during the past year they couldn’t afford eno= ugh food.

 


 

2. = Many diet-related health problems exist in high numbers in this community= .

·        89% of residents surveyed have diet related health problems; only 11= % of the residents reported no diet health problems.

·        44.4% eat healthier in order to recover from an illness

·        40% of the residents have heart problems which includes hypertension= and strokes.      = ;     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 =

3. = Income affects where people purchased food.

·        100% of people in the lowest income bracket shopped at South Shore Albertson’s, because this store is on the bus line.  This store closed halfway through t= he project.

·        Nobody who makes over $1,000/mo. shopped at Grocery Outlet, which is much farther away.

·        Those in the higher income bracket are more likely to shop at Safewa= y.

·        People in all income brackets shopped at farmer’s markets.

·        72% of residents use the food bank.

·        56.5% said that they sometimes or often relied on low cost foods to = feed the children.

 <= o:p>

 

 

4. People have so= me awareness about eating healthy but want to learn more.

·        51.1% of residents said that healthy foods were fruits, vegetables, = and fish.

·        Only 4.4% of residents said that knowledge was a barrier to buying healthy foods.

·        62.2% or residents said they have enough knowledge or information ab= out how to eat and cook healthy.  = The exact same amount said they would like to learn more about how to eat and c= ook healthy.

·        57.7 would be interested in learning how to grow food for their fami= ly.

 

5.  Children are an extra constraint on households – households with children tend to have higher levels of f= ood insecurity. 

·        80% of residents that cut their meals also have children in the household.

·        22% said that children in their homes were sometimes or often hungry= in the past year because they couldn’t afford enough food.

·        33% of the respondents with kids said that they sometimes or often couldn’t afford  

        =            =      balanced meals. <= /p>

 

6. = There are high levels of food insecurity at APC.

·        42.2% claimed that in the past year they sometimes or often cut or skipped their meals because they couldn’t afford enough food.

·        31.8% said that they sometimes or often couldn’t afford balance meal.

·        13.3% often worried about whether food would run out before they cou= ld get money to buy more.        =     

 

 

 

 

 

 

7.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>  Transportation is a major barrier = to accessing healthy foods.

·        42.20% use the bus, 40% get rides from family/friends, and 13.30% wi= ll take a taxi.

·        There is only one bus line that serves Alameda Point and it only com= es once every half hour.

·        33.3% of residents have travel times of 20 minutes or more to do the= ir food shopping.

 =

 

8. = People can’t get food they want because it’s far away.

·        33.3% of residents have travels times of 20 minutes or more to do th= eir food shopping.

·        35.6% of residents said that there were types of foods they wanted to buy, but there are no stores nearby that sell them.

·        The bus line goes to the stores that the residents attend, but none = of them are closer than a mile away.

 

 

Focus Groups

 

Methods

The way we prepa= red for the focus groups was first by deciding what types of focus groups (i.e., who the participants would be) we wante= d to conduct and what type of information we wanted to get. We decided that we w= ould have two adult focus groups and one youth focus group, both comprised of APC residents. One of the adult focus group was conducted with the APC Resident Council, which the project agreed was an important group to speak with.  After deciding this, we put togeth= er a series of questions to help lead the focus group in the direction of the information we were looking for. It took several attempts and plenty of editing, as the questions had to follow the main idea for the youth group (making the questions more geared to youth) and the main idea for the adult groups (making the questions more geared towards adults). We asked questions about income, health issues, and transportation problems, as well as how ma= ny people were in a family or the living situations (see Appendix 2). We split ourselves into separate roles, consisting of moderator, timekeeper, note ta= ker, and mood watcher. We rotated our roles depending on the focus group, so that everyone got to try almost every job.  The focus groups lasted from 1 hour (youth focus group) to almost 2 = full hours (Resident Council focus group) and generally ran smoothly.  Though the youth and second adult = focus groups were not as well attended as had been hoped, all groups generated in= teresting and helpful discussion around the issues of food security and nutrition.

 

= Participants

For the adult fo= cus groups there were 12 total participants in two separate focus groups. Eight= (66%) were female and 4 (33%) were male.  <= /span>Each person filled out a form with information about their background.  The percentage of ethnicities was = 75% (9 participants) African American, 17% (2 participants) Hispanic, and 8.3% (1 participant) Native American. Households were made up of people: 10% each between the ages of 18-29 and the ages of 30-39; 50% between ages 40-49; 20% for those 50-59 years old; and over 60 was at 10%. The average number of ad= ults in the households was 1.5 and the average number of children was 1.3. The t= otal average number of people of the household was 2.8, somewhat smaller than the overall average at APC.

 

Findings

 

        &= nbsp;   Transportation & Location

A lot of adult participants lacked proper transportation to stores, many of which have disabilities or have to rely on some sort of public transportation; some even travel on foot or by wheelcha= ir. Transportation options include a long bus ride that comes only two times an hour, hiring a taxi, asking a friend or family member for a ride, or walkin= g. Some individuals have personal cars which make transportation issues less problematic, although the distance to a full-service grocery store is still inconvenient and adds up when filling up their gas tanks.  The closest store to walk to is approximately a half-mile; this is only a convenience store.  The closest grocery store is over = a mile away or a twenty minute bus ride.  Many residents commented that it was difficult to get money for transportation.  A woman in one group said that “living on th= e base is hard because the AC transit buses only run every 30 minutes.”  Another woman noted that “even if I did get to the grocery store, I would not be able to bring home all the food I need to feed my family.” 

 

In the youth focus group, very few concerns = were mentioned regarding transportation, though they were aware of the limitatio= ns for getting on and off the base.  They did note how the closest food available is junk food – the Doughnut Shop, various fast food outlets, and liquor/convenience stores. 

 

= Price and Income

People here at APC have low income, and it&#= 8217;s hard for them to shop for food. A youth said in the youth focus group “Food is expensive because healt= hy eating tends to mean higher quality food.” This means that if you live in a low income place, you will most likely have a problem getting foo= d. One man stated in the adult focus group that “Budgeting to eat a certain way is difficult, especially heal= thy eating.” People buy low quantities of food because of there low income. One woman in the adult focus group said “Trying to feed my family is hard because she does not have t= he money to get it all.” Prices affect what people buy, some spend l= oads on food and some do not, but mostly what people buy is unhealthy. Living in= a low-income community tends to mean that healthier foods are further away, a= nd that means that people tend to rely on cheaper and less healthier foods in = closer vicinity.

 

  =           = Time Issues

Adult participants in the focus group expressed that time constraints were a major issue for them and kept them from eating healthy, structured food choices. = For instance, some of the participants do consider themselves healthy eaters wh= en they get a chance, but usually get the quick convenient things, like fast foods. Their lifestyles affect their eating habits because they don’t have a lot of time to cook- many households are single-parent homes, a lot = of people work more than one job and many people think that eating healthy is = time consuming. “Doing hard work a= nd getting fed really well should be the norm in our society today, but itR= 17;s not…instead of having good homemade foods, we are running around eati= ng badly with no time for anything else. It is the time thing; ‘the gotta go’ mentality that hurts our eating habits.” Other particip= ants said things like, “Because of= time constraints I’ll buy readymade stuff, but it’s not as nutritious.” This was not something discussed in the youth focus group.

