New research sheds light on critical food assistance infrastructure and hunger needs in multi state area.
Food Assistance and Hunger in the Heartland 2021, an unprecedented study by the University of Missouri Interdisciplinary Center for Food Security, highlights the role of hunger relief programs and the characteristics of households who receive support at food pantries. The research involved an online survey of 540 food pantry directors and in-person interviews with 5,672 food pantry clients. The study area included Missouri, Kansas, and parts of western Illinois.
The project was initiated to update findings from Feeding America’s Hunger in America 2014 study and to provide reliable and current information for Feeding Missouri, its affiliated regional food banks, and the Kansas Food Bank. The study was conducted in the spring and summer of 2021.
Download state and regional reports.
State Report for Missouri (Feeding Missouri)
Full Report and Summary of Key Findings
State Report for Kansas
Full Report and Summary of Key Findings
The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri
Full Report and Summary of Key Findings
Harvesters – The Community Food Network
Full Report and Summary of Key Findings
Kansas Food Bank
Full Report and Summary of Key Findings
Kansas Food Bank Rural Supplement
Full Report and Summary of Key Findings
Ozarks Food Harvest
Full Report and Summary of Key Findings
St. Louis Area Foodbank
Full Report and Summary of Key Findings
Second Harvest Community Food Bank
Full Report and Summary of Key Findings
Southeast Missouri Food Bank
Full Report and Summary of Key Findings
The Interdisciplinary Center for Food Security acknowledges and extends gratitude to the food pantry clients, staff, and volunteers who participated in the study; the interviewers who traveled thousands of miles and conducted interviews at food pantries; and the regional coordinators who supervised and supported the interviewers. We are also grateful for the regional food bank and state association stakeholders including Feeding Missouri, The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri, Harvesters – The Community Food Network, Kansas Food Bank, Ozarks Food Harvest, St. Louis Area Foodbank, Second Harvest Community Food Bank, and Southeast Missouri Food Bank.
Funding for this project was provided by Feeding Missouri and the Kansas Health Foundation. The University of Missouri provided additional support.
Contact the Interdisciplinary Center for Food Security with questions about the data or methods used in this study. Information about previous food assistance and hunger research conducted by the center can be found HERE.