Rachel Olive of Hunger Free Heartland gives a presentation about childhood food insecurity for the Health & Safety breakout session

1. Childhood Food
Insecurity: Close to Home
Rachel Olive, MSW
Executive Director
1
3/23/2016

2. Mission
• Hunger Free Heartland is an organization for change that builds collaborating
partnerships to implement solutions to end childhood food insecurity.
3/23/2016
2

3. Value Proposition
We are the champion leading change to eliminate childhood food security
• Educating the community
• Building capacity
• Advocacy
3/23/2016
3

4. 3/23/2016
4

5. 3/23/2016
5

6. Hunger-Coping Behaviors: Scales
Hunger-Coping
Trade-Offs
Having to choosing
between paying for
food and paying
other household
expenses in the last
month
Financial Coping
Borrowing money,
selling property,
skipping bills, or
modifying food
spending in order
to be able to pay
for food
Rationing Coping
Hiding food, eating
less food, eating only
after children,
avoiding providing
food for guests, and
gorging when food is
available
Three main groups, or scales, or hunger-coping behaviors were established:

7. Hunger-Coping Behaviors:
Results
Hunger-
Coping
Trade-Offs
“…choose between
paying for food and
paying for
utilities…”(44%)
“…choose between paying
for food and paying for
medicine…”(35%)
Financial
Coping
Strategies
“…bought the cheapest
food available…” (73%)
“…Asked friends and
family for food or money
for food…” (49%)
Rationing
Coping
Strategies
“…eaten as much as
possible when food is
available…” (61%)
“…eaten meals or snacks
only after children
finished…” (53%)

8. There is Hope: We can
Eliminate Childhood Food
Insecurity
3/23/2016
8

9. Gundersen, October 2012
Research said investing in these 5 areas could lead
to a significantly improved outcome:
School
Breakfast &
Lunch
Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP)
Input
Annual
Food Insecurity Metric Factors
Outside our control
reduced
food
insecurity

10. What is happening in
Omaha?
3/23/2016
10

11. OMAHA PLAN
Initiative led by ConAgra
with the goal to reduce childhood
food insecurity in Omaha by 10%
between the years of 2014-2016.
Five areas proven to reduce
food insecurity were decided
to be the focus through various
programs
1. SNAP
2. National School Lunch
3. Food Banks
4. Low Food Prices
5. Financial Management Skills
• Five local organizations commit to
being a part of the Omaha Plan
• Gretchen Swanson Center for
Nutrition was responsible for
conducting research and compiling
data
• Hunger Free Heartland serves
as the role of a backbone
organization for the initiative.
Child Hunger Ends Here

12. OMAHA PLAN
Child Hunger Ends Here
19.7% children under 18 in poverty
71.8% children under 6 with all available
parents working
22.9% parents of children participating in
SNAP
38.6% children in Medicaid or CHIP
43.3% children eligible for free and reduced
school meals
Douglas County, Nebraska
“Kids Count” data from Voices for Children - 2014

13. *
13
Douglas County Health Department has been
implementing Healthy Neighborhood Food
Stores throughout the Omaha metro. At these
stores, they are educating and encouraging
those with SNAP benefits on how to buy and
afford healthier food options.
Creighton Financial Hope Collaborative teaches clients
financial skills that increase their chances of getting out of
poverty and becoming more food secure. Topics include:
budgeting; debt consolidation; level payment plans for
utilities; and much more.
Omaha Public Schools has been making efforts to
encourage schools across the district to participate in
alternative breakfast models. Statistics show that many
students do not receive breakfast at home, and avoid
eating at school due to the stigmatization they receive.
By providing alternative breakfast options, students
receive a meal and perform better in the classroom.
The Hunger Collaborative is composed of three
different pantries that offer services to clients as well
as food. The three pantries are Heartland Hope
Mission, Together Inc., and Heart Ministry Center.
Food Bank for the Heartland is the main sponsor for
child food programs such as: Summer Meals Feeding
Sites; After School At-Risk Meals; and the Back Pack
Program. The Food Bank also oversees the statewide
SNAP outreach efforts and is the main distributor of
food to the Hunger Collaborative pantries.
OMAHA PLAN – Partners & Strategies

14. Successes Because of Collective
Funding
14

15. Omaha Public Schools
15
Schools that received monetary incentive for
introducing alternative breakfast models into
their school used those funds to purchase
classroom
materials such as
books, supplies,
technology
health materials
such as water
bottles for
students and gym
clothes
Gym equipment
such as jump
ropes and
basketballs
OMAHA PLAN

16. Hunger Collaborative
16
Referral program
that has shortened
the feeding line
Hunger
Collaborative and
Food Bank for the
Heartland joined to
implement a
program to increase
nutrition education
and signage within
pantries for
nutritious choices
Successfully
campaigned for the
24th St. Bus routes,
bus stops at the
pantries
Two of the most
successful Great
American Milk
Drives for the State
of NE
OMAHA PLAN

17. Food Bank for the Heartland
17
The approval rating
has increased almost
6% (was at 69%, now
around 75% and
growing)
The Omaha Plan was able to fund a new
staff member who has the responsibility
of finding those clients and individuals
who have not completed their SNAP
application and helping in follow up to
ensure completion
It has allowed them
to look at more
individual outcomes
and where the
process was
breaking down in
SNAP approval
versus the final
outcome
Has allowed
collaboration with
the state as well
OMAHA PLAN

18. Douglas County Health Department
18
Increase in 23 square miles of access to healthy foods (food
deserts getting smaller, which means the percent of people
without access to food decreased)
Iowa State University Extension visited to learn more about the
Healthy Neighborhood Stores Project.
OMAHA PLAN

19. Creighton Financial Hope
Collaborative
19
Was able to leverage other funding from resources to get an
additional $40,000 from a partner, due to the successes from the
program
Clients/Participants have been getting promotions at work due to
their financial skills, becoming less dependent on food
pantries/services
More banks/credit unions have been offering debt consolidation
loans due to the efforts of the FHC
OMAHA PLAN

20. Hunger Free Heartland
20
2015
Brought $19000 into Nebraska to build capacity and streamline
marketing for summer meals
Collaborated with the Team Nutrition, Midwest Dairy Council, and
Action for Healthy Kids to re-launch and re-frame the school
breakfast challenge
Created and administered a service learning curriculum for College
of St. Mary’s that educated students about childhood food insecurity
and connected them to potential resources in the community
Assisted and co-facilitated the creation of best practices for clothing
pantries.
OMAHA PLAN

21. Gretchen Swanson Center for
Nutrition
21
Publication of three
articles related to the
research of the
Omaha Plan
Greater
understanding of
Hunger Coping
Mechanisms, related
to Food Insecurity
Completion of Year 1
and 2 Community
Based Participatory
Research
OMAHA PLAN

22. Collaborating to Eliminate
• We know that there is a strong correlation to clients receiving more
than one intervention and achieving financial sustainability.
• This means the only way to change the landscape of food insecurity
and poverty is to work together.
3/23/2016
22

23. Thank You
Any Questions?
3/23/2016
23