 

For four youth participants in our focus group, time was not an issue for them. While some youth may be responsible for cooking and/or shopping in their household, others had parents to do their cooking for them.

 

            Health and Diet

Health and diet are the issues that people face and any health issues that may aff= ect them. Their diets are what they eat throughout their day even down to how t= hey eat, whether it be small meals or large, it all goes under diet.

 =

Many people consider healthy eating vegetables and no fried foods, as well as ba= ked foods. For some no salts and sugars is good, as they suffer from diabetes. Smaller serving sizes were also something considered to be healthy eating. = Most people don’t think they eat healthy; even though they know how to eat healthy, they don’t practice it.&nbs= p; People also think their diet is the way it is because of learnt habi= ts or miseducation regarding food. Advertisements tend to affect eating habits-deals are things wanted – deals are things wanted.<= /span>

 

Some of the things people said were:

 

“I’m aware that yo= u can substitute certain things and use different types of seasonings to increase taste without all the fat additives, but it’s hard to budget for that= .”

 

&= #8220;I need to stock up on the basics (carbs) and then buy more fruits and vegetab= les.”

<= o:p> 

&= #8220;I would never have bought something like that but it was delicious.”

<= o:p> 

&= #8220;I thank god for being able to eat food.”

<= o:p> 

&= #8220;I have expensive food habits…but I’m realizing I don’t real= ly have to eat all that. You have to reprogram your minds to not eat all that stuff and use some will power.”

<= o:p> 

&= #8220;It’s hard to eat healthy it’s hard to change food habits; I just don’= ;t like healthy stuff.”

<= o:p> 

&= #8220;I think we eat healthy because we haven’t gotten fat yet.”

<= o:p> 

&= #8220;What you shove in your face stays at the waist.”=

<= o:p> 

&= #8220;Albertson’s has good deals- I only go there. I tried Safeway, but it is too far.”=

<= o:p> 

&= #8220;People do try to change their habits, but it hardly ever lasts – it takes lo= ts of things like dedication and knowledge.”

        &= nbsp;  

        &= nbsp;  

        &= nbsp;   Solutions

Adults were asked about different approaches= to improving people’s access to and information about healthy foods, die= ts, and nutrition.  Some examples = of these solutions were:

= -&nb= sp;        A grocery stor= e here on the base.

= -&nb= sp;        A farmer’= ;s market on the base.

= -&nb= sp;        Raising money through projects or getting a loan to start a small market or café.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> 

= -&nb= sp;        Negotiating wi= th the city for use of property out on the base for such projects.

= -&nb= sp;        Use the commis= sary as an APC run grocery store.

= -&nb= sp;        Make a commerc= ial for local television.

= -&nb= sp;        Give people mo= ney to buy food (donations).

= -&nb= sp;        Posters, flyer= s, etc., throughout the community.

= -&nb= sp;        Nutrition and cooking classes.

= -&nb= sp;        Someone who can teach about healthy foods.

= -&nb= sp;        The Growing Yo= uth Project is a solution that is already taking place.

= -&nb= sp;        Community run = taxi or van to help people get to stores.

 

Youth also had ideas around how community fo= od security could be improved:

= -&nb= sp;        Youth can do research on food issues in the community

= -&nb= sp;        Boycott all McDonald’s!

= -&nb= sp;        Stop using gre= ase and other fatty stuff in cooking; use olive oil instead.<= /p>

= -&nb= sp;        Try to eat hea= lthier when you’re young.

= -&nb= sp;        Stop the junk = food addiction.

= -&nb= sp;        People shouldn’t eat fast food, but if they choose it, only in moderation.

= -&nb= sp;        Increase aware= ness about what fast food does to your body.

= -&nb= sp;        Solicit donati= ons for further projects.

= -&nb= sp;        Ask city counc= il what they can do to help.

 

        =     Youth Focus Group Summary

Many youth seemed to know what was healthy f= or them and what was not. Based on the answers given from the youth, they do e= at healthy foods. However, one youth said “I’ll eat anything= as long as it tastes good.” Most youth said that they did not get allowance, but many said that if they did, it would be spent on fast food. = The amount of home cooked meals was really sporadic, varying from anywhere betw= een every night to 2 or 7 days a week. One youth said “my mom does the microwave.” The theme for who is cooking = the meals is the mother, most of the time the youth do not seem to cook. Most of the youth said that advertisements did not affect their food choices, howev= er, it seems as though they admit having an “addiction” to commerci= al foods.

 

Store Surveys   =  

 

Methods

We used a survey already made by the USDA that had foods in different categories (See Append= ix 3).  First, we sent letters to= all the stores we planned to go to so that they would know we were coming.  We chose the stores to visit from = the surveys – they were the most commonly visited places by people in our community.  We also went to one natural food store in our city, but residents in our community don’t = go there.  We recorded the weight, price, and brand for each of the products.=   Then we entered the data into Microsoft Excel.  To analyze the information, we wan= ted to find out which store had the most stuff at the best price, and was easy to = get to.  We also wanted to look at differences in prices to see if anything was really different.  The most important comparison we d= id was between Albertson’s at Marina Village, Alameda Natural Grocery, and Safeway a= t Town Centre in Alameda<= /st1:City>.  Many residents go to Town Centre b= ecause it is on the bus line.  Nobody= said they shopped at the Natural Grocery, but they have a great selection of org= anic and local produce. So we wanted to know if they could find the same items at similar prices.   The sto= res were: Two different Albertson’s, Pac-N-Save, Grocery Outlet, Trader J= oes, Safeway, and Alameda Natural Grocery.  All the youth in the project helped with this phase of the project.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> 

 

Findings

We learned that = most of the stores residents shop at have the selection of foods required by the USDA as a healthy basket.  But= all of these stores are at least a mile away.&= nbsp; Also, the Albertson’s at Town Centre was the most shopped at s= tore by APC residents and it recently closed.&n= bsp; Grocery Outlet had good prices, but the vegetable selection wasnR= 17;t that good and healthy options were limited.  It is also hard to get there if you don’t have a car. Alameda Natural Grocery, on the other hand, had all organic and healthy foods and it is very close to our community.  But there was some stuff that they didn’t have (like normal brand products and produce out of season) and prices were higher.  We decide= d to look closely at the 3 major grocery stores in our town: Albertson’s <= st1:place w:st=3D"on">Marina Village, Alameda Natural Grocery, and Safeway at Town Centre.

 

Our data suggests that residents will probably shop at Safeway at the Town Cent= re, because it is on the bus line and so easier to get to. It doesn’t seem likely that residents would shop at Alameda Natural Grocery for two reasons: inconvenient location and high prices. Residents would most likely shop at these three stores if the prices were much lower and most

importantly if the locations of the stores were more convenient.   Albertsons is the least expe= nsive supermarket that you can go to in the city of Alameda. Albertson’s produce is the cheapest; but also has very limited variet= ies of organic food. Safeway is the second choice for APC residents to shop at = in Alameda, because = they also have a cheap variety of foods and produce, though they aren’t as cheap as Albertson’s. Safeway has more organic foods and produce then Albertson’s; they just came out with a new line of organic products called the “O” line.  The least used grocery store is the Alameda Natural Grocery. APC residents could have a hard time to find this store because it is farther and not well known.  The biggest reason why APC residents wouldn’t shop there is because of the high price of foods.  If the residents decided to shop a= t the Alameda Natural Grocery, it would be because of the high quality food and produce they have.      

 

Food Bank Surveys 

 

Methods

We used survey a= lready developed by Shasta County Cooperative Extension (see Appendix 4).  We decided to visit and talk with = two food banks – City of Ala= meda Food Bank and the Alameda County Food Bank.  For the City Food Bank, we knew th= at many APC residents access their services, and with the County Food Bank, we knew that APC gets much of the food for their programs from there. 

 

Our first visit = was to the City of Alameda Food Bank with Paul Russell where we had a discussion about how the Food Bank wo= rks and were given a tour of their offices.&nb= sp; Our second visit was to the Alameda County Food Bank where we took another tour of the warehouse and spoke with a few employees about issues around hunger and emergency food distribution in Alameda County.     

 

Findings

The City Food Ba= nk serves residents of Alameda by providing different food service programs: 

-      =    The weekly program is open two days a week and people get a food bag that lasts 1-2 days, limited by number of items, not family size.  It typically serves 120 households= .

-      =    The monthly Saturday program provides food for 2-3 days, allows peo= ple to choose the foods they want, and gives 12 items for first person in the household and four additional items for each additional person, though it is not guaranteed to have produce.

-      =    The monthly program that serves 300 families and gives food for 3-4 days.

-      =    The monthly Wednesday USDA commodity program, which gives one groce= ry bag plus produce, is based on family size, and will feed that family for 2-3 days.  On average it serves 150 households.

 

The City Food Bank’s food sources are the County Food Bank (50%), Trader Joes (70% = of fresh food; donated), wholesale food purchases (5%), food drives (10%), and farmers markets (5%).  Barrier= s to using the food bank include transportation to the sites and a stigma associ= ated with using the services.  The = people who obtain food from here have

asked for more m= eat and milk but there is always plenty of bread, that can spoil.  They avoid distributing soda and t= hey will distribute (but don’t ask for) chips and candy.  There always are a lot of pastries, donuts, and cakes though and these are things that people like.  &n= bsp; 

 

The County of Alameda Fo= od Bank serves organizations throughout Alameda County that then di= stribute food to their service population.  It sells all its products for $0.15/lb, will make produce runs to agencies onc= e a week, and they can come from once a month to everyday. Food sources include donations, wholesale food purchases, and food drives.  They average serving about 160,000 clients a month. The City of A= lameda Food Bank gets 50% of its food from here.  Also, APC goes once a week to get = food for different services like community breakfast and emergency food boxes.  One constraint that they noted is = that it is hard to get food to working families and they may be start doing dire= ct distribution.  Both food banks notice an increase in services in winter and around holidays.  

 

School Surveys<= /span>   

 

Methods

For school surve= ys we used a survey from the San Francisco Food Systems group (see Appendix 5). F= our students delivered surveys to five area schools: Woodstock Elementary, Mill= er Elementary, Chipman Middle, Encinal High, and BASE Charter School.  We also spoke with Judy Bedard, wh= o is the new Food Services Director for Alameda Unified School District.&nb= sp; We contacted her because most schools could not give us all the information we were asking, because it was decided at the district level. <= o:p>

 

Findings

        &= nbsp;   School surveys showed that none of the schools have food policies or a nutrition advisory council, except for Chipman Middle, which has some policies partia= lly in place.  For both the elemen= tary schools and the middle school, participation in school lunch is high and in= all schools in the assessment qualification for free/reduced lunch is over 60% = of the student population:  74% a= nd 80% for the elementary schools and 80% for the middle school.  For Encinal High School, only 14% = of students participate in school lunch, because here there is the off-campus lunch option and so many students go to Ginos, a convenience mart nearby, o= r to Little Caesars, McDonalds, Fortune Cookie (to-go Chinese Food), and Jack-in-the-Box.  BASE Charter School does not hav= e a school lunch program and students must bring their lunches or purchase it f= rom the taco truck that comes to campus every day. 

        &= nbsp;  

        &= nbsp;   The Alameda <= st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Unified School Dist= rict manages and prepares all school foods – their vision is to serve all complete meals and have tiered pricing for different meals.  There is a central kitchen at Wood= stock Elementary where food is prepared and then shipped to individual schools wh= ere it is “re-thermed” for consumption.  Most foods are purchased from SYSC= O and Goldstar; there are also USDA commodities which have full meals for sale. 

        &= nbsp;   Both the middle and high school have vending machines or a snack shop where cand= y, granola bars, chips, juice, and water are sold.  The high school also sells soda, i= ce cream, cookies, and instant soups.  No individuals schools make specific efforts to serve culturally-div= erse foods or sue pricing strategies to persuade students to purchase healthier foods.

        &= nbsp;   For food and nutrition education, Miller Elementary School has a cooking class for youth= ; Chipman Middle School also has an after sc= hool cooking class.  Miller Element= ary also has a garden and garden program.  Both the middle and high school used to have gardens, but they lacked funding to keep them.  Next ye= ar all the elementary schools will be consolidated and they will have a nutrition grant to support a nutrition/garden program.

        &= nbsp;  

        &= nbsp;   For both breakfast and lunch, many suggestions were made to improve the type and quality of food offered.  Brea= kfast suggestions included increasing student participation, having more protein, allowing for individual school input on menus, and decreasing sugary options.  For lunch, responden= ts wanted more healthy variety, less packaged foods, less junk food, to bring = back the salad bar at the middle school, and to get more community dialogue with= the districts food service department.  <= /span>

        &= nbsp;  

        &= nbsp;   There is currently a Wellness Policy Committee that is discussing many of these issues.  From speaking with Ju= dy we learned that there is new law passed, effective in 2007 that will take sodas and other unhealthy foods out of schools!&= nbsp; She also wants to move the food services towards more handmade foods= and less heavily processed and tasteless foods. The Wellness Committee also wan= ts to have no more competitive sales from other groups (like the snack shop at= the high school), to take away restrictions on using food from gardens, and to = have foods that are more sensitive to cultural food traditions. 

 

<= o:p> 

Surveys at Farm= ers Markets   

 

Methods

We wanted to fin= d out all the different places that people could get food near our community and there are a lot of farmer’s markets nearby, so we decided to take sur= veys of customers and vendors at Farmer’s Markets. We used surveys from the Community Food Security Coalition Food Assessment Toolkit to see how people judged the Farmer’s Market and to see why they went there (see Append= ix 6).  We also wanted to see wha= t were the differences in prices and to understand why not many of our community members go to farmers markets. 

 

We went to 5 markets: Alameda Fa= rmers Market, Fruitvale Farmers Market, Mandela Farmers Market, Old Oakland Farme= rs Market, and Jack London Farmers Market.&nb= sp; At each market we talked to at least four customers and four vendors.  At the Alameda Marke= t we spoke to over 10 customers because we wanted to know most about this market closest to our neighborhood.  = We also could th= en wanted put more energy into helping improve it.  We asked them about what they liked about the market, looked at the different products sold, and learned about = the differences in general between the markets. 

 

Findings

People who go to the Alameda Farmer’s Market= said that what they like is that it is close to their homes and that the food is fresh & seasonal. Others mentioned that they liked that it was an environmentally friendly place to shop and that it happens twice a week at different

 

times. When we asked people what they didn&#= 8217;t like at the farmer’s market several people found the market too expensive. They also thought it was too small and needed more organic foods & chairs.  Since we wanted= to know if it was realistic for people in our community to shop at the market,= we asked people how far away they lived from the market: people came from as c= lose as four blocks to as far as four miles away. People seem to have different opinions about price. For example, 3 people said prices were excellent, 4 people said they were fair, and three people said they were good.  Alameda Farmers Market doesn’t have an E= BT machine, which is much needed for the West End of Alameda and for residents= of APC.  But you are able to use WIC coupons at the market, so this is something that could encourage our residents with young children.

 

 

GIS Mapping

 

Methods

We wanted to fin= d out all the different places that people could get food near our community.  So we went out around Alameda to record where all food source= s were – like grocery stores, small markets, liquor stores, and fast food places.  We also wanted to know where gardens were located.  We looked at information about the population of Alameda like income levels, race, and y= outh populations to show how these fit in with the picture of location of food sources.  We made files of this information and used GIS (Geographic Information Systems) software to create these maps.  The map creation = was mostly done by our GIS tutor, Sebastian, though some of us learned how to do basic stuff with the program. 

 

Findings

We found out tha= t we live in a food desert – t= here is only a food bank on the base and this is not open all the time.  The other closest source is a donut shop.  Our community also has a large youth population, has a large low-income population, and it is mostly people of color who live here.  To us, this made it very clear that there are justice issues around food secur= ity – meaning that in areas with higher incomes there are more and health= ier food options and more gardens, that people of color have less access to hea= lthy foods, and that the large youth population in our community is at high risk= as far as access to nutritious foods.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MAP 1  - Percent of Population Under 18 ye= ars of age in Alameda, CA

 

There is a large youth populatio= n at APC, which means that we should be concerned about their diets and access t= o food.  With only a donut shop nearby, the= re are not a lot of options.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MAP 2 Non-White and Non-Asian Population in Alameda, CA

 

It is mostly people of color tha= t live in our community.  This is very different from the rest of Ala= meda.  This showed us that there may= be issues of race involved that lead to people not having access to healthy fo= od.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MAP 3 – Median Household Income in 1999 Dolla= rs in Alameda, CA

 

Residents at APC are in the lowe= st income bracket, which stands out compared to the rest of the City of Alameda.  This also concerned us because it = means that there are also class issues that affect people’s access to food,= as well as being able to afford food.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MAP 4 – Food Resources in Alameda, CA

 

Keeping the previous maps in min= d, you can see some interesting outcomes.  The grocery stores are far away from our neighborhood and are instea= d in neighborhoods of higher incomes and fewer people of color.  We do live on a bus line which goe= s to food stores though, even if the ride can be long.  The closest food sources are the f= ood bank, convenience stores, and lots of fast food.  But  we have 3 gardens (2 school and 1 community garden) and a nursery in= our community!  This is a very spe= cial resource that can help with food security and nutrition issues.   <= o:p>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Policy

 

Methods

We realized that policy was one of our most important themes to investigate in order to real= ly make a difference at Alameda Point.  So we talked to Anne Cook, Member of the Alameda Planning Board and Elizabeth Cook, a staff member of the Development Services Department for t= he City of Alameda and staff members at APC to ask about policies that affected food, hunger, = and nutrition.  We were really interested to find out if APC had a food policy.  We also wanted to know if the city= has a policy about food justice, how they make decisions about where stores are located, and how we can be involved in the new development out on the base = as far as getting the right kinds of stores.  

 

Findings

We found out fro= m APC that there is no food policy and that much of the food served for programs = has lots of sugar and not a lot of the important vitamins and minerals we need.  We asked APC to work to change that and to start to develop a Food Policy Council and a policy for purchasing more healthy foods.  Especially with our weekly community breakfast, we would like to see healthier options, and most staff agreed that this was a good idea.

 

With the city of= Alameda, we found= that there is no policy around food security or food justice, but they were open= to listening to us and our ideas.  No attention is given to where stores are located in Alameda, but there can be limitations on types of stores, like fast food restaurants.  With the new base development, we = found that there will be community stores and eventually a big grocery store R= 11; this is a possibility for us to get in on the ground floor. 

 

Outreach Activities

&n= bsp;

Great Chili Cook-Off<= /b>:  We set up two booths at the Great Chili Cook-Off, a community event where the residents and staff made chili and other residents and staff judg= ed them to see whose chili was the best. There were a lot of people that were there so that’s why we decided to have our booths there so that peopl= e could check them out. The first booth we had was what we called an educational bo= oth. That was to show and explain to people how important it is to eat healthy.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>  There was also information about w= hat organic foods are.  Some people said t= hat some healthy foods are nasty, so we put out recipes of things that people w= ould love to eat and that were healthy:  Grilled Maple Barbeque Chicken, Apple Crisp, Roasted Winter Vegetabl= es, Lemon Asparagus Pasta, and Ratatouille. The second booth that we set up was= the taste testing booth where we had organic and non-organic foods. We blind fo= lded people and had them taste the foods to see if they could tell the differenc= e. Then people voted on which they preferred.  The results of the taste test were: organic oranges 17, broccoli 12,= carrots 10, applesause 3.  For the non organic, it was oranges 8, broccoli 7, carrots 5, applesauce 12 (it must be= the added sugar that people liked here!).  We found that many people can tell the difference between organic and non-organic.  Only a few votes= were cast that said they couldn’t tell the difference between the two products. 

 

 

Earth Day:  There was an Earth Day Festival = in Alameda.  We got a booth for the day to get t= he word out about our program.  W= e sold plants from Ploughshares Nursery, gave out information about our group and = the nursery, and talked about some of our projects with the public.  

 

APC Newsletter<= /span>:  We have been putting a piece abo= ut our project in the APC newsletter every month so that people know what we are up to.  This is something we know= the community likes and we have gotten requests to include more nutritional information and recipes for residents.&nbs= p;

 <= /span>

Thursday Night = Alameda Farmer= 217;s Market:  Starting= in early May, we went to our first of many Farmer’s Markets.  At the market we sell plants and o= ur magnets, spread information about APC, Ploughhares, and the Growing Youth, = and work to educate people about hunger and food security.  Each week we had an activity for k= ids coming to the market like making veggie sculptures, potato stamps, and heal= thy snack demonstrations. 

 

Magnets<= /u>:  We designed magnets for resident= s to put on their fridges so that they could know which vegetables were in season and so that with this knowledge they may be more likely to buy those fruits= and vegetables.  We sent these out= in the newsletter and then have also been handing them out at the Farmer’= ;s Market. We explained to them that when they buy in season they will get fre= sher and more nutritious foods, as well as pay less for them! =

 

 

Cooking & G= ardening Classes:  In the e= nd of June we started cooking and gardening classes for teenagers and children at= APC. Our goal is to teach them how to cook good, healthy, and seasonal recipes.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>  We’ve made strawberry-rhubar= b jam, pesto pasta with squashes, pickles, and different salads.  We also work in the garden to teac= h kids how to grow their own foods and then take them to the kitchen to cook them.=

 

 

 

Community Strat= egy Meeting: On June 15th at the monthly community mee= ting we discussed

some of our basic findings and facilitated a brainstorm about = what people wanted to see at APC to improve their food environment. People had l= ots of great ideas and the chart below shows how people voted on some of the choices when we asked them “W= hat do you want to see at APC?”  <= /span>

We took the rest of the ideas from the community and added them into our recommendations.   =     

 

&nb= sp;

Small co-operative grocery market

 

       &nbs= p;           14 votes    &n= bsp;    

(this had the most 1st choice votes!)

 

Comm= unity kitchen

&n= bsp;

       &nbs= p;           7 votes

 

Heal= thier foods served at APC

 

6 votes=

       &nbs= p;   

 

Gard= ening classes and assistance

 

8 votes=

 

 

Comm= unity shuttle to grocery  stores

 

10 vote= s

 

Grow= food to give & sell to residents

 

5 votes=

 

 

Prod= uce Delivery

 

8 votes=

 

Heal= thy Food  Café=

&nb= sp;

6 votes=

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE FIVE THEMES

All t= hat information sat in our heads for a while and then we went back to our guidi= ng themes to make some general observations and conclusions about the reality = of those in our community:  

=  

Access & Affordability of Food

·        Transportation is a barrier to eating healthy.

·        Distance to food sources is far, and the closest ones have poor healthy choices.

·        99% of the people in our community are below the poverty line.

·        Income is a major force for what foods people buy and where they buy them.

 

Hunger & Nutrition

·        There is a need for more education around nutrition, though people have some knowledge about healthy foods.

·        There are high levels of diet-related health diseases.

·        There is a high rate of food insecurity.

 

Policy

·        There is an upcoming Wellness Policy for Alameda schools, effective in 2007.

·        There is no policy at APC around serving healthy foods, but we hope to change tha= t.

·        The city of Alameda does not have a policy regarding food justice.

·        Policy action and coordination is an important area for work in the future. <= /o:p>

 <= /span>

Local Agriculture

·        Six markets within 5 miles of our community. One is right here in Alameda.

·        Awareness about farming (especially urban farming) is low in urban areas, but people = are interested in supporting local farmers.

·        We live near one of the best growing regions in the world and have the opportu= nity to eat fresh fruits and vegetables year-round.

 

Community Resources

·        Community garden

·        Ploughshares Nursery

·        Growing Youth

·        Lots of land that could be used for food production.

·        APC services, like community breakfast emergency food boxes and dinners<= span style=3D'font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Garamond;color:black'>

·        The People – over half of the residents have gardened before; lots of peo= ple are good cooks

=  

 

 

 

RECOMMENDATIONS

Using these findings and ideas from community members,= we decided on some strategies and recommendations for APC, our neighbors, and = the City of Alameda.  Our top 12 are in bold:

 

Community Strategi= es - How APC resources can best be used to achieve food security.

 

o      = Initiate a Food Policy Council at APC to provide healthy and culturally appropriate foods for residents during programs and services as = well as support other future projects around food and nutrition.

o      = Use the open space to grow foods for use in APC programs and services.  Expand and improve current garden activities, including getting chickens for fresh eggs, harvesting honey from the bee hives, doing seed saving, and better manageme= nt of the fruit crops.

o      = Start a small cooperative grocery store and/or a small caf&eac= ute; using space in one of the APC buildings.

o      = Start regular nutrition, cooking, and garden classes for resid= ents. 

o      = Continue to have youth groups working on food, nutrition and gardening issues as well as do outreach in the community about healthy food= s.

o      = Install a community/teaching kitchen for classes and events. <= o:p>

o      = Community shuttle to help residents access healthy stores and farmers markets.

o      = Include healthy & seasonal r= ecipes in the monthly newsletter. Also include important nutrition information that may not be well known in the community.

o      = Promote a veggie of the month &#= 8211; having growing, nutrition, and cooking information about that vegetable, ha= ving a community meal or breakfast that features that vegetable, and/or deliveri= ng that vegetable to households at APC.

o      = Start a mini-CSA at APC for residents (this could be local far= mers and us together!)– $5-$10 was an agreed upon cost for a weekly box of produce and there is the possibility of using EBT cards for this.

o      = Distribute take-home herbal kits= or other plant based crafts for residents.

o      = Initiate a work exchange program= so that residents can trade goods and services, some of which can be food related. 

 

External Strate= gies - How food providers and other resources and partners can better help residents achieve food

        =             &nb= sp;            =    security.

 

o      = Negotiating with the city for use of propert= y out on the base for a market and/or small café.  <= /o:p>

o      = Partnering with agencies like the Food Bank = and farmers’ markets to aid in distribution of healthy foods.  <= /o:p>

o      = = Work with city agencies like the city council and AUSD to make more efforts towa= rds helping issues of food insecurity, health, nutrition, and urban farming.  

o      = = Sponsor policy workshops/events to bring various organizations together to campaign= for changes in school and city policy around food and nutrition.  <= /o:p>

 

o      = Collaborate with other organizations to buy = in bulk for the market. <= /p>

o      = Work with small & ethnic farmers in the = area to provide produce for weekly food boxes, events, the market, and/or the café.

 

Individual Stra= tegies -= What individual actions such as learni= ng to cook, planting a vegetable garden, eating

        =             &nb= sp;            =       healthier foods, will help achieve food security.<= /i>

 

o      = Participating in nutrition, cooking, and gardening classes at APC.  Residents need to be inv= olved in helping themselves.

o      = Getting a community garden plot = and growing your own foods.

o      = Trying to shop at local farmers&= #8217; markets more often.

o      = Find an area of interest within = any of the initiatives (i.e., marketing, gardening, cooking) and motivate yourself= to become involved and use your talents.

o      = = Boycott fast food and stop the junk food addiction!

=  

 

BIOGRAPHIES

jerrard green. = I am 16 and I love fixing cars and bikes and= to go out and have fun. The best part about the project is being in the garden working with the bees.    <= /span>

My name is Chanelle and I love basketball. I don’t like milk shakes from any fa= st food places because I’ve learned of all the chemicals that they use in those milk shakes. I‘ve also learned a lot more reasons why I should = eat healthier while I’ve worked with the Growing Youth.=

 

I’m<= span style=3D'font-size:22.0pt;font-family:Onyx'> jernard harris and I’m 15 years old. I love videogame= s and sports.  What I like about the project  is the cooking classe= s.

 =

Hi my name is Tommy Freeman and my current favorite hobby is working wi= th the Growing Youth. Since I’ve been with them I was able to learn many different things about nutrition and the people in my community and also the people in my community and what the go through when it comes to food sources being a barrier for them.

 

Hi my name is Dawn Carraway and 16 I love anything that deals with anima= ls and I love my boyfriend .The best part about the project is when we go places, = such as farms and cooking classes.

=  

Hi, I’m Farrell Williams and what I’ve liked best about this pr= oject is the cooking classes. I will take away all the skills I learned so I can truly become a chef, and not just prepare meat dishes but vegetarian and ve= gan too.

=  

=  

THANK YOU & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

=  

We wa= nt to first give a big thanks to Katie for guiding us through the whole project!  Another major thanks goes to The California Endowment for funding this project and APC for providing the spa= ce, support, and resources to do the project.&= nbsp; Also many thanks to our friends and families who helped us stick wit= h it for the past 9 months.  Special thanks to Doug Biggs for keeping the project alive, Rachel Reed for making = this possible, Sarah for statistics expertise, Sebastian for GIS help, James for film assistance, Ploughshares for plants, Navina for the café, Jamie= for the document, and

Erin = & Jack for beekeeping knowledge.  We’d like to thank the youth of APC, especially those who participated in our classes and helped us in the garden – in particul= ar Sean, Carlin, & Will.

We wa= nt to acknowledge all farms and businesses that have welcomed us and shared their knowledge with us.  And to the= many, many volunteers who’ve helped along the way – we really appreci= ate you!

=  

Shout-outs to:  Alameda Farmers Market, Alameda County and City Food Banks, Youth in Focus, People’s Grocery, OBUGS, BYA, Farm Fresh Choice, Wolfgang from= UC Davis, Slide Ranch, & APC Resident Council. 

=  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

APPENDIX 1 – RESIDENT SURVEY

        &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;            Date__________________________

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;             =    Time_______________________= ___

 

Hi, my name is ____________ and I work with the Growin= g Youth Project.  Hopefully you saw the flyer on your door last week that let you know we would be coming around.  We’re talking to residents o= f APC about their experiences with food, cooking, grocery shopping, nutrition, and health to better understand the main barri= ers they face to accessing healthy food.  One of our main goals is to grow more food in the community and open= a market with good food at affordable prices here on the base.  Would you be willing to participat= e in a half-hour interview?

 

All your responses will be kept confidential and you c= an choose not to answer any question.  As a courtesy for participating, you will be entered into a raffle to win a special (and healthy!) surprise.

 

1. What is yo= ur age? 

q under 18

q 18-29

q 30-39

q 40-49

q 50-59

q Over 60

 

2.What is your gender?

q Female

q Male

q Other:

 

 

 

 

3. How many a= dults are in your household?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. How many c= hildren under the age of 18 in your household?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Total numb= er of people in your household?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Would you = be willing to share your ethnicity?  &nb= sp;   q Yes      &nbs= p;       q No

If yes, p= lease answer the following:

6a. Are you Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino?   q Yes  &= nbsp;           q No

6b. How do you identify your race/ethnicity?

Select one:<= o:p>

q Multi-racial (check if = 2 or more apply)

 

 

 

q African-American or Bla= ck

 

 

 

q = Alaska Native/ American Indian

 

 

 

q Asian

 

 

 

q Native Hawaiian / Pacif= ic Islander

 

 

 

q White/ Caucasian

 

 

 

 

q Other – please li= st:

 

 

 

 

7. What is yo= ur monthly income?    &nbs= p;

q $0 (none)

q $1-$100

q $101-$500

q $500-1000

q $1000-1500

q $1500-2000

q over $2000

 

Please list:

 

 

 

 

8. What are a= ll the sources of income that make up your total household income? =

Check all

q Wage/salaries

 

 

that apply:<= o:p>

q Unemployment

 

 

 

q TANF(welfare)

 

 

 

q SSI or Disability

 

 

 

q General Assistance

 

 

 

q Food Stamps/EBT

 

 

 

 

q WIC or FMNP

 

 

 

 

q Other – please li= st:

 

 

 

 

9.  Who does the grocery shopping in y= our household?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. How many = times do you go to the grocery store with in a month?

q once

q twice

q 3 times

q every week

q more than once a week

 

11. How do yo= u get to the grocery store? (check all t= hat apply)

q Bus

q Taxi

q my car

q Walk

q Ride from friend or fam= ily

 

 

q Other:

 

 

 

   &nbs= p;       

12. Tell me t= wo stores where you buy groceries for your family. 

STORE #1:

 

 

STORE #2:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12a. What do you usually buy at each = of these stores?

(for example, fruits/vegeta= bles, meat, dairy products, bread)?

STORE #1:

 

 

STORE #2:

 

 

 <= /o:p>

 

 

 

 

 

 <= /o:p>

 

 

 

 

 

 <= /o:p>

 

 

 

 

 

 <= /o:p>

 

 

 

 

 

12b. What are their locations?

STORE #1:

 

 

STORE #2:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12c. How long does it usually take you to get there? 

STORE #1:

 

 

STORE #2:

 

 

q Less than 10 minutes

 

q Less than 10 minutes

 

q 10-20 minutes

 

q 10-20 minutes

 

q 20-30 minutes

 

q 20-30 minutes

 

q Half hour or more

 

q Half hour or more

 

 

13. Are there= types of food that you would you like to buy, but cannot buy because there are no stores that sell these foods within a convenient distance to your home? q Yes     q No

What foods? _______________________________________________________________

 

14. Approxima= tely how much money does your household spend on food each week?    

 

 

 

$

 

 

 

15. If your h= ousehold income was larger, would you spend (read both choices):<= /p>

q more money on food for = you family

q the same amount on food= for your family

 

16.  Does your household ever buy less = food towards the end of a pay period (such as the end of the month) in order to = stay within your household budget?  &nb= sp;         q Yes      &nbs= p;       q No

 

17. Rank the = factors below from 1-6 (1 being the most important and 6 being the <= /p>

     least important)= for their importance in buying groceries for your family:

 

Taste

 

 

 <= /o:p>

How healthy it is

 

 

 

Cost or price

 

 

 

Whether or not to store accepts food stamps/EBT, WIC= , or other food assistance

 

Convenience (how easy it is to get to, how far you h= ave to go)

 

Advertisements (commercials make you want to get it)=

 

Other people you know buy and eat it

 

Other, please list:

 

 

 

 

18. How many = times a month do you eat out?

q once

q twice

q 3 times

q every week

q more than once a week

   &nbs= p;       

19. How many = times a week do you have home cooked meals with in a week?

q once

q twice

q 3-5 times

q every day

q never

   &nbs= p;       

20.  How many times a week do you eat m= eals together at home?

q once

q twice

q 3-5 times

q every day

q never

   &nbs= p;       

21. Who does = the cooking in the household?

        =             &nb= sp;

23. Does your= job, family, or living arrangements affect the way you eat?  q Yes        &= nbsp;  q No

      If yes, how?

 

24. What do y= ou think is the main difference between healthy food and unhealthy

       food= ?

       

25.  Give me two examples of food that = you consider healthy, and two examples

        food that you consider unhealthy?

 

HEALTHY:=

 

 

UNHEALTHY:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

26. What are = one or two things that prevent you from buying healthy foods for

      your famil= y?

 

27. As a pare= nt or guardian of the children in your household, do you:

   &nb= sp;       = Have children in your home who refuse to eat food that you buy or cook? q Yes     q No

        =     Talk to your children about the importance of eating healthy foods?<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>        =   q Yes      &nbs= p;      q No

        =     Eat healthy foods because you want to be an example for your children?     <= span style=3D'font-family:Wingdings;mso-ascii-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-char-type:symbol;mso-symbol-fon= t-family: Wingdings'>q Yes      &nbs= p;   q No

        =     Talk to your children about not eating unhealthy foods?  q Yes q No

        =     Ask or allow your children to help you cook?        =           q Yes      &nbs= p;    q No

        =     Ask or allow your children to help you shop for food?    q Yes q No

        =     Prepare lunch for your children to bring to school?         q Yes q No

        =     Give your children money to buy food?        =             &nb= sp;      q Yes      &nbs= p;     q No

If yes, ab= out how much per week, per child? $___________

 

28. In the la= st year, did you (or other adults in your household) ever cut the size of your meals= or skip meals because you couldn’t afford enough food?

q never

q sometimes

q Often

q No answer

 

 

29. In the la= st year, did you ever cut the size or skip a child’s meal because you couldn’t afford enough food?

q never

q sometimes

q Often

q No answer

 

 

30. In the la= st 12 months were the children ever hungry, but you just couldn’t afford mo= re food?

q never

q sometimes

q Often

q No answer

 

 

FOR THE FOLLOWING THREE QUESTIONS I WILL READ YOU A QUOTE AND ASK H= OW IT RELATES TO YOUR EXPERIENCE. 

 

31. “I = worried whether our food would run out before we got money to buy more.”  Was that often, sometimes, or neve= r true for you in the last year?

q never

q sometimes

q Often

q No answer

 

 

32. “We couldn’t afford to eat balanced meals.” Was that often, sometim= es, never true for you in the last year?

q never

q sometimes

q Often

q No answer

 

 

33. “We= relied on a few kinds of low-cost food to feed the children because we were running out of money to buy food.” Was that often, sometimes, never true for = you in the last year?

q never

q sometimes

q Often

q No answer

 

 

34. How often= do you go to the food bank?

q never

q sometimes

q Often

q No answer

 

 

35. Do you or= have you ever used WIC?

q never

q sometimes

q Often

q Used to, but not anymor= e

q  no answer

36. Does anyo= ne in your household have or had any of the following health concerns?         =

Check all

q Diabetes

q Digestive disorders

that apply:<= o:p>

q Obesity/overweight

q Liver or kidney ailment= s

 

q Cancer

q Food allergies

 

q Heart disease or heart attack

q Attention deficit disor= der (ADD/ADHD)

 

q Stroke

q HIV/AIDS

 

q Hypertension

 

 

 

 

q Asthma

 

 

 

 

q Other – please li= st:

 

 

 

 

37. Do you wa= nt to now, or have you in the past wanted to eat healthier (check all that apply)

 

Because you want to look better

 

 

 

 <= /o:p>

Because you want to feel better

 

 

 

 

Because you want to improve your mental and/or physi= cal performance

 

 

Because you want to recover from an illness that you have/had

 

 

Because certain healthy foods taste better to you.

 

 

Because people you know eat healthy foods

 

 

Because people talk to you about the importance of e= ating healthy foods

 

 

Because you’ve seen advertisements about the importance of eating healthy foods.

 

 

Other, please list: ­­­­­­&s= hy;­­­­____________________________________________

 

 

 

 

38. How many = times a week do you engage in physical activity?

q once

q twice

q 3-5 times

q every day

q never

 

39. What type= s of physical activity do you do?

        &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp; 

40. Do you th= ink you have enough knowledge or information about how to eat and cook healthy?         q Yes        =            q No

 

41. What is y= our main source of information about how to eat and cook healthy?

 

42. Would you= like to learn more about how to eat and cook healthy?    q Yes        =       q No

 

43. Have you = ever grown, or considered growing, food for your family, like in containers or i= n a community garden? (If answer no= , skip to #45)       q Yes       q No

   &nbs= p;       

44. If you ha= ve grown food before, what have you grown?

 

45. Would you= be interested in learning how to grow food for your family?   q Yes    q No

 

 

APPENDIX 2 – FOCUS = GROUP QUESTIONS

 

ADU= LT FOCUS GROUP QUESTIONS

 

What do you consider healthy eating?<= o:p>

Do you consider yourself a healthy ea= ter?

 &nb= sp;          How come your diet is this way?

  &n= bsp;         Why do you think you eat certain healthy or unhealthy foods?<= /p>

 = ;

What do you think are some major barr= iers to buying and eating healthy?

Is food too expensive or do you have problems budgeting for food?

Are there any issues related to transportation which affect you accessing groceries?  What about healthy foods?

What would help you to make better food choices?

 = ;

What types of food do you buy? <= /o:p>

Where do you shop?

 = ;         How often do you go shopping?

        &= nbsp;   How do you get to the grocery store?

        &= nbsp;   Who does the shopping in your household?

 = ;

How often do you have home cook meals= ?

            Who cooks in your household?

               

Do you think there should be more communication between everyone in the household regarding what food is boug= ht for meals in the house?  (issues with food not being eaten???)=

 = ;

Does anyone have health issues in your household that affect your food choices?

            How does this affect food choices?

 = ;

What are some personal experiences wi= th hunger, use of the food bank, WIC?

Do you ever go to the farmers market?=

Why or why not?

 

How does advertisement affect what yo= u buy?

 

Do you have any suggestions on how to= get information out to people about healthy food?

Do you think that there should be far= mers markets on the base or small grocery stores?

What other ideas do you have to help improve access to good food, nutrition, and health for residents on the bas= e?

 

 

YOU= TH FOCUS GROUP QUESTIONS

 

Do you think you or = other members in your household eat healthy?&nbs= p;

What do you eat that= you think is healthy?

 

How do you define he= althy eating?

 &nb= sp;        Why do you think your diet is this way?

 

What types of food d= o you like to eat that your parents buy?

 

Do you think there is healthy food available on the Base?

 &nb= sp;        if yes,  tell us why you think so= or where this food source is?

if no, how far do you have to go to get healthy food?  Are you willing to go t= hat far?

&nbs= p;

How much money out o= f your allowance do you spend on food if you get allowance?<= /p>

          What types of food do you spend your money on?

 

How many home cook m= eals do you have each week?

          Who does the cooking in your house?

Do you ever cook your own meals? What types of things do you cook?

   

Do you think there s= hould be more communication between everyone in the household regarding what food= is bought for meals in the house? Do you have a say in what foods get bought in your household?

 

Does anyone have hea= lth issues in your household that are diet related?

How does this affect food choices?<= /span>

 

How does advertiseme= nt affect what you buy?

 

Is there ever not en= ough food in your house?  If not, w= hat do you do when this happens?

 

What would help you = to eat healthier?

 

 

APPENDIX 3 – SAMPLE= OF STORE SURVEY

 

Store Name: ___________________________________________________=

Store Address: _________________________________________________

 

Store Type:    = ____= Supermarket         = ___Convenience        &= nbsp;  ___Other

____ Large grocery  &nb= sp;   ___Gas/grocery

____ Small grocery  &nb= sp;   ___Ethnic/specialty

 

Store Hours: _______________________________________

 

READ THE FOLLOWING TO THE STORE MANAGER BEFORE CONDUCTING THE<= /b>

STORE SURVEY:

Than= k you for allowing me to spend some time in your store collecting information on = the

avai= lability of selected food items and their prices. The information that we are collec= ting from a

wide variety of stores in the area will help create a profile of food availabili= ty and costs in the

comm= unity. The information will be only used for this purpose and data collected from = all stores

will= be combined. No data will be linked to any specific store.

 

1. D= oes the store accept EBT/food stamps?    q Yes      &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;  q No

 

2. Does the s= tore accept WIC (Women, Infants, Children)? q Yes        &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;  q No

 

3. What types= of advertisements are most visible on the outside of the store/from the street? (list the number of advertisements for each type)

        &= nbsp;   _____Liquor        &= nbsp;       _____ Cigarettes         ______ Candy ______Soda

   &nbs= p;        _____Non-junk food  _____ Non-food items (e.= g., toilet paper)       ______Other

 

4.  What types of advertisements are m= ost visible inside the store?

(list the number of advertisements for each type)=

        &= nbsp;   _____Liquor        &= nbsp;       _____ Cigarettes         ______ Candy ______Soda

   &nbs= p;        _____Non-junk food  _____ Non-food items (e.= g., toilet paper)       ______Other

 

5.  What is the first thing you notice= that you can buy when you enter the store?

 

6.&nbs= p; What else do you notice about the store layout?  For example, ad placement, product placement, cleanliness?

 

7.&nbs= p; List the number of employees by observed ethnicity and gender.<= /o:p>

 &= nbsp;          <= /b>_____ People of color    &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;        _____ Female

        &= nbsp;   _____ White       &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;       _____ Male

8.&nbs= p; List the number of customers by observed ethnicity and gender (spend no more than 3 minutes counting)=

        &= nbsp;   _____ People of color    &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;        _____ Female

        &= nbsp;   _____ White       &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;       _____ Male

   Food Item

 

Brand/Variety

 Quality/Freshness

Item Weight/Units

Price

(Lowest Cost)

       &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;            FRESH FRUIT

Ap= ples

(b= agged)

 

____rotting/moldy

 

____mushy/too soft

 

____discolored

 

Re= g:

 

 

Sale<= span style=3D'font-family:TimesNewRoman;mso-bidi-font-family:TimesNewRoman'>:<= o:p>

Ap= ples

(l= oose)

 

 

____rotting/moldy

 

____mushy/too soft

 

____discolored

 

Re= g:

 

 

Sale<= span style=3D'font-family:TimesNewRoman;mso-bidi-font-family:TimesNewRoman'>:<= o:p>

Oranges

(b= agged)

 

 

____rotting/moldy

 

____mushy/too soft

 

____discolored

 

Re= g:

 

 

Sale<= span style=3D'font-family:TimesNewRoman;mso-bidi-font-family:TimesNewRoman'>:<= o:p>

Oranges

(l= oose)

 

____rotting/moldy

 

____mushy/too soft

 

____discolored

 

Re= g:

 

 

Sale<= span style=3D'font-family:TimesNewRoman;mso-bidi-font-family:TimesNewRoman'>:<= o:p>

Ba= nanas

 

____rotting/moldy

 

____mushy/too soft

 

____discolored

 

Re= g:

 

 

Sale<= span style=3D'font-family:TimesNewRoman;mso-bidi-font-family:TimesNewRoman'>:<= o:p>

Pe= ars

 

____rotting/moldy

 

____mushy/too soft

 

____discolored

 

Re= g:

 

 

Sale<= span style=3D'font-family:TimesNewRoman;mso-bidi-font-family:TimesNewRoman'>:<= o:p>

Gr= apefruit

 

____rotting/moldy

 

____mushy/too soft

 

____discolored

 

Re= g:

 

 

Sale<= span style=3D'font-family:TimesNewRoman;mso-bidi-font-family:TimesNewRoman'>:<= o:p>

Le= mons

 

____rotting/moldy

 

____mushy/too soft

 

____discolored

 

Re= g:

 

 

Sale<= span style=3D'font-family:TimesNewRoman;mso-bidi-font-family:TimesNewRoman'>:<= o:p>

Av= ocadoes

 

____rotting/moldy

 

____mushy/too soft

 

____discolored

 

Re= g:

 

 

Sale<= span style=3D'font-family:TimesNewRoman;mso-bidi-font-family:TimesNewRoman'>:<= o:p>

LIST TOTAL # OF VARIETIES OF ALL VEGETABLES: __________________

(include all vegetables checked above, as well as all vegetables in the stores NOT listed above.  Include multi= ple varieties of the same vegetable – napa cabbage, purple cabbage, yel= low onions, & red onions would count as 4.

 

 

 

 

 

   Food Item

 

Brand/Variety

 Quality/Freshness

Item Weight/Units

Price

(Lowest Cost)

       &nbs= p;          ORGANIC PRODUCE – l= ist types available, both fruits & vegetables

 

 

____rotting/moldy

 

____mushy/too soft

 

____discolored

 

Re= g:

 

 

Sale<= span style=3D'font-family:TimesNewRoman;mso-bidi-font-family:TimesNewRoman'>:<= o:p>

 

 

____rotting/moldy

 

____mushy/too soft

 

____discolored

 

Re= g:

 

 

Sale<= span style=3D'font-family:TimesNewRoman;mso-bidi-font-family:TimesNewRoman'>:<= o:p>

 

 

____rotting/moldy

 

____mushy/too soft

 

____discolored

 

Re= g:

 

 

Sale<= span style=3D'font-family:TimesNewRoman;mso-bidi-font-family:TimesNewRoman'>:<= o:p>

 

 

____rotting/moldy

 

____mushy/too soft

 

____discolored

 

Re= g:

 

 

Sale<= span style=3D'font-family:TimesNewRoman;mso-bidi-font-family:TimesNewRoman'>:<= o:p>

 

 

____rotting/moldy

 

____mushy/too soft

 

____discolored

 

Re= g:

 

 

Sale<= span style=3D'font-family:TimesNewRoman;mso-bidi-font-family:TimesNewRoman'>:<= o:p>

 

 

____rotting/moldy

 

____mushy/too soft

 

____discolored